A literary agent requested a full of my MS--now what?

Question

Okay. I haven't had an agent request a full. Yet. (I did have one in the past request a full, but I didn't send it. Long story. . . )

Hopefully, though, I might being getting some partial and full request soon. Finally got that query letter good enough (I think).

I went to a writer's panel and met and talked to an agent for a long time. She's local, so I think she might request my MS because 1. I spoke with her at the panel and 2. I'm local. It all comes down to how she likes the query I sent her.

So when (if) she does request the full, what do I do? Do I just send the whole MS? Or do I have to put a cover letter with it? This particular agency likes the MS sent in PDF form.

How do I format the MS? I have it double-spaced, twelve-point font. But what about other rules? At the top of the title page do I put my name and number somewhere. And do I have to send a cover letter? I don't know what to do. I want to prepare--that's why I'm asking these questions.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Okay, deep breath. And out again.



Local agents almost never represent the author as well as a New York (or in the UK, London) agent could. It's nearly always a mistake to opt for local over connected.



Research this agent as if you had never met her. How many books in your genre has she sold in the last two years? Did any of them sell to Big Six publishers? Do any of the publishers have writers' guidelines on their websites (meaning no agent was necessary)? Are any of them PODs or vanity presses?



So let's say she checks out to your satisfaction. When and if she asks for a full, visit her website. (If she doesn't have one, major red flag.) Does it have specifics about submission formats? If not, go with the standard. That's one-inch margins on all four sides, double spacing, 12-point Courier or Times New Roman, a slugline/header with your last name, a one-word version of your title, and the page number (Dickens, TALE, 33) in the upper right corner. If she wants PDFs, obviously you're emailing it as an attachment, so yes, you'd have a very brief cover letter/email reminding her that she asked for this material.



Dear Ms. Jones,

Attached is my novel GREAT LIES in .pdf format as per your request of June 14, 2011. If you have any questions, you can either reach me by email or by phone, [phone]. I hope you enjoy LIES and look forward to hearing from you.



Easy, yes?

Answer 2

First thing's first. don't send off that manuscript unless it's completely polished. You're taking a huge chance on sending off a query for a manuscript that still needs tightening. Don't get too excited and query before you're ready. Some agents have fast turn around times.



Secondly, there's nothing wrong with having a agent outside New York. Curtis Brown has offices and agents in San Fransisco. The Nelson Literary Agency is located in Colorado(!) but she doesn't have a problem flying to New York for book expos, conferences, and meet-and-greets with the big publishers. She also doesn't have a hard time selling books to the major publishers. Most communication is handled over the phone or via email these days, but legit agents who aren't located in New York take the time to fly there and meet with publishers and take the time to attend publishing conferences, etc. So, as long as the agent is legit and has a verifiable sales record then there's nothing wrong if they're not located in NYC.



Use a cover page to put your name and number and other information. Use a header for your name, book title, and page number (can't remember which order). I think the margins are 1 inch and obviously indented paragraphs. Though, any agent worth taking seriously won't be rejecting a manuscript based on menial formatting issues (unless it's so bad that they can't read it), so, IMO, you're worrying over spilled milk.



If you need a conversion program for Word/PDF then there are free ones available you can use. Try tucows.com. I've used that site before to download such a program. The reason they want it in PDF is so they can read the manuscript exactly how you've written and formatted it. If you send them a word document or cut and paste then the formatting can get all messed up on their end and make it harder to read.

Answer 3

The Agent will tell you what they want. But yeah common sense dictates you send them the manuscript and a short cover note just saying this is the manuscript....

Answer 4

Does she have a website? If so, look there to see if she has formatting standards.



Yes, you should put a cover letter with it - otherwise how will she know it's from you?

Answer 5

I think this is the best and most thorough answer to your question:



http://www.iuniverse.com/uploadedFiles/iUniverse/Packages/ManuSubGuideiU_NEW.pdf



It addresses everything you just asked, and more.