No, not that type of ghost! Ghosting in the publishing world is similar to how the term is used in dating. So, in this case, you send a query to an agent or editor and they never get back to you. A lot of agents will specify an amount of time they expect to get back to you, but if they don't, "no response means no."
I'll be honest with you, it sucks... ESPECIALLY on a full request. But, it happens, and there's nothing you can do to change it. Just try not to take it personally.
***Just as a side note, sometimes agents are just swamped and really slow! I actually just got a partial request on a query I'd sent over 12 weeks ago. It happens, though it's not common. I've also gotten very, very delayed rejections on occasion.
Requests are exactly that--an agent liked what they saw and wants you to send more! Sometimes it's a partial request (Mine have all been for 50 pages, so I assume that's fairly standard), or sometimes they want the full thing. I recently had a partial request turn into a full request after they still liked what they saw after those first 50 pages :)
-Make sure to take time to celebrate! Any request for pages is an achievement and worth celebrating!
-Calm down before you send your additional pages (and anything else they might ask for). Read the message several times to ensure you're sending what they asked for, and make sure you're sending the right material their way!
-There's an excellent video by Bookends Literary Agency on Youtube about what to do when you get a request. I suggest taking time to watch it and read through your pages one last time before you send them... but do NOT obsess over it. Trust what you've done to prepare to query in the first place. So, don't rush it, but don't take too long either.
-Sometimes after an agent has read a full they might request an R&R, but I'll go into depth on what that is another time!
Aaaaaaand now onto rejections. Or, as some people prefer to think of them, "passes" on your work. There's a lot that I could say here (too much, honestly), but today I want to address the different types of rejections/passes you can receive. One type (an incredibly rare and elusive type to receive) is a personalized response. Agents usually don't have time to do this (especially on just a query), so if you get one that's usually a good sign! Pay attention to specific details from your book to know it's personalized because sometimes form rejections are written to sound personalized, but aren't.
-Something else to keep in mind, a lot of agents have multiple types of "form" rejections and they choose the one that fits your case. So, essentially these are "semi-personalized." Usually this is so they can address why they're passing on your work
-Common reasons why an agent may pass on a good novel include the book not being what they're looking for presently, already having an author who writes similar books or has a similar voice, or not connecting with the opening pages.
Like I said, I'm trying to keep this brief to avoid overloading anyone with information, but be ready to get A LOT of rejections. Seriously, even people that get signed have more rejections than yesses. But to end on a bit of comfort, it only takes ONE yes :)