Tuesday, November 17, 2009

I'm Not Sure if I'm Insane or Not

There is an agent who has had a partial - my first 3 chapters - for a little over a month. I've made a lot of changes since then, and it's a much better book now. I honestly believe that the agent would reject me based on the 3 chapters I sent her, and she's a really good agent and someone I would love to have represent me.

So after trolling around on the internet for a while, reading other people posting similar tales of woe, and the advice they received, I decided to email the agent with what was basically a mea culpa: the first 3 chapters I sent you sucked, but they're really good now. REALLY. THEY ARE. Can I resubmit?

Now. I wait. I hope that she doesn't hate me, or think I'm unprofessional, or whatever. But honestly, I think I had to do it. Otherwise what was I to do? Wait for the rejection that was sure to come and then tell her "oh, by the by, I changed a whole shitload of stuff a few months ago, want to read it again?"

I'll let you know how it goes.

5 comments:

  1. Please tell us what the response is because I am in a similar situation and would love to know. I'm too chicken to resend even though I know they haven't read yet.

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  2. I kind of did this with my first chapter. Sent the revised version a few weeks after first sending the partial. Explained that while my ms. was in every way "complete and polished" when I sent it to her that I had made a few changes that pumped up the first five pages some. Wound up getting a form rejection for the first partial submission -- and a couple hours later a form rejection for the second. Both were just replies to my e-mails, and the agent in question, after weeks of inactivity, was suddenly rejecting all the partials she'd been sent (as reported by contributors to Absolute Write). So I was, and am, convinced that she never bothered to read either version but decided one day just to clean out her in-box. I think you did the right thing. As you say, what was the alternative?

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  3. It's a really tough question but I think....well it doesn't matter what I think. It must happen all the time. The agents must be used to this. Good luck and tell us what happens!

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  4. I got an automatic response that said something along the lines of "I am currently closed to queries and will reopen on such and such a date." So even though I was replying to her reply to me, I think my email got deleted because of her query hiatus.

    At this point the plan is to wait for her to reject me, and then reply back with a "would you like to see a revised version? No? OK, thank you anyway."

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