Why Do Literary Agents Take So Long to Respond to Submissions?

After working nearly 20 years as an editor helping writers get their work published, I've decided to start a new series of posts in which I answer frequently asked questions related to the business of writing. I've been asked so many questions over the years, but some of them pop up multiple times every year—whether via email or at live events (or as small talk with people who learn I'm an editor).

(How to get a literary agent: A simple two-step process.)

For instance, why do literary agents take so long to respond to submissions? I know when I was younger, I often tried divining what a long response time from an editor meant. Did it mean my piece would be rejected? Or did it mean the writing was moving deeper in the publishing process? Of course, I often worried the submission got lost—or worse, it was so bad that no response would ever make its way back to me.

What I've learned over the past two decades in publishing is that the reason behind long response times is probably not what you think. And it can change from agent to agent.

The simple answer to this question (and usually the correct answer) is that literary agents are busy. Most agents spend their days working for their active clients, because they make their money after securing deals for the authors they represent. So they need to service their current clients first to keep the lights on, and that's a good thing for you if an agent is representing you.

As such, literary agents—especially established literary agents—have to squeeze time for finding new clients into moments when they're not busy with their primary task: Representing their authors.

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I'm going to be honest: A long response time might be unavoidable. Even if the agent really wants to respond as soon as possible, publishing is often an unpredictable business that offers up moments of relative calm (and fast responses) and moments of chaos (and slow—or no—responses).

That said, here are a couple things writers can do to try and speed up the process:

Quick note on following up: Some agents actually note in their guidelines that they only respond if interested. In such cases, you can try following up, but you may never receive a response unless they're interested. At least, they're up front about it.

As a writer myself, I know how frustrating long response times can be, especially for a project that you've devoted a great deal of time and energy to creating and that you want to share with the world. But always remember to stay professional and understanding of the tasks and time constraints agents are facing as well.

(10 ways to make your novel submission stand out in the slush pile.)

Don't wait forever for agent responses, but don't take long response times personally. Most of the time the response time has absolutely nothing to do with your submission.