Do agents want to see the prologue?

Shadowlit · Dec 15, 2009

I'm getting near the end of my story, and I've been doing research on what agents what to see in a manuscript: formatting, the hook, etc.

I've found that many agents who allow manuscripts to be submitted through e-mail ask for the first chapter, first five-thousand words, or what have you. But I've been a bit concerned, since my story opens with a prologue that introduces one of the main conflicts, but it doesn't follow my main character as of yet. It's completely isolated, but it also contains many elements that agents seem to like.

When agents ask for the first chapter, is it wise to send a prologue, or should I send "chapter one" and take my chances there?

Thanks!

Maxinquaye · Dec 15, 2009

A prologue TENDS to be a bit of tell before the action starts. I don't know if that's the case with yours, but this...

since my story opens with a prologue that introduces one of the main conflicts, but it doesn't follow my main character as of yet. It's completely isolated, but it also contains many elements that agents seem to like.

... makes me wonder if it's not the case. Do correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm of the mind that Stephen King can get away with a prologue, but that new novelists should avoid them. Can you rewor it into your story?

Shadowlit · Dec 15, 2009

The prologue kicks off a side-story that continues in interludes throughout the novel. What happens in it affects the main storyline significantly but, like I said, it's pretty much a flashback to another character and completely isolated.

The main storyline is mostly drama, but the prologue, as well as the rest of the sidestory, are pretty much all action and suspense. The only thing I can compare it to (and I'm saying this in the lightest sense xD) is The Name of the Wind, in that there's a separate story going on that only pops up every now and then, but it's still important.

I probably will have to resort to merging it with the first chapter or something to that effect, because some parts of "chapter one" will lose their meaning without the prologue, but the prologue itself is disconnected.

I confused myself right there. I hope that made a little sense, lol. Just not so sure how I should send it off to agents in that regard.

Mr Flibble · Dec 15, 2009

Maxinquaye said:
A prologue TENDS to be a bit of tell before the action starts.

Well no, most of the ones I see ( the good ones anyway lol) are a piece of action that precedes / is separated from the main action by way of time and / or POV. These are personal preference ( please let's not get onto that argument again!) some like, some hate. I LOVE them

The advice I've seen is if they ask for the first five pages / 5k words / whatever, send them exactly that, the FIRST, and that includes the prologue ( unless of course it says otherwise in the sub guidelines. Or if the agent has blogged somewhere about how they loathe prologues)

I'm sure someone will be along to correct me

Maxinquaye · Dec 15, 2009

IdiotsRUs said:
Well no, most of the ones I see ( the good ones anyway lol) are a piece of action that precedes / is separated from the main action by way of time and / or POV. These are personal preference ( please let's not get onto that argument again!) some like, some hate. I LOVE them

The advice I've seen is if they ask for the first five pages / 5k words / whatever, send them exactly that, the FIRST, and that includes the prologue ( unless of course it says otherwise in the sub guidelines. Or if the agent has blogged somewhere about how they loathe prologues)

I'm sure someone will be along to correct me

Well, I've written prologues too

But this argument always comes up. When one approaches an agent, one seems to play this strategic game that gets writers on edge, gives their eyes a haunted look, and makes their hands tremble...

And since prologues get people up in arms its best to avoid them, until you're Stephen King, and can do whatever you want.

Mr Flibble · Dec 15, 2009

Ah yes, but if you've decided your work needs a prolgoue..the question is do you send with the sub?

If it's part of the first whatever they've asked for....

Danthia · Dec 15, 2009

A lot of advice says don't send prologues because a high percentage of them are done badly and can often be cut without hurting the story at all. Agents want to see the start of the story. If your start starts with the prologue, send the prologue. Just make sure that it does everything an opening is supposed to do. Engage the reader, give them a character or a problem they want to follow, and make them want to turn the page. If you don't think the prologue will hook an agent, then it doesn't belong in the book. Because it won't hook a reader either. The opening of a book has a very specific job no matter what you call it.

The key element is probably: is the info in the prologue a set up for the novel, or does it launch the novel? If it's background info or history that is "needed" to understand something in the first chapter, odds are high that it can go. Readers are smart and they usually pick up on stuff, or are willing to let some mystery build before they know everything in a story. That's kinda why they read the story, to find things out.

If the prologue is the event that sets the hero on the path of the novel, or something that directly triggers events, you might be fine with it.

You can always have someone who hasn't read the book read it from chapter one and see how it grabs them. If it does, you know you don't need the prologue and can slip in the important info later. If they're lost, you know you need it. (provided of course they read the prologue and that grabs them and makes sense)

waylander · Dec 15, 2009

I have a prologue in my (now-agented) novel.
I did not send the prologue as part of the writing sample or first 30 pages.

Ken · Dec 15, 2009

... don't send the prologue unless it is short, less than 3 pages, and absolutely essential to the understanding of the first chpt. And if it does happen to be essential, you'd probably be better off summarizing the essentials in a sentence or two and sticking that before the first chapter in an explanatory note, or even in the query letter, itself. That's what I'd do, not to say that would be the right approach.

Jamesaritchie · Dec 15, 2009

If the story needs a prologue, send it. If the story doesn't need it, it shouldn't be there in the first place.

Most prologues are done badly, but so are most first chapters. Good prologues add to the story, and the agent should see them. Bad ones will take away from the story, no matter when the agent sees them.

ChaosTitan · Dec 15, 2009

The general rule of thumb is to not send the prologue when they ask for the first chapter, or even the first three. Save it for the full manuscript.

Mr Flibble · Dec 15, 2009

And if that doesn't confuse you nothing will lol

I think a lot depends on the agent you're sending to tbh. For instance Nathan Bransford says ( and it was this advice I was going by BTW) :

I want to see the first 30 pages as you want me to send them to the editor. If that involves a prologue... let's see it.

Whereas others don't want to at all.

I think the best answer is to research who you're querying as thoroughly as possible. But you were doing that anyway, right?

scarletpeaches · Dec 15, 2009

I wouldn't dream of not sending the prologue. If I don't want to, it shouldn't be in the book.

Anon76 · Dec 15, 2009

Maybe things are loosening up as time moves on, but it used to be that if you had a prologue, you had to include it in the submission before adding chapter one. Same went for, if asked for three chapters, you didn't randomly choose, say, Chaps one, three and ten.

Again, maybe things are changing, so what do I know?

Tan · Dec 15, 2009

Thanks for posting this. I have been wondering myself. =]

Nateskate · Dec 15, 2009

You're trying to entice them to go an a proverbial second date. You don't need to show your high school yearbook. But you should bring breath mints. Picture the VH1 show Tough Love. You want to make a good first impression.

They want to see if there's a story and that you can write it. The book as a whole may not make sense without the Prologue, but you're first few chapters should be fascinating enough without them, or you won't get a request for a full anyway.

Then include the prologue with the full m.s.

Shadowlit · Dec 15, 2009

lol, wow. I've gotta say, I've received some very helpful suggestions from all of you, but this is pretty much as back and forth as a discussion can get, eh? xD

I've seen some agents ask for the first few chapters, others ask for the first chapter and sometimes the first few thousand words. I'm thinking that if they ask for an amount that equals out to one chapter, then I should probably send "chapter one," but if they'd allow more than one chapter to be sent then that would be my cue to include the prologue.

It definitely is integral to the story, but I guess it is something I can omit from a submission if they only want a small part of the manuscript. Hmm.

suki · Dec 15, 2009

Shadowlit said:
lol, wow. I've gotta say, I've received some very helpful suggestions from all of you, but this is pretty much as back and forth as a discussion can get, eh? xD

I've seen some agents ask for the first few chapters, others ask for the first chapter and sometimes the first few thousand words. I'm thinking that if they ask for an amount that equals out to one chapter, then I should probably send "chapter one," but if they'd allow more than one chapter to be sent then that would be my cue to include the prologue.

It definitely is integral to the story, but I guess it is something I can omit from a submission if they only want a small part of the manuscript. Hmm.

This is back and forth, but I will second Danitha's comments. And I'll add, when the agent asks for the first chapter, IME, they mean the first pages of the book - ie, not what you name "Chapter 1" but literally the first written pages of your book, that the reader would open and find. If you are doubting sending the prologue, I think it is a strong indication it isn't really the start of your book.

I think this is a gut check moment - if the prologue really is the start of the book, you should send it. If not, then it should be cut or moved within the book.

But when agents ask for the first chapter or first three chapters, IME, they actually want the beginning of the book - ie, the first pages, whatever you call them.

~suki

AryaT92 · Dec 15, 2009

I agree with Suki, if you don't feel comfortable sending your prologue as the beginning of the book why would it hook a reader if it can't hook an agent? Maybe it should be revised or removed..?

AlterEgox5 · Dec 15, 2009

Well, it's frustrating for those of us with prologues *raises hand* when an agent doesn't specify a number of pages but just says "the first chapter." I actually agonized over this last night, and eventually just sent the prologue. While it's an exciting opening, I'm not a fan of sending just that because it's only 4 pages, whereas other chapters are 10ish.

I actually contacted a mentor of mine (published author) a while back asking about how to handle prologues and she told me to just consider it as a "chapter." So if the agent says, "I want to see the first three chapters," it means I'm going to send her the prologue, chapter 1, and chapter 2.

I prefer page numbers though. It's just easier.

Ken · Dec 15, 2009

... haven't ever written a prologue, but have read plenty. They often provide readers with background info that is interesting as a backdrop, but not essential to the story and definitely not aimed at hooking readers. As a reader I enjoy this extra bit of info if I'm into the book and want to know more about what preceded the events and whatnot. In that way prologues are similar to afterwards. So they don't really need to be sent to agents with chpt requests, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be included in the works as a whole. At least that is my take on prologues based on the ones I've read.

thothguard51 · Dec 15, 2009

For two years I shopped for an agent for a WIP, sending the required query, synopsis and first fifty pages, which included a short 6 page prologue. For two years I got no request for full reads.

Last year I attended a conference where an agent said point blank...start the story with the story. I don't want to read a prologue and then get into the story. If you submit to me, leave the prologue out unless you know it will curl my toes. Once I sell your work, then we can discuss with the publisher the prospect of adding a prologue.

This year I have had three request for full reads once I removed the prologue, 1 from a publisher who had their submissions closed right before my query arrived. Still no sales, but I had two ask for me to resubmit in 2010. Now, was it the prologue or lack of that has made the difference? Unsure, but once I make the sales, I will discuss with the publisher, as the prologue in my series is a device and introduces the world, the storyline and the storyteller for each book in the series. My using this device, I give my 3rd person omni sections a image for the reader. I think its needed, but I will also go with the editors advice until my name is well known, and by then, maybe I won't care about prologues any longer.

katiemac · Dec 15, 2009

If you're nervous about the prologue being the first glimpse into your manuscript for an agent, do you want it to be the first thing a reader would see when they pick up your book in the store?

If you're not 100 percent behind the prologue, don't send it to an agent. Consider cutting it from your book.

cwfgal · Dec 15, 2009

A prologue (assuming it's really a prologue and not a foreword) is simply a chapter in your book and the opening, presumably, of your story. So of course you should send it. If your story would be fine without it, you don't need it, but it sounds likes yours is integral to the overall story.

My first three published novels all opened with a prologue and their lengths ranged from 5 pages to 13. Two of them were prologues because there was a huge gap in time between a very key scene and the rest of the story. The third one was a prologue because it was told from a POV that wasn't used again in the rest of the book and again, it was a key scene to the rest of the story.

I don't understand the big to-do over prologues. Other than the fact that they are often poorly done, (but so are many chapter ones, as someone else said), there is no reason to be biased against a prologue.

If you're really that worried about it, label your prologue as chapter one and go from there.

Beth

cwfgal · Dec 15, 2009

Ken said:
... haven't ever written a prologue, but have read plenty. They often provide readers with background info that is interesting as a backdrop, but not essential to the story and definitely not aimed at hooking readers. As a reader I enjoy this extra bit of info if I'm into the book and want to know more about what preceded the events and whatnot. In that way prologues are similar to afterwards. So they don't really need to be sent to agents with chpt requests, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be included in the works as a whole. At least that is my take on prologues based on the ones I've read.

Don't confuse a foreword with a prologue. A true prologue is the opening event in the story, separated from the rest of the story by time, POV, etc. A well written prologue should draw the reader in as much as any chapter one should. A story opening with a prologue is often closed with an epilogue -- an ending or closing to the story that is separated from the main story by time, etc. There are those who say any story that has a prologue should also have an epilogue. Forewords and afterwords are typically authorial notes (although they can be written by someone other than the author) talking about the story and how it came to be or the research that went into it, or some other non-essential thing. They can be deleted from the book without affecting the story.

Beth

Do agents want to see the prologue?

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