Agents: Synopsis or Pages?

Katana

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A quick poll of agents who occasionally look in on the forum.

What do you read first, the synopsis or sample pages?
 

Old Hack

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I'm not an agent, but when I was an editor I'd first check the covering letter to see if the submission was in a genre I worked in, then I'd go straight to the pages.
 

MandyHubbard

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Pitch.

Interns have already auto-rejected things in genres I don't rep, so what's left is what I'm accepting, but I tend to look for pretty commercial stuff, which means I need a hook I can pitch to editors.

Then I need writing to back it up.
 

Steven Hutson

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No preference or pattern here. Sometimes one sequence, sometimes the other, depending on my mood. Like every other agent I know, I just want to see that people follow the guidelines when they submit. By far, most don't. Which means you'll make a big impression if you do.