Page limit for Samples

ReflectedGray · Mar 24, 2014

Hello,

I'm currently looking over the agent websites to start getting a feel for exactly what I need to prepare before I start querying. I've noticed that a lot of agents ask for a manuscript sample right off the bat. Ten pages seems to be a common cut off.

This might some sort of trivial, but coincidentally I finish a discussion of a very important subject about 10.5 pages in. I could cut the sample off at 9.5 pages, but then I would sort of lose this one big thing that is crucial to my story.

I would like to leave it, and I think most agents would understand why I chose to cut it off there, but I also don't want to appear like I’m incapable of following directions.

I also considered cutting other portions to make it fit in the ten pages. That seems a tad silly though, and I’m not sure if it would do anything good for the actual manuscript. Thoughts?

jcwriter · Mar 24, 2014

Cut it off at a natural break point--i.e., the end of a scene instead of the middle of a sentence. And don't worry if you send 10 pages plus or minus; you won't be branded a rebel.

Look at it this way: If they don't like what you submit, they won't force themselves to read the whole thing anyway. If they do like it, they'll gobble it up and ask for more.

Good luck with your querying.

GingerGunlock · Mar 24, 2014

Literary Agent Janet Reid answered a similar question on her blog at the beginning of the month: Query Question: pages versus chapters in the query. In short, whas she said was

Absent the phrase "whichever is more" or "whichever is fewer" I'd send the more.

Corinne Duyvis · Mar 25, 2014

Like jcwriter said, ten and a half is fine. Don't worry a bit.

jeffo20 · Mar 25, 2014

ReflectedGray said:
I also considered cutting other portions to make it fit in the ten pages. That seems a tad silly though, and I’m not sure if it would do anything good for the actual manuscript. Thoughts?

Here's what I think: if it would do good for the actual manuscript to trim like this, then your manuscript may not be ready for querying. And if it wouldn't serve any purpose other than to make THAT REALLY BIG THING happen exactly at 10 pages, I wouldn't chop, because of the risk of losing the flow of things (ever read any of those 'first 250 word' contests run on various blogs? Quite often, you can tell when the author crammed just to get THE BIG KICK in, and it usually sounds false).

The extra half page isn't going to kill you.

Page limit for Samples

ReflectedGray

jcwriter

Splish splash I was takin' a bath

GingerGunlock

paralibrarian

Corinne Duyvis

My New Cat Is Too Big for Shoulders

jeffo20

Tyrant King