A: A first draft is a first draft. The keyword is “draft,” or maybe it’s “first.” The point is, the first time you do anything, it’s not yet the best it can be, and the term “draft” by itself implies a lack of polish and completion.

Never send a first draft to an agent or publisher. To improve your chances of selling the manuscript, send it nowhere until you have made it the best it can be. If you must take your manuscript to two, three, five, or ten revisions, do so, don’t send it out until you know you have reached the point that you cannot improve it one iota. At that point, you can send it to agents or publishers. If agents or publishers are interested, they may suggest
 further revisions, but only because they recognize that the novel is “almost” there. If the novel needs too much work, some agents and most publishers won’t consider it.