Hello, I'm new on today - and can already see my subscription is well spent.

Here's the thing I'd be interested in experienced advice on: I am about 26k words into a novel. The gestation period has been a few years - so I know where I'm going with it, what happens, what the twists are etc

I'm ready to move forward - having had some great feedback from contributors on another forum.

My question is this: Do I finish the novel before pitching agents? Or given that I expect to be able to wall-paper my living room with rejections before I get an interested party, do I start pitching now, even though it's not physically complete?

What are peoples' thoughts?

Hi Littlie, and welcome to WW.
The site experts will be back after the Bank Hols and can answer any specific questions you have. But on the question you raise, I'd say that it's definitely best to complete the novel before you begin to pitch to agents. Yes, agents have taken debut writers on before now from the first three chapters and synopsis, but it's very, very rare. And even if they were interested and wanted to see the full manuscript, you wouldn't have it to show them and could be left with an eggy face. But primarily, you are still on your first draft: the novel may go through several more drafts before it's ready to submit, and the beginning could change dramatically. Why waste a chance with an agent by submitting what may, ultimately, not yet be your best version?
I know it's really, really tempting to test the waters by submitting at this stage. But personally, I wouldn't.
Susiex

<Added>

Oh, and in terms of saving time, you could always submit in large-ish batches when the time comes. Agents seem to vary hugely in the time they take to reply - I've had some responses within a week. Others can take months.

Hi Littlie!
I completely agree with all Suzie's comments - it's so tempting to submit as early as possible, but you mustn't jump the gun. It would irritate agents no end to ask for the rest of your novel and find you hadn't written it. It could mean you'd totally blown your chance with them. Plus, if you got that interest, you'd write like mad to get it done as quickly as possible and it might not be your best writing - it'd be a huge pressure you could do without.
Although you're all planned out, the first draft is always you getting to know the story yourself. Don't underestimate the editing process! (To write a book; write. To write a good book; edit!) Even if you follow your plan, you might have an idea along the way that changes everything - or you might stick to it and realise on reading through the whole thing for the first time, it doesn't actually work (this has happened to me!). And then you need time to figure out what works and what doesn't, and you might make whopping changes. However much you might want to rush it, some things take time. Agents can tell if something's been banged out in a hurry! (And you're far less likely to wallpaper your living room with rejections if you've taken care and honed your novel to the best of your ability.)
Very best of luck with writing the rest! Enjoy it!
All the best, JCx

Good advice. Thank you peeps. I knew that really - just needed to be told!! Won't hesitate to come back again when I need telling again!

Hi, Littlie, and welcome to WriteWords

If you need any help navigating the site, just give us a shout.

- NaomiM

Hi, and welcome, Littlie! I agree with the others: all the best advice tends to say (i) submit a complete manuscript and (ii) get it as polished as possible before starting to submit. And I think both things are right. Most agents and pulishers will only look at completed ms submissions. (It's completely different in non-fiction, where everything is generally done on the basis of a proposal and sample chapter or two.)

There are a few exceptions to the rule - e.g. at least one WWer found an agent when all she had was a partial (Jess, are you around to comment?). And some agents (e.g. Peter Cox, who runs the 'rival' Litopia writers' site, for one) will look at poposals based on unfinished manuscripts.

But these are very much the exception rather than the rule.

Good luck with your writing!

Rosy

Hi Littlie and welcome to WW

Just seconding what everyone else has said: don't risk it. Apart from anything else, it's so hard to be taken on by an agent, what you submit has to be the absolute best that you're capable of, and you can't possibly know that it is when you haven't even finished the novel, and revised it all in the light of everything you learnt during the first draft, and revised it again, and again, and then picked out all the bones and fiddly bits, and so on...

And Jane's right: the pressure to finish it with the feeling of an agent glowering over your shoulder is hugely problematic. I know someone who did get taken on on the basis of a few chapters, and the agent actually sold the book on that basis too, which is incredibly rare. It sounds like the scenario we all dream of, but the pressure of writing to order, and with some idea of what the publisher wanted, completely derailed the writer , and they couldn't finish the book. Had to pay the advance back, and I think the agent dumped them too. Truly a case of 'be careful what you wish for...'

Emma

Welcome to WW!

I have a horror story not quite as ghastly as that of Emma's friend but I submitted a few chapters to an award and was picked up by my dream agent. But I couldn't finish the book and was left feeling like an absolute idiot with no confidence in my ability to complete a shopping list let alone a novel. I t set me back years. I can't begin to emphasise how embarrassing it is to be making apologies and 'dog ate my homework' style excuses to an agent you'd dream of joining. If it's taken you some time to get to 26k I'd definitely finish draft one, then draft two and only then submit.

Best of luck with the book.

I would say - finish it. By doing this you demonstrate to a potential publisher or agent that you are not a fly by night, you believe in what you are doing and have the wherewithal to complete anything you start - which is something they want to know: there's no point in taking on an unknown author that can't finish what they've started - there is no commercial sense in this.

<Added>

Keep going

I've pitched the beginning of my novel, before it is finished, to agents who have seen my work before - and whilst the downside is that these chaps are never as good as the finished product, i did receive some useful feedback that altered slighty my perception of the book i was going to write.

I don't see the harm in pitching it to a couple, to test the water - but no, on the whole, i would finish it, polish it, and then submit en force to your favourite agents.

So much can change the opening chapters as you go along.

Best of luck.