Giving up on agent for future queries?

[A.P.M.]

So, I don't know if I'm thinking about this correctly.

I have a third MS that I want to start querying soon. I have two others that have made the rounds and have been met with some success but no offers (although one is still in the middle of the querying stage, the other is approaching "trunk it" status).

A particular agent really liked them both, but ultimately rejected them. However, I still think they are good/marketable, especially with the revisions I've made.

So my question is: do I avoid querying this agent with the new MS (which I obviously believe has a strong chance of finding representation, otherwise I wouldn't be querying it) for fear that the agent will take my new work but not want to look at my backlog again?

Or do I query the agent first, because they've liked my work so far?

[thothguard51]

Query the new one and if you get an agent that sells the book, then you can discuss your books on hold. The agent may rethink the hold books because now the publisher has seen and accepted your work.

If the agent does not want to represent the work on hold, then query a new agent about the works on hold. Generally speaking, its easier to get another agent than the first agent. Why? You have a track record...

Or so I have read...

[KalenO]

Well first off, remember there's no 'correct way' to think about this. Everyone's experience is different, so as long as you make your decision thoughtfully and after weighing the various angles, you're going to be fine.

I will say though, that you can't 'burn a MS' with an agent the same way you can with an editor. Something appealed to this agent enough to request your past two MSs in the first place, so likely the premises/characters held merit. Perhaps the agent simply felt they needed too much work to justify offering on them - that doesn't mean that if they took you on as a client for a later book that they'd be averse to delving back into them and finding ways to make them work. That happens all the time.

However, at the same time it IS possible that they're simply not right for that agent, and they won't be interested in revisiting them at a later stage, even if you sign with them. Unfortunately, there's no way for you to know that at this stage. For me personally, I would simply query with the new MS and mention in your query that they'd read two previous fulls of yours. I guarantee they'll remember you, and if they request and ultimately offer, THEN you can ask if they're willing to revisit your backlog somewhere down the road, and you can make your decision based on their answer and how you feel about it.

There's nothing to be lost by querying them at this stage.

[Araenvo]

Although of course other books do come into play, an agent will accept your for the ms. you're querying at the time - not the past of future mss. you have. Yes, most agents who accept you will be expecting (as I'm sure writers are!) for you to work on multiple books, but the offer of rep. is still always based off a single book, which is the one they think can sell. So I wouldn't worry about this - go with the agent who clearly likes our style, as well as others

[Undercover]

I'm in the same boat. I have two previous novels and now my newest one, all YA, so it was YA agents I was sending to again. I avoided the ones that requested fulls for my previous works simply because I am hoping to connect on an agent that will want all of them ultimately. I know that's far fetched, but this is what I'm trying first. Maybe if I'm not having as much luck, (which I'm really not) I would query them with the new one.

Some of them said they didn't connect on the voice, so in other words they didn't like my writing style so why bother with a new one anyways? It depends on what they said too and why they declined the others.

[Saanen]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who worries about this. I've been querying my contemporary YA. One agent who requested the full sent a really positive rejection. She loved my voice, got the humor, loved the characters, etc., but said she didn't think there was enough of a hook for her to want to represent it. But she said she really wanted to see what I write next.

I'm flattered but...confused. I mean, obviously I'm doing something right or she wouldn't have said all those nice things. And obviously the book isn't right for her, for whatever reason. But it feels like she's saying for me to junk this book because she doesn't like it, but if she likes my next one she might want to take me on for the rest of my career. But...if she doesn't want this book and does want the next one, what are the odds that she'll want the one after that?

I thought agents typically signed authors in hopes of representing them for their entire career, not just for one book.

[kaitie]

I almost always sent to agents who requested fulls. They're more likely to remember you, and the fact that they made the request in the first place implies that they saw something promising.

Oddly, most of my requests on the second book came from a completely different set of agents (VERY different styles), but I think it's generally a good idea. Especially if they had positive comments about the last one. Worst comes to worst, they'll just reject it this time around.

And for what it's worth, I'm sending a book to my agent today that he previously rejected (not on full, but still). I told him that he did, but he said he wants to see it anyway. So yeah, I say go for it.

[JSSchley]

I saw a tweet from Laura Bradford (@BradfordLit) just yesterday that addressed this:

I just got a query from an author that I have read a couple of fulls for over the last couple of years. I ws thrilled to hear from her again

Yes, if you've written thirty novels quickly and your writing isn't up to snuff, or if you're bombarding an agent with a bunch of queries that aren't in her genre, then you're being obnoxious. But if you're pitching books that are up the agent's alley, and each one is polished and good? Definitely pitch to the agents who requested fulls. And mention they requested a full of another work of yours.

[Becca C.]

Sometimes agents reject fulls because, as much as they like almost everything about them, they just don't think they could sell them. Agents pass up books they really, really like all the time.

Imagine you read a book by a debut author. You liked it enough to see promise, one or two things really hooked you, but it just wasn't your favourite. A couple years later, you read their second book and it's still flawed, but better than the first one. There was definite improvement and you can't wait to see what they come up with next. Fast forward a few years... you'd love to read a new book by them... and then the third book finally becomes available.

You'd be pretty excited to read it, right? Dreaming and hoping so hard that it surpasses the other two books and becomes your favourite book ever? That's got to be how an agent feels about repeat queriers whose books they really like, but don't love to pieces.

[A.P.M.]

Just thought I'd update-I queried, and got told that she liked the premise of the query but based on the fact that she didn't end up feeling strongly enough to represent the previous two novels, didn't think she was the best agent for me.

I guess sometimes they're willing to give you another chance and sometimes they aren't.