Notifiying agents of revisions

Should authors inform agents with whom they have outstanding full requests about significant revisions since submission? Or is that considered too disruptive/best to let them complete the evaluation of the original submission? Similarly, if authors happen to receive a full request while executing revisions, is it okay to ask the agent if they can hold off on submitting until the revisions are complete (assuming a reasonable timeframe/no more than a few weeks)?

I don't think there's an industry standard on this.

Without that kind of benchmark, the way to assess* this is to remember:

agents want to see your best work.

That IS an industry standard!

 

So, if you've done significant revisions, yes, drop an email to those agents who have outstanding requested fulls and tell them.

 

ATTACH (or include however they had you send the original request) the revised ms.

That way all I have to do is say "got this, thanks."

Now, there are several things you can do to shoot yourself in the foot here.

The first big one is to do this more than once.

 

Significant means significant. 

If you're fixing typos, that's not significant to most agents. If you sent this without running spell check, yes, I'll notice. But fixing it isn't going to help you much. I'll still know you did it.

 

And sending three, five or seven versions?

All that does is tell me you can't asses your own writing very well.

NOT something I want to see.

 

Another thing that you don't want to do is write to ask.

Just send.

 

If I have to read your email, then reply, then get the new email, that's just a lot of work you could have bypassed by sending the ms the first time.

 

 

And yes, if you're revising when I request the full, it's ok to say so.

Remember: I want to read your best work.

 

And even though Twitter is a vile cesspool these days, it's a good way to keep an eye on what agents are kvetching about. (Although I've stopped talking about anything substantive on Twitter since it's an invitation to be vilified.)

 

An agent who says "yeesh, don't bother me with revisions" is NOT the agent you want to send revisions to.  

 

Just keep track of those kinds of things as best you can.

 

If you want to start your list with things I kvetch about:

1. misuse of lie/lay 

2. incorrect use of its/it's

 

3. homophones and homonyms

4. shadowy billionaires

 

5. buxom blond physicists

6. effusive compliments. I do not walk on water. I swim in it.    

 

7. grammatically correct, full sentence lines of dialogue.

(Have you listened to how people yammer?)

 

Things I don't give a rat's patootie about:

1. getting my name right

2. getting your category right

 

3. comps

4. what my dear grandmama might call "locker room language" and what I call "how I talk"

 

5. your credentials

6. who you know

 

7. what your independent editor said

8. what your crit group said

 

 

Any questions?

*yes, it was spelled wrong for a while.