Do agents who read partials usually comment?

turningpoint

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I spent the last several months writing a creative nonfiction book. I have a BA in creative writing and literature but it has been some years since I have been involved with writing. I have published some articles and as an undergrad I published 3 short stories.

I am in the process of sending queries and have had some interest. When an agent requests a partial, and I send it, I am understanding that I may not hear for quite some time. When I do, is it likely that the agent will offer comments or does that depend on the agent?

thanks in advance,
feeling foolish as I learn the ropes
 

Corinne Duyvis

My New Cat Is Too Big for Shoulders
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Depends on the agent. If you want, you can check out their profile at QueryTracker or the thread in Bewares & Background Checks here to see what kind of responses people are getting... but it really is a toss-up.
 

Jamesaritchie

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It depends on the agent, but it depends even more on the quality of the partial. There's no point in making comments unless the partial is worth commenting on.
 

PinkAmy

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I've had some make suggestions, some not. I think aside from quality, it depends on the agent's policy. You can't just all agents based on what some usually do.
 

Ken

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... if it's good, yes; if not, no.

(Not quite as simplistic as that, but in general this seems to be the way it goes.)
 

turningpoint

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I remember being taught in school to plaster the wall with rejections. It makes it seem fun. I remembered the advice and was actually excited about my first rejections. I had some requests, too. Actually, I'm rather amazed at how nice some agents and editors can make a rejection sound.