Can you send revisions once you have already sent a full MS?

Submission protocol, query etiquette, and strategies that work
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LaurenNTaylor
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Can you send revisions once you have already sent a full MS?

Post by LaurenNTaylor » September 1st, 2012, 8:38 pm

Hi,

I have a couple of questions about agent etiquette. I had a full MS request from Susan Ginsburg. I sent it off about 3 weeks ago. Since then I had some feedback from a publisher who asked me to revise my first chapter and resubmit it. So my questions are:

1. Should I tell the agent about the publisher?

2. Can I send my new first chapter to the agent? I think it is much better work.

Any suggestions/ideas??

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HillaryJ
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Re: Can you send revisions once you have already sent a full MS?

Post by HillaryJ » September 1st, 2012, 9:29 pm

LaurenNTaylor wrote:Hi,

I have a couple of questions about agent etiquette. I had a full MS request from Susan Ginsburg. I sent it off about 3 weeks ago. Since then I had some feedback from a publisher who asked me to revise my first chapter and resubmit it. So my questions are:

1. Should I tell the agent about the publisher?

2. Can I send my new first chapter to the agent? I think it is much better work.

Any suggestions/ideas??
Hi Lauren,

1. If the publisher has made an offer, you should absolutely advise the agent. If not, I don't believe it's necessary.

2. Depends. :) When I queried, I made substantial revisions to the first half of my ms based on an agent's feedback and did send in a "revised submission" to the other agents who had my full. If you believe that the revisions materially improved the story, then send in a revised submission. Alternatively, do the changes you made to that first chapter affect the remainder of the story, either stylistically or plot-wise? If so, maybe take the time to revise the entire ms before resending or continuing to query.

Best of luck!
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LaurenNTaylor
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Re: Can you send revisions once you have already sent a full MS?

Post by LaurenNTaylor » September 1st, 2012, 9:41 pm

Thanks!

No the publisher hasn't made an offer. So I will keep it to myself.

The revisions don't change the plot or affect the style much but I and the others who have read them think they do a better job of introducing the world the MC lives in.

The publisher told me off for info dumps in the first chapter so I have tried to do more show don't tell, like in the rest of the MS.

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cheekychook
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Re: Can you send revisions once you have already sent a full MS?

Post by cheekychook » September 2nd, 2012, 9:57 am

Unless you have an offer you are accepting do NOT tell an agent you've even sent your manuscript to a publisher. If the agent thinks you are already contacting and subbing to publishers they won't even look at your work---if you've already submitted it they'll feel it's already been shopped around and they won't want to deal with it.

If the full request was made with the agent having already read the first chapter, there's no need to send the revised version. If the request was made entirely based on a query with no pages, then you could email the agent and tell her that IF she has yet to start reading your manuscript you'd like to know if you might send her a newer copy as you've revised the first chapter and made the opening clearer. Make sure to acknowledge that you are aware of how busy she is and that this is a one time thing (you're not going to be sending her new versions every few weeks). Odds are she has not looked at your work yet---usually it takes agents 3 months or more to get back about a full. Just be polite and ask, if she hasn't already read the original opening and requested based on it.

Good luck!
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LaurenNTaylor
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Re: Can you send revisions once you have already sent a full MS?

Post by LaurenNTaylor » September 3rd, 2012, 3:37 am

Thanks. She read the first 5 pages of the first chapter....?

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