Fiction books must be finished before query?

[aldentan]

Hi all,

I've learnt that before querying an agent with your fiction book, it has to be finished first.

Wheareas for a non-fiction book, it doesn't have to be.

Is this true?

If so, why?

Thanks.

[Brien Sz]

What I heard from agents is that for non-fiction it far more important to have a platform - blog, website, twitter, Facebook, etc... The reason is that agents want to work with established experts on a topic. This way, at least, if you have a partial manuscript and they can see that you are an expert with a solid following, they will be more likely to work with something that isn't complete.

[williamadams]

[quote="aldentan"]Hi all,

I've learnt that before querying an agent with your fiction book, it has to be finished first.

Wheareas for a non-fiction book, it doesn't have to be.

Is this true?

If so, why?

Thanks.[/quote]
=========================

partially true

you will need what the agent wants
often a couple sample chapters to grade your writing skill
and a detailed outline
plus
a sales pitch showing who would buy this
having street cred is a big plus as is having a following on social media

look at WM for general guidelines
and check each agent/publisher site for specific quirks they have

[ostarella]

[quote="aldentan"]Hi all,

I've learnt that before querying an agent with your fiction book, it has to be finished first.

Wheareas for a non-fiction book, it doesn't have to be.

Is this true?

If so, why?

Thanks.[/quote]


Agent: I love the first 3 chapters of your novel! Send me the full ms!
Author: Great! It'll take 2, maybe 3 months to finish and edit and revise, but...
Agent: Okay, never mind. I'll go to the next author on my list.

That's why you have your novel finished - completely finished - before querying. Agents have way more submissions than there are slots at publishers, and they can't sell (ie, earn a living) what they don't have in hand. You may or may not go on that agent's "forget it" list for future submissions, but why take the chance?

Non-fiction is a horse of a different color. The author's platform/reputation is very important - publishers will not work with someone who can't show they know what they're talking about. They also work more closely with the author during the writing process. Here's a pretty good overview from the Washington Post:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/02/16/so-you-want-to-write-a-nonfiction-book/