Out of interest, are these senior agents (like VP, and partner ones for example) or junior/new agents?
A well-respected editor I worked with last month allowed me to have a heart to heart and she was very helpful. She recommended targeting junior agents or newly joined agents in the same houses as the more senior ones as you will get better response times due to workload and client list length. Chances are they may turn to the senior ones for guidance and input, allowing you a quicker trip up the ladder to their desks.
I have had one such junior agent reply the same day as my query (not making this up - it only took 7 hours for her PERSONALIZED rejection). I am yet to test this on a full though. I sent my revised batch out last week to about 15 agents, including the one that replied the same day.
Richard nailed it with how an hour feels a month with this business.
I have been pitching a mix of junior agents and established ones. The established ones/agents with long lists are definitely slower.
Rejections so far:
-I've had 1 rejection so far which was an earlier draft (it's been revised since) - they felt impatient during one part of the story and said they felt it failed to sustain itself in the way they'd hoped (I've since streamlined that bit and cut out a hefty 10k). An established agent at a big agency.
- 1 revise and resubmit where the agent said ultimately he still didn't connect but the changes were good and the piece was very strong. He has a short client list.
-One 'Great atmosphere, Great writing but for some reason I failed connect with the voice' An established agent at a big agency but in hindsight not the best choice - her taste veers more towards commercial/reading group fiction even if she says she is looking for literary fiction.
-1 'I felt the story was too vague' (for the early draft--I feel like since then I have honed my pitch and the piece to make it tighter. There was always a story but I wasn't selling it enough.
