# Manuscript Requests Hook Agents



## Kyle R (Feb 21, 2014)

So, you've slapped your queries across the literary world and anxiously waited to hear back from someone, anyone, when, to the chorus of angels singing, an agent requests your full manuscript!

This is where many writers celebrate and throw all their hopes into a single agent. It seems to make sense, after all—here's someone who has shown a direct interest in your work. But a manuscript request from one agent is actually your ticket to hooking several agents, as well!

To understand how this works, it helps to think of what agents are after: the next big thing. Or, at the very least, the next _decent_ thing that can pay the bills.

Agents know how difficult it is to find a diamond in the rough. Imagine sifting through heaps of amateur prose, day in and day out, searching for something halfway worth publishing!

Now imagine if you came upon a manuscript with an *Agent Approved* stamp on it, stating that this manuscript has passed the "agent test" in terms of potential marketability. As an agent, wouldn't you be excited to read it?

That is what a full manuscript request can do for your manuscript in the hands of other agents. It's one of the snaggiest hooks you can get as an unpublished writer in the publishing world.

So, how do you use it?

You contact all the agents and/or publishing houses you've queried and you inform them that your story has received a manuscript request.

Something along the lines of:

“Dear (NAME OF AGENT),

Another agency has asked me to submit my full manuscript. While I'm excited by the request, I have also submitted a query to your agency, and it’s important for me to find the right partnership. Would you like me to submit the full manuscript to you as well?

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

(YOUR NAME)”

Notice how we open with "Another agency has asked me to submit my full manuscript." With an agent's penchant for skimming, it's important to slam the most important information right at the beginning.

If you start with something like, "A while ago I submitted a query to your office..." the agent might instantly send your letter to the "read later" bin, thinking it's a "haven't heard back, just following up" email. Don't make that mistake!

What will happen after sending such an email to the other agencies you've queried? Well, sometimes nothing. But there's a good chance you will begin to hear back from agents rather quickly, if nothing more than to decline.

More than likely, though, you'll get some more requests. As an agent, you'd hate to lose a rising talent to another representative.

The extra bonus? With each additional manuscript request, you can increase the power of your "courtesy" emails.

"Another agency has asked me to submit my full manuscript" will become "Two agencies have asked me to submit my full manuscript", and then, "Three agencies have asked me to submit my full manuscript."

As you can see, the attractiveness of your manuscript begins to compile. The higher the number of agencies requesting your work, the more agents will scramble after you!

Don't let this trick go to waste! If you've received a full manuscript request, use it to your advantage. Play the field, and watch your market potential grow.

:encouragement:


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## Gumby (Feb 21, 2014)

Now that's a powerful tool, one I hadn't thought of. Thanks Kyle.


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## Juan (Feb 21, 2014)

Would you suggest re-approaching an agency that has already rejected a sample of the work? Or is this tool just for going in fresh?


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## Caragula (Feb 22, 2014)

The first agent that expressed an interest in me said he wasn't sure he liked the novel but wanted to meet to talk about it.  Obviously I jumped at the chance.  I went with him because we got on really well, so I felt like we'd have a good and honest time getting my manuscript ready for submission, and having spent a day drinking with him since, that has only confirmed my choice   I daresay that I might have taken this otherwise good advice, because it does show you that your work has to be close to being good enough.  I had a number of rejections to that point, I don't think I'd have re-submitted though, but pushed on to other agents, mentioning the interest, as Kyle says, to make my query stand out.

But if you're given the option to phone or meet to discuss the work, meet


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## Dave Watson (Apr 3, 2014)

This tactic most definitely works. 

I got an offer from a small indie publisher a week or so ago. Not a great offer as it was royalties only and not even great royalty rates, no advance, and they expect the author to do the majority of legwork in terms of promotion. Nevertheless, it was nice to get something that wasn't a big fat "No". In your face, rejection tray! 

Anyhoo, I found out through another forum that a bigger publishing house in the US was open to submission, and read that one writer had submitted an MS and told them he had interest from other quarters. Within two weeks, he'd been offered a contract. I thought, why the devil not, and followed suit, not really expecting much as the original offer I'd received was not the best. 

Last night, the bigger publisher emailed me to say they'd like to publish my novel submission, plus another novel and short story I self published on Amazon in 2012. The basic details included a small advance, worldwide distribution in all languages, promotion and good royalty rates on ebooks, paperback, hardback, audiobooks and subsidary rights. (Insert theme from Rocky here)

Now I'd also submitted the new novel to a couple of other big fish here in the UK, so I wrote back to the publisher making the offer and told them I was thrilled they liked my scribbles, but I'd like a day or two to let the other publishers know out of courtesy. Today, I contacted both the big fish here in the UK, told them what was going on and within the hour, had a request for a full MS from one of them, with the other promisng to be in touch with in a week if they wanted to see more. 

All this time, I've been without an agent, having been roundly rejected by every one in the UK I could find that deals in the horror genre. I pondered getting in touch with all the same agents again telling them what was going down, but decided if they didn't like my writing first time around, it'd be better to try some new faces. After all, if they were to suddenly turn around and say yes, it would evidently only be because there was now a chance they could make a few shekels, not because they really believed in what I was doing. So I found a bunch of agents I hadn't submitted to, and spent six hours today emailing them with sample chapters and explaining my situation, making sure that the subject line in each email read "Offer from publisher received". It seems to have worked, as one of those agents have now asked me for a full MS.  

Point to all this is that a little interest can go a long way. Let the bidding wars begin!


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## Caragula (Apr 3, 2014)

Best of luck mate!!


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## Dave Watson (Apr 3, 2014)

Cheers Caragula.

Just thought of something else actually. I also phoned each agency I submitted to today and spoke to either the agent themselves or an assistant, letting them know the score, letting them know I'd read their sub guidelines but asking if there was anything specific I should do given the circumstances. One of the agents asked for the synopsis for my fist novel as well as the sample chapters for the new one, so you never know if something extra may crop up when you actually have a wee chat with the folks you're hounding.


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