Agent asks to see full manuscript: how often?

Katharine Tree · Jan 6, 2015

I got three nibbles during the last PitMad (four, actually, but one was a duplicate... guess she really liked my pitch). I queried all three. Two have requested a full manuscript.

This is the first time I have queried and I am not committed to getting published; writing is a hobby that I do to make myself happy. I entered PitMad without any forethought or preparation. I just thought, what the heck, I have four books lying around, why not?

Having said that...

Can I pat myself on the back for getting two-out-of-three full manuscript requests, or is this just the way things go?

(fully aware that I still stand a serious chance of being turned down by all of them)

noranne · Jan 6, 2015

It varies a lot. Queries that are solicited (from a contest like that or some other method) have a higher request rate because you've already cleared the bar of "interested in the premise", but I would think even then 2 out of 3 is pretty good.

For comparison, I have queried 48 agents, several of those via contests, and have had exactly one full request.

Here is a good post Mutive put together about the statistics of querying.

Anna Spargo-Ryan · Jan 6, 2015

You're querying warm leads, so it's likely your conversion rate will be higher.

I hear all kinds of figures being thrown around as a "good" conversion rate - 10%, 1%, 30%. Either way, this is a very small sample size. I queried one agent, got one full request, signed one contract. A meaningless stat! Luck, timing, research all contribute to a query's success, beyond just the quality of the writing.

You should pat yourself on the back either way

I hope they bring you roaring success.

EMaree · Jan 7, 2015

I like the 10% ratio for cold querying but Anna's right that there's a world of difference when you're responding to already-sparked interest.

Your stats are unusual enough that you can't really compare them to others, but they *are* looking good: you've attracted attention in the crowded chaos of PitMad not once, but three times! And three of those two have turned into a full! That's a really excellent request rate so far.

Congratulations!

(Did you chase up the non-responding third request, btw? They might just have lost the e-mail!)

Katharine Tree · Jan 7, 2015

Thanks, everybody! After posting some of my opening paragraphs and getting critiqued, I was kind of desperate for some positive feedback

Yes, the third one has responded, with a flat "no". She was the most reputable of the three (has sold many books to major houses), so it was both expected and a big disappointment.

EMaree · Jan 7, 2015

That sucks. Sorry to hear that, Katharine. But hey, two full requests should soften the blow a bit, right?

If you haven't already, make sure to check out the agents over on the Bewares subforum. It's rare, but occasionally some less-than-savory types lurk the popular hashtags. Better to be safe!

Michael Davis · Jan 7, 2015

Getting more than a cover letter is an achievement in itself. Before I homed in on my current publisher, if I recall correctly, rate of "request MS" to contract offer was about 25%.

Sage · Jan 7, 2015

Query requests from #pitmad usually (but as you know, not always) result in a request, but it's a success to get a hit (or three) from #pitmad as well! It may not give a clear picture of how good your query is, though, just that your 140-character pitch is good and nothing about the query and/or sample you sent those agents turned them off from it.

What it does show is that you have a concept that is interesting to at least 3 agents, or at least the elements you focused on in your pitches were interesting. This is more than a lot of authors have. It's a good sign, for sure.

Saphron · Feb 21, 2015

Hey Katharine Tree, can I ask your genre? I'm gearing up for the pitmad in a few weeks, and wondering how common it is in my genre (I see a lot of YA examples, but no LF, which is my novel). Thanks

Laer Carroll · Feb 28, 2015

Wouldn't it have been better to ask this in the forum specifically set up to answer questions about agents: Ask the Agent? You might have gotten a more detailed answer to your question.

Agent asks to see full manuscript: how often?

Katharine Tree

Þæt wæs god cyning

noranne

the possibilities are endless

Anna Spargo-Ryan

Just pokin' about

EMaree

a demon for tea

Katharine Tree

Þæt wæs god cyning

EMaree

a demon for tea

Michael Davis

Sage

Supreme Guessinator

Saphron

Laer Carroll

Aerospace engineer turned writer