Should I give out specific information about agent interest to other agents?
I've edited the question for clarity following some unexpected comments in the first answer.
I submitted my latest novel to a handful of agents, and had a request for a full manuscript.
On almost all of the agency's submisson guidelines, they state that if they haven't got back to you and another agent shows interest, to please let them know asap, so they can check to see if they might be interested as well.
Supporting info - I've read from several sources in the industry that although it's easy to get very excited when an agent first shows interest, it's important to make sure you end up with the right one - as it should be a lifetime, career affecting relationship. In much the way that you don't marry the first person who says they fancy you. So it seems sensible to maximise your chances of being able to meet a few different ones and see which one is the best fit.
So, I informed the agents that hadn't got back to me yet, but one of them has replied asking me to tell them which other agent I submitted to.
Presumbly they are asking to check that I'm not just making it up, or that it's not some hicky nobody agent.
It is a very well known and respcted agency who has asked for the full, so that's not a problem from that point of view - but my question is should I tell them anyway?
Is it really relevant? Either they want the read it or not, right?
My feeling is that if the only reason they're interested is because someone else important is interested, then they're probably not the right one for me anyway.
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1 answer
Edited in response to OP's edit:
I think it would be a mistake to tell them who, and I think it would be a mistake to go with an agent that is only prompted to read your full manuscript because another agent decided it was good.
You say many of their sites say to let them know if somebody else asks for the full manuscript: If the agent that DID ask for the full manuscript has such a request on her site, then I'd go ahead and tell the other agents somebody has asked for the full manuscript.
I'd certainly give priority to the first agent that asked for it un-prompted and only because they thought your writing was good enough to take a closer look.
Other than personality, I don't think you are going to get any better deal by looking at other agents, especially if they didn't think your query and/or sample wasn't good enough on its own merit. I expect the terms for the agent, with an unknown first-time author, are going to be the same. The terms a particularly successful agent might get for your book from a publisher might be different.
If they demand something, and your agent belongs to a large firm, you might be able to tell them which firm it is. I'm still not sure that's a good idea. Personally, I think if they asked me to be informed if somebody requested the full manuscript, I am informing them that somebody did; and if they choose not to believe me, so be it. I'd ask them to review the sample you sent, or you are happy to send them the full manuscript, and judge it on its merits, pass or fail, not on who else is interested in it.
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