Have you ever accidentally submitted a query?

[Chase Gamwell]

So here's a funny story...I accidentally submitted a query to an agent today.

A lot of times, when I get bored, I'll go looking for agents that I would like to eventually represent my stories/books. I'll do lots of research on the agent and put together something to submit to them. I have an email account specifically dedicated to that, so I'll go there and compose something. I'll tweak my query letter to the specific agent and addend whatever they request from the MS. Most of the time I do this, I save the query for later - until my MS and the letter are ready. As part of the process, I'll add the agents email as a last step (just so I can remember exactly where it's going).

Today, I added the email first. After that, I posted the query letter and MS transcript that was requested. I was doing some final format editing on the MS section of the work and found that there was an additional space between two paragraphs. I deleted the space, then pressed tab to try and add an indent. It didn't work. Guessing I'd have to add an indent manually with the space bar, I pressed it and...the email disappeared. At the top of the page, a small yellow box appeared informing me that the email had been sent.

I totally - accidentally - queried an agent!

I know there are MANY things I could have done to avoid this misstep, but it still happened. Either way, this made me wonder if anyone else has done the same thing. Anyone else accidentally submit a query to an agent? Am I alone in this? (Somehow, I'm thinking I am )

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Your the first...

 

[Carol Rose]

Can't say I have...

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Well...you never know...Won't you be surprised if the agent comes back and says Yes!

 

[Chase Gamwell]

Your the first...

SWEET!

 

[Katie-Ellen]

I haven't ever done that before, but I've either done that today, or wiped the email hosted on their page by having too many pages open simultaneously and deleting the wrong thing . I don't mind if it went. It was sufficiently ready but I do mind if it didn't and I think it didn't. Here, it's on me. Have my drawing of a Norah Batty flea with a hat and a handbag, (from an unpublishable children's rhyme sitting in a drawer)

 

[Amber Zade]

Funny. No..... I'm not all ready to go with a query like you are... LOL

 

[Nicole Wilson]

Um no. Though I think it's funny we have the same process. I also draft my emails and scan through them before adding their email address to the To: box. To easy for exactly this to happen

 

[KG Christopher]

I remember one morning, I was very sleepy, and I made a cup of coffee, instant, with mile, hot water and sugar, but I was so sleepy, I put SALT in it. Nuts.

 

[Emurelda]

Yep! With an empty email! It was from that point on that i realised it best to type in agent emails last when i was good and ready to submit..oh yeah and also i added the cancel email sending feature available on gmail accounts...just in case

 

[Emurelda]

Um no. Though I think it's funny we have the same process. I also draft my emails and scan through them before adding their email address to the To: box. To easy for exactly this to happen

What she said.

 

[Chase Gamwell]

Yep! With an empty email! It was from that point on that i realised it best to type in agent emails last when i was good and ready to submit..oh yeah and also i added the cancel email sending feature available on gmail accounts...just in case

That cancel feature would have been super handy yesterday. That query was supposed to sit in my "Drafts" box for a while before being sent.

AND we all have the same process because great minds think alike!