Querying a Rewritten Book

BookWormy said:

Recently I got a whole round of rejections (several after partial and full requests) for my novel. Based on advice from these agents and my own feelings, I decided to rewrite the novel. It's completely different now--it's even a different genre. I'm so much happier with this new version, and I'm excited about querying it (when it's query-ready, of course).

My question is: Can I requery agents who rejected the first version of this book? I haven't seen on any of their websites that they won't accept a rewritten version of a book they rejected, but I'm wondering if maybe that's just something you don't do.

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Generally, it's not a good idea - if they'd wanted to see a re-write, they'd have left the door open. BUT, if you do choose to requery, IMO, you need to be upfront and say so in the query - otherwise you risk they realize and feel you are trying to dupe them (never a good start).

Now, if you got significant feed back from some, on a partial or full, that I might go back to them with - in your query state specifically the comments they made and how you addressed them, and ask if they'd like to take another look. That seems like not a bad idea, assuming they gave you feedback.

but for those who sent form rejections, especially at the partial or query + pages stage, I'm not sure I'd requery them. But if I did, I'd make it clear it's a requery of a rewritten manuscript.

Here's the thing though, if it's a whole different genre, how many of the same agents would even rep it? Research the agents who would be best for the rewritten book.

~suki

If the book is *that* different, I think you're fine -- but yes, definitely mention that you've queried it before, and hint at how major the changes are. Don't go into detail here, especially if they haven't actually read any materials.

Good luck!

Generally, it's not a good idea - if they'd wanted to see a re-write, they'd have left the door open.

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I'm not sure about this. If they only read a query letter, they can't exactly offer an R&R on that. If they did read materials, they might not have wanted to ask someone to make such major changes that it's an entirely new book. If the genre is now different, market concerns might also be a factor -- as an example, several agents who read a version of my book when it was adult UF were perfectly happy to reconsider it as YA UF, even though the plot was basically identical.

Corinne Duyvis said:

I'm not sure about this. If they only read a query letter, they can't exactly offer an R&R on that. If they did read materials, they might not have wanted to ask someone to make such major changes that it's an entirely new book. If the genre is now different, market concerns might also be a factor -- as an example, several agents who read a version of my book when it was adult UF were perfectly happy to reconsider it as YA UF, even though the plot was basically identical.

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I'd agree with that to some extent - especially if they didn't see the partial or full. But, regardless, I think the OP is better off mentioning it's a requery after a rewrite, and I think, for the most part, finding some new agents to query might be a better bet.

But, yes, if it really has drastically changed genre or they only saw a query, then I agree - but I'd mention it's a requery.

~suki

suki said:

I'd agree with that to some extent - especially if they didn't see the partial or full.

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Well, if they previously read materials, it shows some level of interest in your work. No need to count them out. I requeried a handful of agents who previously read partials or fulls and all but two requested to see materials again.

I also queried new agents, of course! But I figure the OP is smart enough to do that anyway.

suki said:

But, regardless, I think the OP is better off mentioning it's a requery after a rewrite,

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Yep -- I agreed with this in my first post. Always mention it's a requery. Many agents have an excellent memory, so it's important that they know you're consciously and for good reason requerying them.

I'm confused. You said you recently got a round of rejections? Then how could you have time to rewrite it to be a "completely different" novel? I suspect it's not that different, or if it is that different, it still requires substantial revision. (Most of us need to heavily revise a rough draft.)

Now, if you had been changing and revising for a long period of time, say one year, and your novel turned out to be truly completely different, I would definitely NOT tell agents you were requerying them.

If the story is that different, you are not trying to dupe anyone. It's simply a new agent search for a new book.

Procrastinista said:

I'm confused. You said you recently got a round of rejections? Then how could you have time to rewrite it to be a "completely different" novel? I suspect it's not that different, or if it is that different, it still requires substantial revision. (Most of us need to heavily revise a rough draft.)

Now, if you had been changing and revising for a long period of time, say one year, and your novel turned out to be truly completely different, I would definitely NOT tell agents you were requerying them.

If the story is that different, you are not trying to dupe anyone. It's simply a new agent search for a new book.

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People work at different speeds. Many writers can write an entire novel in substantially less than a year. I wrote my fourth published one in about six weeks. Even a massive rewrite can take only a month or so for some people.

BookWormy said:

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Just so you know, it's really hurtful to hear that someone "suspects" whether I've done any work. I have enough internal demons tearing away at my self-confidence and perception of my writing without your "suspicions" added to the pile, too. I would think that any writer would be sensitive to that. You should just really watch how you speak to people.

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You should take a trip over to query letter hell http://absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=174 and see how people help each other by giving honest feedback and opinions. You've got to develop a thicker skin and not read your own vulnerabilities into other people's replies. If you ask a question, you have to expect people to give you honest answers.
You're new, and welcome to AW btw, so nobody here knows a thing about you. You could be a genius or totally inept for all we know.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Once you get to 50 posts you can start threads in QLH and get more feedback on the benefits and risks of requerying.

I've heard agents say that IF you change your novel significantly you can re-query after 6 months. I'm sure this isn't true for all agents but at least it gives you an idea of how agents look at it. DO NOT send a "completely changed" ms after a month. They won't buy it. But you also have to realize that they may just have disliked the idea to begin with.

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2007/11/re-re-querying.html

I think this is where I first saw it.
"And, if the work is significantly revised, you may resubmit it after 6 months."
Andrea Brown submission guidelines.


But I will also say that Miss. Snark says you shouldn't re-query. There are plenty of new agents to submit to.

Glad to have found this thread! Same thing here - major revisions (and major improvement!). When I finish, I'll head over to QLH. I think that was my biggest problem, a weak query. Glad to see I'm not the only one who started querying without realizing the material wasn't quite ready.