My latest manuscript came really close to getting an agent--I had several partial requests and a full manuscript request. Each agent that read my partial gave the same reasons for rejecting it, so I know what the problem is. I was wondering: when is it appropriate to revise and resubmit? (I was planning on taking 4-6 months to revise and make sure it's fixed, polished, and perfect.)
Absent the specific words revise and resend, never.
Sorry.
This is one of the main reasons to not query all agents at the same time. If you do get requests for partials or fulls, and you do get feedback on changes, if you've queried everyone, you've got no place else to go.
There are a gazillion agents out there though. Make a new list and query when ready.
3 comments:
Off-topic, but how would I send you a question, Janet? Can I just leave it in the comments of some post? I don't want to email you if I'm not querying you.
It's about rights and college publications, and I guess to save time I'll ask it here and if you can answer it, that would be greatly appreciated, if not please delete the comment with my apologies.
I have a manuscript that I'm going to pursue publication with, and I've been taking pieces of it to my writer's crit group which is at my local community college. The instructor of the class has asked me to read a portion of it at a student reading for the entire college, which would be nice to have for my query letter (I think). Except that any piece read at the reading is also published in a catalog that's handed out at the reading, as well as on the school's website. It does say on the website that the student retains all rights and the college doesn't consider the work published, but I know you have to be careful nowadays, so I wanted to check with someone who understood rights before accepting or denying the honor. I would love to accept, of course, but not at risk of jeopardizing the possibility of publication.
Thank you. :)
Thank you so much for this excellent advise. I've been worrying that I haven't been submitting my queries widely enough, but this makes a great deal of sense. You only get one chance.
Useful info. I too have questioned the shotgun approach (of course keeping all correspondence personal).
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