Full and Partial Requests

Full or partial requests are when an agent likes your query package (yay!) and wants to see more of your work. 

A full request is your entire manuscript. A partial can be anywhere from a few chapters to half your book or more. 

Regardless of how much an agent asks to see, make sure that when you send your requested materials, they’re neatly formatted (times new roman, 12pt font, double spaced) and have been proofread. Don’t send a manuscript that has track changes or comments in it that you forgot to delete. 

Also make sure that you’re sending the materials in the format the agent wants. Most of the agents requesting fulls from me wanted word documents, but some wanted PDFs, and one said I could send an e-reader file if I had one  (I highly recommend Scrivener or Caliber for this). Some agents wanted the query letter or synopsis pasted on the first page of the manuscript, others didn’t. Regardless, pay attention! 

When you hit send, sit back and relax. Don’t worry if you subsequently spot a typo - agents want this to be your best work, but don’t expect it to be flawless. So (speaking from experience), don’t lie awake at night and worry that you misspelled your main character’s name on page 350 of your manuscript.