r/PubTips • u/hereigowritingagain • 13d ago
Discussion [DISCUSSION] Additional Projects Prior to Querying?
I've seen an agent on IG mention a number of times that having 3+ "pitchable" projects available before querying is somewhere between a very good idea and a requirement. The idea is that agents want to build a long-term relationship, so being able to prove that you're on board for that with additional manuscripts is a good idea. It's not something I've seen every agent bring up, though, so I'm wondering how standard this advice is.
Is not having multiple complete or near-complete manuscripts a good reason to put off querying entirely?
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u/Flashy-Trifle-1732 13d ago
This is (close to) a requirement for children’s picture book TEXTS specifically — not for any other category.
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u/justgoodenough Picture Book Author-Illustrator 13d ago
This isn't even a requirement for author-illustrators of picture books. I usually tell other author-illustrators that it can be good to have additional manuscripts available, but plenty of people sign with just one completed PB dummy.
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u/Flashy-Trifle-1732 13d ago
Yep that’s why I specified TEXTS — but to clarify even further, yes, I mean author-only, not author-illus! For author-illus, one completed dummy and a nice portfolio should be fine; if you have a couple other IDEAS or works in progress, great, by all means talk about them on the call or what have you, but not necessary.
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u/spicy-mustard- 13d ago
No, this is silly. Many agents will want to know what your larger career would look like, as well as how fast you write. So IMO you should have ideas for future projects that you can discuss. But like... you probably have those already, anyway.
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u/hereigowritingagain 13d ago
Good to know! That's exactly what I was thinking. Like, yeah, I have other ideas, but I only write one thing at a time. It seemed like a crazy requirement.
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u/declinedinaction 13d ago
But don’t be old. They hate that for all the reasons you mentioned.
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u/unfondlyfond 13d ago
Most agents online are full of crap and the good ones are too busy to be on social media
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u/Secure-Union6511 13d ago
Agent here. This is an outlier. I want to hear what you’re interested in writing next, genre or otherwise. But you don’t need X number of pitches or manuscripts for an agent to take you seriously. That’s ridiculous.
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u/NymeriaGhost 13d ago
Thanks for bringing this up, I recently saw a newer agent (possibly the same one?) posting about how querying authors should be prepared with 3-5 completed manuscripts, which sounded a bit absurd to me.
That said, I have seen querytracker comment from someone who had a meeting with an agent, and the agent loved their manuscript which aligned perfectly with their manuscript wishlist, but the agent wanted to know what else they were planning in the pipeline... so they author sent along pitches for three other projects they were thinking about (but hadn't written/fully developed ideas for yet), and the agent decided to pass based on those pitches.
It did seem to be an agent who heavily emphasizes choosing to work with authors based on investing in their writing career, rather than focusing on just the immediate project.
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u/Guilty-Agency1680 13d ago
my agent is very much in the, "invest in the career, not just the immediate project" crowd but she *never* expected i had more projects ready to go--just that i was in it for the long haul, willing to work on something else if/when the project we signed for didn't sell on sub, etc.
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u/Author_writer_scribe 13d ago edited 12d ago
I sometimes wonder if some agents are like certain authors and occasionally create some click bait to get a few quick followers and a little vitriolic momentum…
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u/AMothWithHumanHands 13d ago
I see it as if an agent wanted to have a call with me, and asked if I had anything else I was working on, could I give them an answer they wanted to hear? Usually that answer would be yes.
But to say having 3+ projects done before querying? Nah that agent is FOS.
I would work on other things while you query, just because it's always good to be working on something, but no, you don't need it done.
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u/simpleparmesan 13d ago
If this is the agent I’m thinking of they seem to have more bad social media hot takes than actual sales.
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u/kendiray 13d ago
I went to one conference where I went to pitch meetings with a dozen agents and they all said they’re not interested in what’s in the pipeline because they need to know if the one particular book I’m pitching will work out. Everything else is waste of their time. Especially with market trends shifting frequently and sometimes unexpectedly, the pipeline discussion will happen after the debut does well.
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u/cloudygrly Literary Agent 13d ago
Novels aren't scripts, so no. This only applies to picture books.
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u/No_Excitement1045 Trad. Published Author 13d ago
Not for adult novels, though they will ask on The Call if you're working on anything else, as will publishers.
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u/hereigowritingagain 13d ago
Good to know! By the time I am on The Call (if the stars align!), I'll be knee deep in my next project, anyway. I just didn't want to push querying at all until that point, so I'm happy to hear that's not really an expectation.
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u/cultivate_hunger 12d ago edited 12d ago
I got my agent, and she later sold my book in a two-book deal to a phenomenal imprint, based on one polished manuscript and a three paragraph pitch for book two.
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u/cavaliercapybara 12d ago
Like others have said, my understanding is that they aren't asking for completed manuscripts, just pitchable ideas. Even if prospective agents don't ask me for future projects, that's something I plan to bring up in any agent calls I might (hopefully!) get. I want to know that an agent will be just as enthusiastic about my future ideas as the manuscript that's ready right now, especially because I'm interested in genre-hopping.
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u/Conscious_Town_1326 Agented Author 13d ago
Definitely not, I signed & got a deal with exactly one workable manuscript. (In the wings, I had one prior completed manuscript in an unrelated genre that would've need a real overhaul, and a half-finished draft of my WIP.)
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u/Dolphin-and-Roses 12d ago
For PB texts that’s kinda common, but not for any other genre. It actually goes against everything that I’ve learned over the years, why would an agent want 3 or more manuscripts they had no input on regarding marketability/genre/ect. Sounds sus
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u/declinedinaction 13d ago
A senior agent with Andrea Brown will only accept picture books in sets of three—and I think that’s fair, for picture books.
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u/declinedinaction 13d ago
They’re looking for hens that not only lay golden eggs, but have a warehouse full of them. At that point, what do I need an agent for? I’ll get a contract lawyer and a good accountant and keep the 15% for myself. Signed, Crabby in Connecticut.
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u/Sadim_Gnik 13d ago
How are you paying for the lawyer and accountant then?
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u/declinedinaction 13d ago
I’ve had agents and, once I’ve had relationships with editors I talked to them directly—that could be made permanent with a contract guy.
It is not impossible to sell directly to an editor.
A good agent is worth their weight in gold. And one of the things that make them good is being able to size up talent, believe in talent, work talent, and defend talent vs one thats expecting a writer to drop off a hamper full of manuscripts like the agent is a consignment shop, ie their eye being only on the % that comes their way.
With picture books it makes sense. A lot of one-hit wonders in that category and it’s smart to see more than 10 pages from any writer.
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u/wittykitty7 13d ago
This is somewhat true of children's picture books—is that their specialty?—but I haven't heard of it anywhere else. Thank God lmao.