What do you do? Query first or..

If it is fiction, I complete it first. If they ask for the manuscript tomorrow they want it tomorrow. The exception being a publisher that was specifically open to unfinished work from previously published authors

I would complete it first. Make sure it was writen as well as I could make it.

You can sell a non-fiction proposal without a completed manuscript. But for fiction, if you haven't been published before, you have to complete the manuscript before you query to show that (a) you can complete the manuscript, and (b) when it's done, it's publishable.

It is possible that an agent or publisher will ask for the full manuscript soon after seeing a partial. Believe me, if that happens to you, you don't want to turn around and say it's not ready.

Yes, non-fiction is routinely proposed.

I have made the mistake of querying before finishing. They requested the sample in 2 days, the manuscript in under a week. I rushed it and sent if full of mistakes and screwed up my chance. Now I finish first.

Nonfiction

RoseWrites said:

Thank you for that info..I didn't know about being able to sell a non-fiction proposal w/o completing the manuscript. I understand what you mean, it would be horrible to get that far and not have it ready.

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The big difference between nonfiction an dfiction is this: with nonfiction, it's teh idea and the information that are most important. If the topic is good enough and important enough, and teh information is valuable enough, teh writing itself can be fixed.

With fiction, however, it's how well it's written that matters, and no one can tell how well you can write a novel until after they see the finished novel.

query

RoseWrites said:

Just wondering how what each of you do. Do you complete your manuscript before sending out a query? or when your manuscript is near halfway complete or so and you know where it's heading, do you start submitting your query letters to agents while you finish writing it? If not, how long do you (personally) wait before sending a query, ie. after all your editing and polishing or before? Although some agents do specifically state manuscript must be complete, I'm curious to see what all of you when completion is not requested.

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New writers should alwaysd finsih a novel before querying. No one alive can tell how well you write fiction by reading a query letter.

It's different for a proven writer. Agent and editors already know I can write publisable fiction, so I usually want a contract before I write a novel.

With non-fiction too, the author's bio and non-writing credits (what makes him or her an expert on the subject) count for a lot. With novels -- not so much.

The non-fiction publisher will have a lot of input on the format of the book. They may have preferred chapter lengths, number of chapters, illustrations -- and even what exact topics are covered.

brinkett said:

It is possible that an agent or publisher will ask for the full manuscript soon after seeing a partial. Believe me, if that happens to you, you don't want to turn around and say it's not ready.

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Hmmm.. this is exactly what happened to me! I had to tell her that I just started a new revision, and that I needed two more weeks - and then I had to ask for even MORE time! Very embarassing! But she was very understanding. I think, if they are really interested, they will wait. After all, it shows that you are serious about preparing your work thoroughly, and not just sitting there begging for an agent.

They might be willing to wait, but I wouldn't want to take that chance. I'm glad it worked out for you.

Waiting

aruna said:

Hmmm.. this is exactly what happened to me! I had to tell her that I just started a new revision, and that I needed two more weeks - and then I had to ask for even MORE time! Very embarassing! But she was very understanding. I think, if they are really interested, they will wait. After all, it shows that you are serious about preparing your work thoroughly, and not just sitting there begging for an agent.

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They might wait, but it's taking a big chance. In trurth, there's just no good reason to query before something is finsihed. Doing so can come back and bite you.

I did the same thing once, I had finsihed the MS and thought heck, I'll send out a query or two now--it'll take awhile, in less than a week I had three requests for partials and one for the complete MS.

Not having the MS as polished as it could have been brought me rejections that time around.

Shawn

Always complete the work first...I find I finish the novel in first draft before I get the urge to seek out a publisher, but at least the first step is complete.

Jamesaritchie said:

They might wait, but it's taking a big chance. In truth, there's just no good reason to query before something is finsihed. Doing so can come back and bite you.

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True. But my ms WAS finished, or so I thought, at the time I queried; and then, out of the blue, I realised that the most important element was missing! Sometimes, this knowledge only comes after it has been sitting for a while. I had sent it out as a partial several times before this very last revision, believing it to be finished. It wasn't. Now it is. I'm sending it off today.
I'm not worried; I know she'll wait.

waiting

aruna said:

True. But my ms WAS finished, or so I thought, at the time I queried; and then, out of the blue, I realised that the most important element was missing! Sometimes, this knowledge only comes after it has been sitting for a while. I had sent it out as a partial several times before this very last revision, believing it to be finished. It wasn't. Now it is. I'm sending it off today.
I'm not worried; I know she'll wait.

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Yes, I think waiting has a different meaning in this case. It's probably more a matter of how long will they wait. If you start sending queries when a novel is half finished, you can run into serious problems. But if it's finished, and if you simply find some touch ups that need doing, then waiting probably is no big deal in any way.

Rose,

The answers above are great,

(you knew there'd be a but in there, didn't you . . . )

. . . unless you're wanting to do media tie-in fiction. Then the whole system changes:

a) Writer pitches a story to editor (usually agents aren't really interested in media tie-ins since advances/contracts are pretty boilerplate).

b) editor either rejects pitch or accepts pitch and sends it to license holder

c) license holder either rejects it outright, suggests changes or accepts it.

d) editor sends you contract for the short story/novel with your deadline for the story (usually with half the advance money on acceptance of proposal). Deadlines for stories can range from three weeks to six months.

e) you meet your deadline (hopefully)

f) editor and writer work on story to get it ready

g) editor either finally kills project or accepts ms and sends to licensor

h) licensor either recommends changes, rejects project or accepts ms

i) accepted ms goes to print

j) writer gets second half of advance