Question- Agent request for three chapters

First three chapters totaling 37 pages is fine. That's what they specified. Best to stay within those limitations. IMO.

Tri

Kessie said:

Hi All
I recently received a request for my first three chapters from an agent (hooray!). The three chapters, though, are only 9,700 words total (37 pages dbl spaced). Do you think this is enough content or should I rearrange chapters to include more—say to make it 50 pages total? Is there a ballpark for chapter length? This is the farthest I’ve gone with queries so far. Thanks so much for any advice.
Kessie

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Kessie, you should be hesitant to start messing with your manuscript right before you send it off. Ask yourself some questions:

Are you happy with the current state of the manuscript?
Is it polished to the point of perfection?
Are you absolutely one hundred percent confident that it rocks?

If you answered no (even a teensy no) to any of these questions, then you shouldn't be looking for an agent just yet. If you answered yes to all, then you're on the right track, so...why go and switch around chapter breaks when they are right where they need to be?

Giving the agent 10 or 20 more pages isn't going do anything to help your chances if they aren't interested after page 37.

As for chapter length, it varies widely. Don't worry about that so much right now. Worry about telling a killer story. That's what's going to hook an agent.

Good luck!

What everyone else said. If the agent reads the whole partial and doesn't think it's enough content, he/she will ask for more material.

Make sure that first page really rocks or it won't matter how many pages you include...JMHO

The only exception is if someone is writing in really shortyshort chapters, like four or five pages each (though I find chapters that short kind of annoying). Generally, if you're sending thirty or more pages, the agent should get a feel for your stuff. And these pages better be the best damn thing you've ever written. They should be polished and polished and polished again.

My first three chapters are even shorter than that and I just sent those. It's enough for the agent to get a feel for your writing and to determine if they want more and that's what this stage is all about. So don't worry that it's not a ton of pages, it's enough.

Good luck!

I've read on a lot of agent blogs that they know within the first 5 pages. Don't start monkeying around just yet! Send it as is and let the writing speak more than the page count.

Good luck!