R&R quandary

midazolam

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I sent about a 80 queries out for a manuscript that, in hindsight, needed some work because I was writing between two genres and should have just picked one. Last week, I got an R&R request from an agent. It was pretty vague - basically just fix the genre problem. There were no written notes, just a phone call. He asked for an exclusive on the R&R, which I granted, but then I decided to do an even bigger revision, ie eliminate one of the two main characters, and essentially keep the bones of the story but completely revamp major parts of it. I received feedback from many agents that the antagonist and his storyline was the weakest part of the manuscript, which is why I've decided to scrap it. I feel confident that it's the right move.

Then this week, I got another R&R with suggestions for different changes. First off, do I let the other agent know? Do I keep going with the major revision I already started, or abandon it? Do I let this agent know where I am with the manuscript right now? I'm not too excited about doing two (or even three!) totally different revisions, but I don't want to lose my shot at getting agented either! I haven't talked to this second agent yet.
 

Drachen Jager

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Let the new R&R agent know where things are at. Once you're done the R&R all you're really obliged to do is present it to the agent you R&Red with first. You agreed to that and really are ethically obliged (and it may hurt you down the road if you don't). If he rejects it, you're free to move on.

As for the rewrite. Don't rewrite it to any agent's requests. Rewrite it to what YOU feel works. So in other words, rewrite it once, but make it the best of all possible versions (in your opinion, yours is the one that counts).

I read a success story a while back of an author who spent two years and four R&Rs with the same agent, and when he finally made an offer, she asked him why he stuck with her, and he said it was because every time he gave her notes she ignored his suggestions, but managed to fix the problems her own way. I think the moral is agents don't want you to blindly follow their advice (at least that one didn't, obviously that doesn't speak for all agents). If they knew how to write awesome best-selling novels, many of them would. They have different skillsets, so they have to trust you to do your part, as you trust them to do theirs.

Or, as Neil Gaiman says, "Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong."
 
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Fuchsia Groan

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Did the exclusive that you granted come with a time frame? It should. Preferably, I wouldn’t grant an exclusive at all, but if you feel the agent’s worth it, I’d try to put a time limit on it, like “If I don’t hear from you in three months, I will be sending this elsewhere.” And then the first place you’d send it is the second R&R agent. Agents shouldn’t be offended by time limits; they know what it’s like to have an editor keep them waiting for a decision.

I wouldn’t do multiple revisions of the same ms. for different people. I know it’s easy for me to say that from an external perspective. But I’ve been in a situation where I was working on the same book with an agent and two different editors, and the book kept changing, and no one was sure how to fix it, and it was not fun. That way lies madness, I think. Are these two agents’ suggestions totally incompatible? Or are they things you could conceivably take on board and fold into a single revision? Keep in mind that, while everyone wants to sound authoritative, they may have trouble pinpointing just why the book isn’t working right now. Unless the agent shares your vision to some degree, their notes may have limited usefulness.
 

midazolam

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Thank you both for the very helpful insights. The first agent asked for a two-month exclusive, which I agreed to. I'm worried the second agent will lose interest if I mention this R&R and the timeline for it, but I know I don't really have a choice. I'm hoping she'll be happy to hear another agent requested an R&R since it indicates interest. I don't know yet what revisions she wants - we're going to discuss over the phone.

Drachen Jager, that quote really resonates with me. My former agent was very explicit with revisions and editorial notes, and I really struggled to get everything exactly as she wanted it. Maybe this is a good change then.
 

Drachen Jager

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Re. the second agent. They've already put time in and expressed interest. I'm sure if you let her know the situation she'll be happy to sit on the sidelines and see what develops. If she's any good at all, she'll be patient and understanding. Only the bad agents get angry over things like this so long as you're honest and up front about the whole situation.
 

Fuchsia Groan

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I’m glad there’s a limit on the exclusive! And yes, definitely just tell the second agent. If they’re interested, they should remain interested. It’s possible they’ll have second thoughts about providing notes before the exclusive is up, but I dunno.
 

midazolam

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Well, it didn't go well. Lesson learned, I guess. I was honest about the exclusive but maybe should have mentioned it at the start of the call instead of the end - I honestly just didn't know what to do. It's hard to know what to do as a writer in the query trenches!
 

pharm

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Really sorry to hear that, mida ☹️
Thank you for sharing the experience with the rest of us, though.
 

Fuchsia Groan

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I’m sorry, midazolam! That doesn’t seem like something an agent should be offended by, but I’m not an agent. Maybe it’s something they want to know before the call, because they don’t see any point in having a call while the exclusive is in force. Exclusives suck for writers in general, so I hope the other agent’s request for one is a sign of strong interest.
 

midazolam

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In retrospect, I should have emailed the second agent ahead of time about the exclusive, but I didn't want her to lose interest - thought maybe if we had a good phone call, it might turn into an offer, which would have ended the exclusive anyway.

I would never have agreed to the exclusive, but I'd stopped querying this project and kind of felt like I had nothing to lose. This is the last one I will ever grant - not good for writers.
 

aetherpen

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I'm sorry to hear about your experience, midazolam, and thank you for sharing. I've also found myself floundering in terms of figuring out what is the "right" way to interact with agents when you have an R&R request and being terrified of accidentally causing offense!