In my naivety, or general stupidness, in the whole world of writing, and before I found W&A, I stupidly sent a submission to an agent, an agent that I really respect for the work she does too. My submission was, is, nowhere near ready.
My question is - can I get it back? I feel embarrassed for them to read it in its current state. And if I do withdraw it would they ever consider it again?
Any advice most appreciated :)
Thanks everyone for your help. I've kept quiet and anxiously await my first (of many) rejection email. I hear it's a rite of passage!
The chances are that the book never made it to the agent at all; it may have been seen by a junior whose job it is to sift what comes in, and they will have rejected it if it's not up to scratch.
Agents do not return mss unless they say that they do. See their Ts and Cs. Asking for yours back would gain you nothing except to bring your name to the attention of someone that you want to impress, in relation to a less-than-impressive piece of work.
You've learnt a major lesson here, and you won't make the same mistake again. The good thing is that you now know that your work wasn't ready then. That means you're progressing in your craft, so take heart, and keep writing - and polishing!
Lorraine
As with many things, I guess that it's a case of yer pays her money and yer takes yer choice.
Some agents might blacklist you because you once sent them shoddy material. Others because you pestered them to get it back.
Hitchhiking on the SAME stretch of curvy, coastal road in Ireland on 2 occasions:
One driver told me that he'd only picked me up because I was standing at a lay-by. "I would NEVER stop for anyone walking along these curves! Dangerous!"
Another told me that he'd only picked me up because I was walking (with my thumb in the air) : making an effort to reach my destination. "I have no time for lazybones who stand stock still and expect others to do everything for them!"