Can you submit a 2nd novel to an agent who rejected your first?

Dark Sim · Apr 20, 2006

Is it okay to send an entirely different manuscript for a 2nd book to agents who rejected your first manuscript? Would it be like applying for other jobs where, if they've rejected you once, they would frown upon you trying to apply to them again some time later? Or would they treat each manuscript individually?

On a separate but related note, what if you had, for argument's sake, completed 2 different books at once? Could you send both to the same agent, and if you did, would they automatically reject both if they reject one, or could they potentially reject one and accept the other?

Julie Worth · Apr 20, 2006

marlowesnoopstein said:
Is it okay to send an entirely different manuscript for a 2nd book to agents who rejected your first manuscript?

Of course. They're not rejecting you (most of the time), just the stupid thing you sent them.

marlowesnoopstein said:
On a separate but related note, what if you had, for argument's sake, completed 2 different books at once?

Bad idea. The general thinking is to query one at a time.

triceretops · Apr 20, 2006

I don't see any problem with submitting an entirely different book to the same agent. Nope, I wouldn't send two at a time--I'd leave some breathing room in between subs.

The only thing where I would see a problem with is where the agent read a partial of the first book and abhored the writing, structure, grammar, spelling; in other words, a badly written mechanical clunker. He would then be apt to give the second book the boot by the same author. But it certainly is difficult to know if you've got a clunker on your hands when you receive nothing but form rejections.

Run that first book by a bevy of betas and experts (if you can) to make sure you're not sending a clunker to the house in the first place. I don't think I've ever heard an editor say, "I'm sorry I'm rejecting this and, please, don't you dare send anything else." Although they might feel this way internally, they are still willing to cut some slack.

Tri

Fahim · Apr 20, 2006

I third what Julie and tri said

In fact, I've had one agent reject the full manuscript for my novel but say that she'd certainly like to see the next book that I wrote ....

jchines · Apr 20, 2006

I can't think of any reason not to submit another novel to an agent. And like Fahim said, if there was a positive response in the rejection, you might actually be better off submitting the second book. (And if they asked to see your next, by all means, mention it in the query letter!)

If you have two books, pick one. I can almost hear my agent (not the one mentioned above) saying, "Send me the best one, and we'll go from there."

Can you submit a 2nd novel to an agent who rejected your first?

Dark Sim

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?

triceretops

Fahim

Mad coder, lazy writer

jchines

Got the hang of it, here