Sending in Sample Pages to Agents

AlishaS · Mar 23, 2010

So I have started querying agents, got my first request for a full yesturday which is super exciting.
However I have a question on sending in sample pages along with my query. Some agents are specific and say the FIRST three chapters, or FIRST 50 pages.
However, some do not specify and just ask for consecutive pages or sample pages.
My questions is this: Do you always send in the first chapters, or first (amount) of consecutive pages? Or can you send in sample pages from the middle of the book, or ending?

Kateness · Mar 23, 2010

Send the first pages. Always start from the beginning and send the requisite number of pages/chapters/words.

stormie · Mar 23, 2010

^ Yep, what she said. And if they don't specify how many pages, send in the first five. An agent or editor can tell just from those pages if he or she is interested or not.

Oh, congrats on the request for a full!

Libbie · Mar 23, 2010

Yes, the implication is that you will send the first pages. Most readers browsing in a book store decide whether to buy a book by flipping through the first couple of chapters, reading the first paragraphs or two, or otherwise perusing the opening of the book. Agents want to see whether you can draw a reader in.

Stanmiller · Mar 23, 2010

AlishaS said:
So I have started querying agents, got my first request for a full yesturday which is super exciting.
However I have a question on sending in sample pages along with my query. Some agents are specific and say the FIRST three chapters, or FIRST 50 pages.
However, some do not specify and just ask for consecutive pages or sample pages.
My questions is this: Do you always send in the first chapters, or first (amount) of consecutive pages? Or can you send in sample pages from the middle of the book, or ending?

Always send the opening pages. It's where your reader will start. It's what the agent expects to see. And those pages should be the most highly polished pages in the manuscript.

If in doubt how much to send because the agent didn't specify, send at least five pages.

--Stan

James D. Macdonald · Mar 23, 2010

AlishaS said:
My questions is this: Do you always send in the first chapters, or first (amount) of consecutive pages? Or can you send in sample pages from the middle of the book, or ending?

You always send the first X pages or chapters.

If you send anything else, the message is that everything up to that point sucks.

shaldna · Mar 23, 2010

Never ever ever ever send in a sample from the middle.

Always send the first chapters.

seun · Mar 24, 2010

Just to echo the 'send in the opening chapters' and not from the middle. I did that a couple of times years ago and now cringe to think I did so.

scope · Mar 24, 2010

James D. Macdonald said:
You always send the first X pages or chapters.

If you send anything else, the message is that everything up to that point sucks.

DITTO.

eurodan49 · Mar 24, 2010

Only the beginning. That’s why those first pages better be perfect.

Feathers · Mar 24, 2010

To support what everyone else said: I just read an article on agent pet peeves, and one of them was when authors send in sample pages from the middle (or another random area) of the novel. The agent said it drives them nuts, because they have no perspective, no way to gauge the impact of what they're reading.

Also, I might add that a prologue is definitely considered to be part of the first pages. Don't not send the prologue. If you don't think it's interesting enough, it probably needs to be cut.

Sending in Sample Pages to Agents

AlishaS

Is swimming with creativity frogs

Kateness

stormie

storm central

Libbie

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

Stanmiller

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle

shaldna

The cake is a lie. But still cake.

seun

Horror Man

scope

Commonsensical Maverick

eurodan49

Feathers

emerging from the writing cave