Can you even do that???

Why don't you offer it as an alternate version?

Why not? At worst, she says no, which is where you are now. But I'm going to suggest a variation on the approach.

I'm sure a businesslike but warm e-mail would be welcome change from the sort of replies agents receive all too often in response to rejection. Thank her for her time and comments, and agree with her comments. Tell her you're eager to address the issues and would love to have her consider the ms. at a later date. Would she be interested?

If she says yes, sit on it for 6 weeks and write her again, asking if she'd like to see the revised ms. The reason I say this is, the agent would be more likely to say no again now, as she's probably used to hearing explanations and pleadings from freshly-rejected writers. She may think you've just hastily dashed off surface revisions in response to her comments and they'd be unlikely to really address the issues she had.

Six weeks will also give you the necessary distance to see if you're still as happy with the revisions as you are today.

That's the way I'd play it, anyway.

I think KCH's idea is a terrific one.

Ditto.

Fiendishly clever, that KCH ...

smallthunder said:

Ditto.

Fiendishly clever, that KCH ...

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Wouldn't that look good on a dust-jacket

ruralwriter,

That's still ok. Not all that much time has passed so it's not an indication of anything. Even if you don't hear back, you can still proceed as planned in 5 or so weeks with a leg up. Just send another e-mail, again thanking her for her suggestions and telling her they were on the money. You've implemented her ideas and they have indeed produced a far better product. Would she like to see it?

The worst case scenario is no worse than where you were before. Of course, you're submitting elsewhere in the meantime, right?

You're welcome Rural. Glad my comments are helpful.

Believe me, I know how hard the waiting is. It's not just that we're impatient (which I am). It's that it seems so counter-intuitive to sit by silently. Goes against all business sense. Professional behavior in most other industries means prompt and regular follow-up by the person proposing a business deal. Silence=disinterest, unreliability, weakness, or a host of other negative things. The rest of the world live in a culture where friendly keep-in-touch calls and e-mails are expected and appreciated. Publishing is, well, different.

That's why keeping busy on other productive things is not just good advice because it moves you forward, it keeps you busy so you don't start thinking about your submissions logically.