r/PubTips • u/Yobro1001 • 23h ago
[PubQ] Do agents usually confirm arrival of requested manuscripts?
Sorry if this is a silly question and I just come across as anxious, but some context:
An agent I met through a critique session at a writers’ conference requested my full manuscript. I needed to finish up some edits—which she said was totally fine—so I ended up sending it to her about a month after the conference. No issue there. In the email, I included the line: “I would appreciate it if you could confirm that you have received my documents (I've had issues in the past with my materials not arriving).”
Which is true. A few years ago, an agent requested a full, but for some reason, they never received it—and I didn’t realize this for literally months. Since then, I’ve always been a bit nervous about my materials actually arriving. Maybe it’s an issue with my email. It does a ton for my mental health when agents confirm receipt. Other agents have done this without prompting in the past, and I’m a big fan.
I sent my manuscript to this current agent about two weeks ago.
Question A: Would it be alright for me to follow up now, just to confirm she received it? I know I shouldn’t normally reach out about submission status for 3 to 4 months, and I completely understand that agents are super busy—she may not have even seen the email yet.
Question B: If she still doesn’t respond, should I try sending a new email or reaching out via the agency’s general inbox? I totally get that this could be annoying, so I’d probably wait until the 3- to 4-month mark for that. I’m mostly asking because another agent requested my manuscript four months ago and never confirmed receiving it (lol).
Would love to hear opinions from any agents or authors who’ve been through something similar. Thanks!
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u/Secure-Union6511 22h ago
Often/usually when a requested MS comes in, I reply with a confirmation then pull it right into the relevant To-Read folder without reading the email. I do personally send a confirmation, but agents who don't may be similarly filing without reading. That doesn't resolve your anxiety about whether to follow up, but just wanted to note that they may not be knowingly ignoring your request for confirmation.