Big News (Sort Of!): I Have Four Full Manuscript Requests

If you’ve been following my journey, you know I’m in the thick of querying agents for my latest manuscript—and I currently have four full manuscript requests. That’s exciting news to share, but I also want to pull back the curtain on what a full manuscript request actually means, because the querying process is confusing even for those who’ve been through it. I’m also learning and refining as I go. I’ve learned that an important part of the querying process is identifying right-fit agents. I’ve written an upmarket contemporary novel, so I wouldn’t pitch an agent who doesn’t represent upmarket as a genre and who may be looking exclusively for thrillers and sci-fi, because that’s a recipe for instant rejection. There are even nuances within each genre—often called subgenres—that can be tricky to pinpoint if, like my book, your story has elements of several genres but doesn’t include all the tropes that would let an agent slot it into one neat box. For example, a big component of my novel is a love story that develops between the main characters, but it isn’t a commercial romance in the traditional sense because it also goes deeper into themes of coming-of-age in young adulthood, privilege, self-acceptance, body image, and disability, all of which are equally essential elements of the story beyond the romance.

So let’s break down what actually happens when you query literary agents and why a full manuscript request isn’t the finish line. There are several steps in the pitching process–here’s a closer look at the progression.

Step 1: The Initial Pitch and Query Letter

Before an agent ever sees your manuscript, they read a query letter — essentially a one-page pitch that makes the case for why you think that agent should represent you. The query letter needs to hook the agent and get them excited about your book. It includes a short synopsis that clearly shows the book’s stakes and the character’s motivations, without revealing the ending. The query is also the place to share a brief bio and any relevant writing credentials, along with the book’s metadata, which includes the genre (as discussed above) and word count. Often, comparative titles are included to show the agent that you understand how your book fits among other books with similar genres and themes. Most agents request that the first 5-10 pages be submitted along with the query letter. That also makes the opening pages of your book just as important as the query letter, because it’s another chance to hook the agent. Agents receive hundreds of these queries each week and read them very quickly. The goal of the query is to get the agent to request more of your pages. Even with a great hook and well-written opening pages, the reality is that the majority of queries end there — with either a form rejection or no response. That’s just the nature of the business.

Preparing for this step is a long process that demands meticulous attention to detail because so much has to be condensed into a few pages. With the help of my book coach, Tamara Schweitzer, we word-smithed and scrutinized every draft of the query and opening pages, constantly reworking them to achieve the clearest submission possible. This step is never really finished because, as I send out more queries, I tweak as I go to adapt to the different requirements and wish lists of the agents I’m pitching to. I even put together a verbal pitch for my book and tested it at a virtual pitching event over the summer. The experience is like speed dating with agents, and it really forces you to nail down what you want the agent to know about you and your book in a 10-minute time slot. I received a lot of great feedback from pitching agents verbally, and if you can muster the courage to do something like that, I highly recommend it because you hear back instantly, rather than waiting through the long delays that happen when you send your materials out blindly.

Step 2: The Partial Request

If your query piques an agent’s interest, they may request additional pages, typically 50-100 pages. This is the agent’s way of testing whether your opening chapters match the pitch. Many manuscripts are cut at this stage, when agents evaluate pacing, voice, and craft. The agent can also get a much better sense of who you are as a writer and whether your story holds up beyond the initial polished pages. Partial requests can be frustrating because they can feel like the agent isn’t fully committed to seeing your entire manuscript, and they may signal a bit of hesitation. It’s much more promising to receive a request for the full. But of course, any response in which an agent asks for more is exciting.

Step 3: The Full Manuscript Request

This is where I am right now! A “full request” means the agent liked the initial materials enough to read the entire manuscript. It’s genuinely a big deal — most submissions to agents never make it this far. But here’s the important part that’s often misunderstood: a full request is not an offer of representation (yet). It simply means the agent wants to keep evaluating. They saw something they liked and are weighing their enthusiasm for the book against their ability to sell it. But of course, nothing is a guarantee in this business. Even if an agent thinks they can sell the book and wants to represent it, that doesn’t mean they will find an editor who wants to acquire it for publication. Because there are many hurdles to jump, I can say from experience that this process isn’t for the faint of heart!

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This is also where patience comes in big time, and some days it feels harder than others. Full requests can sit with agents for weeks or months. Standard response time can be up to six months, though the average is three months. I just passed the two-month mark on most of my full requests, so I’m really hoping to hear something in the coming month. And then, after all that waiting, many will likely still end with something like, “Thanks, but this isn’t the right fit for my list.” Agents can decide not to offer representation after reading the full manuscript for many reasons; “fit” is the one I’ve heard most often so far. I already got one of those responses; an agent requested my full manuscript within a few days of my initial pitch, so I felt very hopeful about that one. When the rejection came a few weeks later, it stung more than any other rejection at that point because I had allowed myself to daydream about an offer and had really connected with her online persona and her existing list of authors. Ultimately, when an agent rejects me, I’m learning to be grateful because I want to find the best match. If an agent doesn’t genuinely believe in my story, they won’t be able to do the job of getting me a book deal. So I’m of the mindset that each rejection is getting me one step closer to the agent who will champion my book. I’d appreciate all the good vibes while I wait to hear back from the agents who are reading my full manuscript. If none of them bite, I will start again at Step 1 and send out another batch of queries, and so on until something clicks. It’s not uncommon for a manuscript to receive many rejections, and some of my favorite authors received over 60 before landing an agent.

Step 4: The Offer of Representation

If an agent finishes the full manuscript and decides to work with you, they’ll typically request a call first. During the call, they’ll discuss their vision for the book, potential revisions, and their approach to submitting to editors. If the call goes well, the agent will offer to represent you.

Here’s the twist a lot of non-writers don’t expect: getting an offer doesn’t mean you automatically say yes. Many writers use an offer to go back to every agent who has their manuscript and give them a deadline to respond—because you want to make sure you’re picking the right partner, not just the first one who says yes. This part has been described as a bit like dating, because it’s not just the agent who is picking you; you also get to pick the agent. It can happen that you have a call with the agent and it doesn’t get past that first date because you just didn’t feel the right connection. I’m really looking forward to this step because I have a strong feeling that when I vibe with someone, I’ll know it, and I love the excitement of seeing if we do.

Step 5: Revisions

After signing the offer of representation, many agents request one or more rounds of revisions before submitting your book to editors. This can take weeks or months. I’m hopeful that, since I worked with a book coach on revisions before pitching to agents, an agent will feel my manuscript is in pretty good shape and that this step won’t take too long. But everyone has different opinions, and agents are the experts at knowing what will get a book sold to a specific editor, so there are often unexpected revisions. I welcome this stage and plan to do whatever it takes to get a book deal.

Step 6: Submission to Editors

Once your agent feels the manuscript is ready, they send it to acquiring editors at publishing houses. This is essentially querying all over again, but now your agent is doing the querying, and the audience is the editors rather than the agents. Even at this stage, there’s still no guarantee your book will sell. Securing an agent is a major milestone in this process, but they may not be able to find a home for your book. When this happens, your book has died on submission. At that point, your agent will typically talk to you about next steps, and sometimes that means writing something else. Ultimately, you want an agent who looks holistically at your writing career and believes you have something they can sell. They want you to succeed as much as you do.

Step 7: The Actual Book Deal

Only after an editor (or multiple editors, in the case of an auction) wants to acquire the book does an actual publishing deal occur—with a contract, an advance, and a publication timeline that’s often 12–24 months away. Once the deal is official and signed, an announcement is posted on Publisher’s Marketplace, which lists all new book deals. When your Publisher’s Marketplace announcement comes out, it’s time for major bragging rights!

Why All Of This Matters

I decided to explain this process because I want people to know that even though I’m sharing many positive developments in my book, I still haven’t signed with an agent or secured a book deal. My four full requests are a wonderful place to be right now, because I can enjoy the fact that four agents are out there somewhere, reading my book (and hopefully loving it!). It means the agents are seriously considering my manuscript, which is genuinely encouraging and shows I’ve done something right—but as I explained, there are inevitable hurdles along the way to securing the actual book deal. I’m excited to keep you posted at every stage, good or bad. And if you are a fellow author and want to commiserate, or if you aren’t a writer at all and just want to offer an encouraging word for this long journey, I welcome it all! This is certainly one of the toughest parts of being a writer. But as with everything that’s worthwhile, it usually doesn’t come easy. And that’s ok. I’m still going to be a writer no matter the outcome.