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I have been looking at sample query letters [successful ones] sent to agents for publishing novels. I notice that in nearly all of them, the author says their manuscript is "complete" at X amount of words.

What does "complete" mean in this context? Does it mean that it has a beginning, middle and end? That is has been alpha/beta read? Or just that they are personally satisfied with it?

I ask because the draft of my first novel is currently in beta but it is technically "complete" with regard to chapters, plot points, development, art etc. I personally can't see anything else to change, though the readers might. Is it worth sending it to agents now or should I wait till the beta feedback has come in?

C26
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2 Answers2

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Complete means done. Completely. It means you can send the version you believe is already publishable, right now.

If you are still fiddling with the content, it isn't done.

Publishers do not care if you have had readers, alpha or beta, because they don't trust your readers (no offense). They don't care how many revisions you did, none or a hundred, they only want to see your final product. You will get no sympathy or consideration whatsoever on how much work you put into it.

They trust agents that are professional readers. They trust their own hired readers that are professionals, and can analyze your story.

The reason they trust agents is because the agents filter out 95% of their submissions and only present them with well written stories.

To do that, agents ask for the first "N" pages of your manuscript, maybe 3, maybe 10, and from that they can tell if you know how to write a story.

Many agents surveyed say they will toss a story in the reject pile before they finish the first page, sometimes before they finish the first paragraph. One agent said if she (most are women) sees a query that says "I have written a fiction novel", that's it, it is rejected.

They have to, they can only represent a limited number of books at a time, and they may get 20 or 50 times as many queries as they can possibly work. Even then, if your sample passes muster, then they will ask for the whole work, and make a judgment on that.

That is one of the main reasons being a literary agent is even a job; this screening is a very valuable service to publishers. Agents bring them only exactly the kinds of books they want to publish, and only good material to consider.

Many (not all) publishers will work exclusively with agents, that already understand publishing lingo, slang and concerns. And will stop using an agent if they persist in pitching books that aren't what they have made clear they are looking for.

This is a grinder to get through, but first-time writers do get through it to paid publication every year.

Personally, I hired a retired literary agent to critique and review my pitch letter, my sample pages, and my synopsis, until they were up to snuff.

Amadeus
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"Complete", in this context, means first and foremost that you have written the whole text from beginning to end and not just the first few chapters.

Since many, if not most, agents and publishers do not want you to submit a whole novel but only a certain part of it (usually a certain number of pages, words, or chapters from the beginning, sometimes another representative part), it can be unclear to the agent or publisher from the submitted material whether the author has only written the submitted part or actually completed the whole novel. Therefore, clarifying in your query letter that you have completed the novel could help avoid doubt.

A synonym for complete in this context is full. The antonym of a complete manuscript is a sample.

"Complete" doesn't refer to nor imply any specific level of revision. That you have made the effort to get qualified feedback and revised your work to the point where it is the absolute best that you can achieve is expected and doesn't need to be indicated in a query letter. If you submit a rough draft the recipient will assume that that is the best you can do – and reject.

The meaning of complete is "having all necessary parts", not "finished" or "publishable" in the sense that no more revisions are necessary. This becomes immediately clear when you read submission guidelines by publishers who do not want a complete manuscript:

Please do not send a complete manuscript unless an editor asks for it. (https://books.google.de/books?id=Ek960DxJ9Z0C&pg=PA803&lpg=PA803#v=onepage&q&f=false)

Do not submit a complete manuscript. We’ll request a complete manuscript if we feel your project is a good fit for our list. (https://upcolorado.com/university-press-of-colorado/item/4057-manuscript-submissions)

Authors who intend to write extensive reviews are invited to submit an extended abstract (400-500 words) and a listing of section headings to the Editor prior to submission of the complete manuscript. (https://link.springer.com/journal/11665/submission-guidelines)

If we decide your proposal is a potential fit, we will invite you to submit your full manuscript for peer review. Once you have been invited to submit a complete manuscript, please send it to your editor as an email attachment following these guidelines... (https://sunypress.edu/Publish/The-Full-Manuscript-Review-Process)

If you would like to submit a research paper, please contact our programme planning department and send us an explanatory exposé and an overview of the (planned) content. If the title fits with our programme, we will ask you for the complete manuscript for review... (https://www.steiner-verlag.de/en/Service/For-authors/Manuscript-submissions/)

Please note that for novels, most agents do not want your complete manuscript! E.g.:

For fiction submissions you will need to send us a cover letter, a one-page synopsis (approx. 500 words) and a sample of your work of up to 10,000 words, although individual agents’ requirements may differ. (https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/page/submissions)

All adult fiction submissions should include: The first three chapters of your book, a one- to two-page synopsis, a covering letter. (https://davidhigham.co.uk/submissions/)

To my knowledge, this is the norm. But always check each agent's or publisher's submission guidelines and follow them diligently.

Ben
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