First ever response from an agent is a manuscript request!

[blackrabbitwhiterabbit]

I've been on here asking a few questions about agents recently, and sent my recently finished novel to ten agents about two/three weeks ago.
There was complete silence since then but I've just received my first reply and it's a manuscript request!
Sorry, just wanted to tell some people who understand that this is exciting! (I also realise that the chances of being signed are v low!)

Louisa I’m also finding writing the second book hasn’t got any easier - harder if anything!

Captain I agree, I had years to perfect book 1! And my agent says I need to keep book 2 in the same sort of vein because readers will have expectations. So now it just feels like I am writing the same book. Gah!

Louisa, did you actually spend years on book one? I've written mine in 4 months, first draft, barely edited. I got too impatient and sent out too soon maybe?

My first book took five years from start to being accepted by an agent, @blackrabbitwhiterabbit. And then a three-month rewrite which involved cutting an entire subplot and losing maybe a quarter of its total wordcount before it went out to editors.

Yes rabbit I took about two years writing and tweaking it, I didn't have a deadline so I could keep editing it until I was completely happy. And even then both my agent and my editor wanted changes made to the ms which is completely normal. Even now when I read through it (and its now gone to print!) I can see bits I would like to change!

@blackrabbitwhiterabbit. Ooooh, that is SO exciting, I know the odds of getting an agent and this is amazing. Your book must be brilliant! Dare you say anything about any of the themes? Why do you think they like it?
Also, have you contacted all the others and told them about the request for full ms? Competition is good!

@longlockdown Thanks! I've got three full requests now - After posting something about it on Twitter on Monday, another agent (from a great agency!) DMd me to ask for the full MS too. I sent her the first 50pgs as I stupidly said the first agency could have exclusivity in reading it.

It's all gone quiet on the Western front now, though (first agency are reading it at mo.) It's very possible all three will turn me down.

The book is a pretty dark theme and I didn't think anyone would be interested tbh. It's a kind of feminist thriller. I stupidly didn't edit it much and it's only my first draft so maybe I've been silly in sending it out so soon....

Yes, spent yesterday letting other agents know about the other full requests. One has replied so far saying she will try to read my submission some time this week...

Have you tried any of the debut novel competitions where you send off the opening or 50 pages or so?

Congrats blackrabbitwhiterabbit, your writing and story must be very high quality if you've had MS requests from a first draft!

Also congrats to others on the thread who have debuts coming up.

@Longlockdown yes, I've entered several this summer; the deadline for most being the end of May so won't hear anything for a while. I was lucky enough to come second in a first chapter-of-novel comp at Christmas time (with this same novel.)

Have any of you entered any?

@limeLemonorange I don't know about that! I did get a particularly stinging rejection on Sunday (my first one - with feedback, which I wasn't expecting.)

@blackrabbitwhiterabbit
Yes, prob the same ones as you. Last year I sent it off to the Lucy Cavendish and came in the longlist of 20 from 650+ entries, but I haven't really written any more than that.
I have 20k words that feel polished and a detailed plan for the rest, but just can't get going. Lockdown hasn't helped, WFH, homeschooling etc.
Maybe you could be my encouragement buddy? How did you focus enough to finish it? When I sit and write, I write quickly, but I keep finding something else to do 😂

Well done, that's a fab achievement! I'm at Cambridge Uni on the Cw Masters there, and lots of students applied for the Lucy Cavendish with no joy.
Working from home has been a pain recently, yes, although my ds is only one year old so is at home anyway.
I can be your encouragement bunny! And I will need one too when I (no doubt) get knocked to the ground soon. Focus is a weird one, I manage to get in the zone and just write write write when I get an hour alone with no baby.

Exciting! Well done!

I’m excited for you and have no abilities whatsoever when it comes to English! Everything crossed this is the first stepping stone to a wonderful new career 🤞

Aww, thank you so much! (It might all come to nothing so I need the crossed fingers; thanks.)

Aghhhh....the rejections come dribbling in now.
Still have my full MS out with two agents. They've asked for 2 weeks to read and let me know...which I think is pretty good of them seeing as some people on here have full MSs out and don't hear back.
Wait, wait, wait...

That is an amazing hit rate. You will get picked up I am sure!

Aaaaand my full manuscript was rejected.....

Ouch - I’ve been there!

I had a full request from the first agent I submitted to, two hours after sending it. She emailed me as she was reading it to tell me how much she loved it, real gushing stuff, then at the end said it would need some changes to be marketable, I made the changes, she rejected it anyway. I was properly gutted.

But if you are getting full requests at all then you’re definitely doing something right. Listen to any feedback you get, then grow from it.

Good luck!

I have also had full manuscripts rejected before I got my agent. There are lots of reasons why an agent doesn't sign someone and it doesn't mean your ms isn't good enough it might be that you are similar to someone they already represent. Send it out to a new batch of people or publishers and then you will know you're being proactive.

Thanks for replies. I will edit and send to another batch of agents. It stings though!

It's bound to sting, all rejections do, but brush yourself down and get back out there with it

I sent my proposal out last week and got a no, and then a request for full. She read it next day and said many nice things but it is a no. I then emailed some of the others to say I’d had a full request and another asked me to send the full.

It’s a real hussle isn’t it? It’s great reading the experiences on here to give it some perspective.