Following Up When
Querying an Agent
By Mary Kole
Mary Kole is a former literary agent, freelance editor, writing teacher, author of Writing Irresistible Kidlit, and IP developer for major publishers, with over a decade in the publishing industry.
Here’s a question about querying an agent that I see all the time. As a former literary agent, I am happy to shed some light:
Am I taking too much time to respond to an agent's request for a partial? Lately, I've been revising the beginning of my manuscript based on another agent's feedback. However, prior to making the revision, another agent asked to see the beginning—and I want it to be perfect before sending it. At the same time, I don't want the agent to lose interest or assume that I made a mistake in querying an agent prematurely.
Querying an Agent Prematurely
Nearly every writer has experienced this awkward situation before. If you find yourself revising after you already hit “submit” on a manuscript submission, then you probably need to hear that querying an agent prematurely happens, and it’s not the end of the world. If you have a literary agent request for your manuscript, but you don’t want to send what you have before doing some more revision, read on.
It happens all the time. No one can blame you for wanting to query and see whether your months or years of writing and revising have paid off. But if you jump right to querying an agent, then decide you weren’t ready after all, that could leave you navigating an awkward situation.
Don't Rush Into Revision When Querying an Agent
Let me offer some advice that I hope you will take to heart when it comes to querying an agent prematurely. If you've already made the mistake of speedily sending out a manuscript that isn't as good as it could be, and having to tell an agent that you’re still revising, don’t do it again. Simple as that. As for the manuscript that’s being requested? You need to tell the agent that you need more time.
Here’s an example that you can cut and paste when you’re querying an agent and realize you want to revise:
Thank you so much for your interest. I’m finishing up a revision, and will have the project to you when it’s ready.
Do not offer a deadline. It really doesn’t matter. The last thing you want to do is miss your self-imposed deadline.
This kind of submission delay happened to me all the time when I was agenting. I remember requesting a full manuscript and not getting it. Every few months I would think of that manuscript, wondering what had happened to it. Six months later, I’d finally received an email with the revised manuscript, along with a note from the writer explaining that they had done serious revisions and didn’t want to trouble me before the project was truly ready. The writer admitted to querying an agent before they were ready. I admired this approach! (Though I would’ve wanted the above kind of notice after the initial request.)
That being said, DO NOT rush to finish this new revision just to meet the perceived deadline of a literary agent’s request. How could you possibly make a “huge revision” in two weeks and expect it to be the right revision? If you have that literary agent request sitting there, take some time to revise before you fulfill it. The agent will understand.
Now, in my freelance editorial practice, I don’t hunt down manuscripts that I’m expecting, even if a client has missed their submission deadline. Why? I assume they’re revising, and will get the work to me in their own time. There’s no need to rush. Freelance editors and writing agents want to see the latest and greatest, and only when you’ve had adequate time to do your best work.
Querying an Agent When the Manuscript is Ready
Whenever I talk to writers at conferences, I make this same point about querying an agent: if an agent requests your full manuscript, don't worry about losing their interest if you decide to take some time to revise. Agents would much rather have something polished than something rushed. It's like comparing slow-cooked gourmet food to fast food: it takes time, effort, and skill to create something truly amazing. (Ahem, I should add that I married a professional chef, so this metaphor makes a lot of sense!)
Don’t rush your newly revised manuscript submission. I'm sure I'll spend the rest of my career advocating for this particular point, so here's one more reminder to not rush out a submission after querying an agent.
Click here to purchase Successful Query Letters, my book on query letters, including over forty examples with comprehensive notes on each one. There’s a ton of submission advice, best practices, and insider information in these pages, and you’ll really enjoy seeing what other writers are doing in the slush.