New Agent Queries/Old Agent Quandries

[Junius Maltby]

I signed with an agent almost two years ago to help me sell a YA manuscript. That partnership ended unsuccessfully last January.

She had gotten four invites from publishers, but (in my opinion) got bored with the project and quit working about six months before the partnership ended. Two of the invites weren't even followed up with until the week before we split. Grrr.

Anyway, I have revised the manuscript, and I'm ready to start shopping it around. This time, I'm looking for an agent with a little more experience in the YA market. I think I've learned that much, at least.

My question is: at what point should I mention to the prospective agents that this project has already been agented? Should I mention it in the query? Follow-up? Should I mention the publishing houses that invited/rejected the manuscript already? How far back should I go?

[Don Allen]

I can see your dilemma. Kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. My thinking might be to consider the project new and fresh since it hasn't really been shopped in the past 2 years (just the little that you mention) and since we all know the turn over rate of people in the industry I doubt anyone would remember if they saw it again and even if they did I would simply say this is the re-vised version. You know the old adage, "never answer a question that hasn't been asked." That's what I would do, good luck...

[rwam]

Might not hurt to rethink the title, too.

[giftedrhonda]

I would mention to the new agent (when you acquire one) that it was sent to two publishers and list the names by your old agent. I wouldn't mention the other two, since it wasn't even sent. :D

[Junius Maltby]

giftedrhonda, that's what I was thinking. I'll get the agents' attention with the MS, then sort out where to begin afterwards.

rwam mentions the title, which isn't really an attention grabber. So far, I've tried The Sandal on the Obelisk and Hawk, Sandal, Obelisk. The story is based on an Egyptian Cinderella-style story: a hawk carries away a girl's sandal and drops it at the feet of the crown prince. It ends with the characters reading their own story in hieroglyphs on one of the obelisks of Memphis.

I'm thinking of just creating several book covers and trying out the titles on friends and students. Any other useful ideas for generating titles?

[Irysangel]

You really have to mention to an agent that it's been shopped before, and where it has gone. Some only hit the big time houses (of which there are what, seven?) and if they hear it's been shopped at six, well, that means that they only have one place to send it to.

Be totally up front. If you have something new to pitch, I'd go with that and if they offer you representation, mention that you had a prior novel that was shopped unsuccessfully. They might want to look at it, but odds are probably not.

[giftedrhonda]

Yup--your agent can decide how to handle it...do tell who has seen it. And you may want to let them know the other agent pitched it to the other two houses, but never sent it...

Good luck!!