When should I introduce my manuscript to an literary agent?

[Julia]

Hello!

My name's Julia and I'm an aspiring author. I'm currently on the fourth or fifth (tbh I've lost count) draft of my manuscript. I've had two of friends read my manuscript, and currently seeking a beta reader for manuscript on goodreads. I've been working on this book for the last year and a half with taking some breaks inbetween.

I've done all editing to the work myself. I'm curious when/how I should introduce my manuscript to an literary agent? Should I show my work to an editor first? Is giving an unfinished manuscript ok or should I finish the entire thing first?

I'm all fresh to this, so, any advice helps.

Thanks in advance,
Julia.

[Marissa]

Hi! I’m kinda in the same boat. From what I’ve been able to understand from some authors I’ve had to pleasure of speaking with, getting a copy together that is complete and ready to go is the time to seek an agent. Because even though we’re going to get rejected 1000000 times we still need to be ready to go with a complete novel incase we do get that one or two YES!

It might be hard to hear but I’m 100% in the mindset that my book I wrote and spend almost two years on now is probably never going to get sold and published. And I’m okay with that. I’d be more than happy to chat since it seems like we’re both in the same stage of writing/publishing.

:)
-Marissa

[Marvin]

Not clear how much you already know. Query Shark is a great resource. This comment is my own reflection so don't take it as a lecture.

Agents are salespeople so they are looking for your finished, compelling, error-free product that meets genre expectations and a need in the marketplace.

That includes word counts! Know the expected word count. You can be rejected immediately if your word count is way off.

You contact them with a query. The query is expected to follow a structure that focuses on character and stakes in the story, and also has to be polished and error-free because it is the representation of your work. The query needs to be compelling.

Query shark suggests people share too early. I certainly used to. I find with each draft I am addressing different kinds of issues.

If you find yourself getting lost in a draft, you may need to reorient yourself by studying genre expectations and writing craft issues. That will provide a checklist to use so you can be purposeful in each draft about specific goals, and not just get lost in the words.

Writing is a business and as writers it seems we are expected to know our market, and produce marketable products that meet expectations. If we choose to pay editors or betas to help us, those are our business expenses to improve our product.

If you hire someone, be purposeful about it. Identify what you need from them. And I would put my best efforts into craft and revision before hiring them to ensure I got the most for my $.

Whenever it feels unfair to you, turn the tables and try to evaluate a bunch of options to make a choice and see how it feels. For instance, I recommend reading a bunch of queries here or on Query Shark and ask yourself which you would invest in... it quickly becomes evident how frustrating vague or disorganized writing is when you have to process it from someone else.