Q & A 89

Two years ago my agent submitted a novel which was widely rejected by publishing houses (rightly so - it stank). I have re-written the novel and secured a new agent with a major agency. The novel's premise and basic plot remain the same, but it is vastly better. I have also changed my name, the novel's title and the name of the principal character. Question is: are the editors who read it before likely to remember the novel, and if so, will they reject it out of hand?

1. If it truly stank, most of the editors who read it didn't read more than a page or two.
2. Most people who were editors two years ago have quit and become literary agents.
3. If it was rejected because the writing was horrible, which is no longer the case, I doubt those few who remember it (despite your clever attempts to disguise it) will reject it out of hand. If it was rejected for some other reason, that reason may still exist.
4. If you can provide your agent with a list of those to whom the book was sent, you can let her worry about whether it's worth sending to them again. Wait a minute, you have an agent? Shouldn't you be asking your agent this question?