Can You Query a Second Novel While the First Is on Submission?
Updated: Oct 9
You can keep writing while an agent or publisher considers the first novel. Whether you should query the second book to a different agent is a more specific question. It depends on whether you already have representation, what your agreement covers, and how distinct the new project is.
If you do not have an agent
A second completed novel may offer another route to representation, especially if the first has drawn little interest. Make sure you can explain each book clearly and track what every agent has seen. Do not send two different novels to the same agent at once unless their guidelines invite it.
If you are represented
Talk with your agent about the new manuscript before querying anyone. An agency agreement may cover your future writing, and sending a project elsewhere without understanding that agreement can cause a rights dispute. Your agent may see a better sequence for presenting the work.
If publishers have the first book
The second may be affected by option language or a publisher's interest in your next work. Read the contract with your agent and a qualified adviser. A novel in another genre or under another name can still raise contract questions.
Use the time well
Draft the next book because you have a story worth telling, not as a daily reaction to submission silence. A stronger second manuscript is useful whether or not the first sells. Keep both projects' pitches, versions, and rights clean.
Continue exploring this topic
A practical check
Who controls my next work under existing agreements? Is this novel finished? Which agents or editors have seen which book? Can I explain why each has a distinct readership?
Viola Musaraj is a writer, novelist, micro and vertical drama producer, and interactive narrative designer with more than 140 million reads worldwide.
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