Two
literary agencies requested the manuscripts before they were completed.
Nearly two dozen
literary agencies requested sample chapters and / or her complete manuscript over the course of several months.
Not exact matches
Some authors (who've gotten NO positive responses from
literary agents and / or hundreds of rejections) have written new Query Letters that Worked... resulting in full manuscript
requests, representation offers from top
literary agencies, and book deals with major publishers.
Because an agent has a fiduciary responsibility to a client under
agency law (not
literary agency law, but laws governing anyone who calls themselves an agent [from insurance agent to real estate agent to
literary agent]-RRB-, the agent must allow an audit if
requested — at least in most state laws as I understand them.
Some individual
literary agents might be the exception to the rule, though, so it's not unreasonable to ask to not have to sign an
agency agreement, or at least be able to comment /
request changes within an
agency agreement.
Having just signed with a small
literary agency and
requesting the rights back for my first two books from my previous publisher (long story), 2016 may see me dipping my toes into the indie pool.