Is it ever proper to substitute a partial?

Toni, that depends on if he actually told you he'd like to see it back after the rewrite. If in doubt, email or call him to verify that decision. Usually when an agent suggests a rewrite, he DOES want to see it back. If they make suggestions they almost always say "send it back to me" or "I still won't be interested in repping it."

Tri

Toni1953 said:

An agent asks for your partial. After you send it, you get fabulous feedback and rework it. Do you then contact the agent and say, "I've since worked on what you asked for, and I have revised pages," or do you just leave it alone and see what happens?

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If you mean you got the feedback from a third party, then no, don't do it. It will just give her the idea you're sending out unfinished stuff. I always think that my WIP is immeasurable better with every small change. But that's because I'm close to it. Someone with a critical eye will still see many problems. So leave it alone. If they ask for the full, then send them the latest. But don't try the screw with it while it's in the pipeline.

One exception occurs to me: If you’ve emailed the requested partial, and the agent said to remind her after a couple of months if she hasn’t responded, then attach the improved version to your reminder email, saying it’s for their convenience. No reason to say it’s been improved, because you’re constantly doing that anyway, right?

I did that once. I told the agent in my haste to send out the chapters I inadvertantly copied the wrong file and if it was all right to send the current updated one. (In my case it was the beginning that I rewrote, so it was simply a matter of a few pages.)
He was fine with it. Unfortunately I still got rejected.

Toni1953 said:

An agent asks for your partial. After you send it, you get fabulous feedback and rework it.

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I'm not trying to be a jerk, but can I ask why you sent it out if you were still waiting for feedback?

I know for me, one of the hardest parts of writing a novel is sitting around, waiting for my readers to get back to me. (Doing this right now, as a matter of fact. I desperately want to just send the thing to my editor and see what happens, because the waiting is killing me. Hopefully my last two readers will finish up this week.)

jchines said:

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but can I ask why you sent it out if you were still waiting for feedback?

I know for me, one of the hardest parts of writing a novel is sitting around, waiting for my readers to get back to me...

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I think you've answered your own question.

I know of one best-selling author who tells people to write the first three chapters and outline, and send those out to editors, and once you get positive feedback, only then write the novel and use the feedback to get an agent. Try a lot of stuff and see what sticks, in other words. But that would only work for outliners, and only for outliners who were are reasonably fast.

Julie Worth said:

I think you've answered your own question.

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I hate the waiting, but I still do it, because it means when I do feel ready to submit, the book is as good as I'm able to make it.

A lot of best-selling authors, or even midlisters, sell unwritten novels based on a few chapters, or even a synopsis of the idea. I would strongly recommend against unpublished novelists trying to do that. If an editor or agent likes the three chapters, they're going to want to see the full book. Even at my best pace, it takes me a few months to write a full novel, and the longer the agent/editor has to wait, the more likely they are to turn their attention to the next promising author.

Even if you do write fast enough to get the project finished and submitted in a reasonable amount of time, you're not leaving yourself time to get feedback and improve the novel. You'd basically force yourself to turn in an unrevised first draft.

But like I said, the rules change a bit once you're established*

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*Rules may also be different for other types of writing. My experience is with SF/F novels.

Toni1953 said:

An agent asks for your partial. After you send it, you get fabulous feedback and rework it. Do you then contact the agent and say, "I've since worked on what you asked for, and I have revised pages," or do you just leave it alone and see what happens?

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I'm sure agents work far differently than editors, in that they will accept revisions. I don't recommend doing this if you send a manuscript to a publisher. I've had authors contact me after I'm in the middle of reading their ms and ask if I would read their revised version instead. My answer is absolutely not. It may sound snobby, but I have a stack of manuscripts waiting to be read, and I don't have the time to start all over. My feeling is, don't send it out for submission until you're certain you have it as right as it can be.

Toni1953 said:

If you are going through queries sent and realize that you didn't attach the most recent file, and it's only been about two weeks since you sent it, is it considered improper to send the corrected one with a note of apology for being too much in a hurry and a complete dunce (not in those words, of course)

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This is exactly what you asked before, except with a different rationale. Maybe if you said you were distracted when Stephen King called to say he loved your book, and your finger spasmodically pressed the send key. Then...yes, then it would be fine.

I have to agree with Julie. Rewording the same basic question won't make the answers any different...

Toni1953 said:

If you are going through queries sent and realize that you didn't attach the most recent file, and it's only been about two weeks since you sent it, is it considered improper to send the corrected one with a note of apology for being too much in a hurry and a complete dunce (not in those words, of course)

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If you do, doesn't it follow that the agent's first impressions of you will be that you do things in a hurry, and are an incomplete dunce?

(Complete dunce is far too harsh, given some of the other things most agents see on a daily basis )

Seriously, unless the earlier version is horrible, I'd wait and see what happens.