Revisions but no contract - what to do?

Hello,

I need some advice, and would love to hear what you think.

I submitted my manuscript to about 20 different agents. So far, 8 of them asked for a full manuscript. 3 of them already rejected, and now my full manuscript is under review by 5 different agents.

Today, I got a call from one of them. She was extremely enthusiastic, and loved the project. She offered a ton of useful suggestions on how to make it better, and I absolutely agree that a revision is necessary. She did not make any mention of a contract, but did express her desire to see the revisions done quickly, and said "I would love to work with you." She also mentioned that she has recently sold a similar type of work in a fantastic deal, and is looking forward to making it happen again with my book.

So my question is - what do I do about the other agents. Do I let them know to hold off on reading my manuscript, to see where it ends up with this agent? Or do I just let them be, and see if I get any other offers. In my mind, all the agents are pretty much equal as far as desirability is concerned, so I don't have any particular preference.

So, what should I do? I just want to finish this project and get it over to an agent to let them do their magic.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I definitely think that the revisions will make my book stronger. The revisions will take my project from a novelty humor piece to a real work of literature, even containing a statement. However, I am so unmotivated to work on that book now! I guess I'll post about it in another thread, for some inspiration.

Anyway, another issue is that I wish that the agents who currently have my full would wait until I can give them the revised one. I guess that's unreasonable. I just wish I had a contract, so that I can focus my mind on the revisions, rather than still being absorbed by the query process.

She said "I would love to work with you" and kept talking about how she sold a similar type of work in a great deal. But she never mentioned the word "contract" at all, and I didn't ask. I know it's common for agents to ask for elaborate revisions, and end up rejecting the MS anyway, so I am trying to keep my hopes down.

Thank you Toothpaste and Danthia for giving me some hope. I just wonder why an agent wouldn't just come out and say it. She never asked for an exclusive read, nor did she ask about how many other people have the MS (and I didn't volunteer the info). But she was extremely speedy, and read my full over the course of a weekend, and spent an hour on the phone with me the following day talking about revisions and making that mysterious "would love to work with you" comment.

After I sent her my revisions next week, I'll see what she says. If she comes back with yet more revisions, I'll definitely bring up the issue of representation. If she comes back with a rejection, I'll at least be happy for all the constructive feedback that she gave me.

Thanks all for the encouragement. I am going to send a new draft with the revisions to the agent at the end of this week, and will keep you posted about what happens. Everything I've read here, in terms of success stories, usually culminates in the happy "signed a contract" ending, so that's what I am looking for. I do wish the agent would clarify her intentions, because I have my full MS out with a bunch of other agents, and if she decided to represent me, I wouldn't want to waste anybody else's time.

Hi Everyone,

I have an update on this one, and would appreciate any info or guidance on how to proceed.

Last week I sent an updated version of the MS to the agent, which she promised to get to right away. She was true to her word, and this morning I received an email from her saying:

"A much improved draft! Below are new notes from one of my best readers and a likely audience for the book. I do agree with her main criticisms. Contact me if you need any clarification.

Followed that was an extremely detailed review, pointing out the good, and the not-so-good stuff, with a clear direction for a new set of extensive revisions. (One of the good comments indicated that the reader thought the market for this sort of work is wide open, which is always a good sign).

Now I am even more confused than ever!

The revisions seem to be good and will undoubtedly make the book stronger. I am also thinking that the agent wouldn't be spending so much time with me if she wasn't interested in actually selling the book. Furthermore, the speed with which she read my manuscript (over the weekend) and the revised manuscript (about 5 days) indicates that she is interested and means business.

So what should my next steps be? I will work on the revisions, of course, but it would put my little fluttering heart at rest to know that she will represent me. Not having to continue querying would give me the time and mental capacity to concentrate on the revisions (which are pretty monumental, to be honest).

Four other agents currently have a full, one has a partial, and just last week I got a request for another partial which I didn't send in yet. While two of these agents are from supposedly big shot agencies, I would most prefer to work with this agent because she is speedy with her responses, and has invested a lot into the revisions.

I am confused as to how to proceed, so please please please, give me your advice!

Thanks Toothpaste. I really want to do that, but am kind of nervous, because this is the closest that I've ever come.

Should I mention other agents' interest in the work to this agent? Or is that just inviting a rejection?

Toothpaste, thanks for your advice. I do think that I have to focus on making the revisions, and see how it plays out. I would still love to hear what others think about the situations, and whether anyone has had a similar experience that eventually resulted in a contract.