Thoughts on Finding an Agent
Whew, I just spent hours upon hours doing some agent research. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and frazzled. There are so many agents and so much information out there that it takes a lot of time and patience to wade through it all. But it’s worth it to find the gems that you feel would be perfect for representing your novel.
Because I am being picky right now. I could very well mass query the whole lot of them, but that could end up a bit messy and would be a waste of my time and many agents’ time. Why in the world would I do that? It really is worth the research time to find those agents who would actually be interested in the type of work I’ve written. I don’t want to query an agent who is solely interested in mysteries and thrillers. I want an agent who loves both YA and fantasy. Ones who show a very strong passion for YA are jumping to the very top of my list. And they’re out there. There are plenty for me to query.
I also like to find agents with clients whose works I enjoy reading. That isn’t a has-to-have qualification, but it puts them higher on the list. An agent/writer relationship is a very important one, and I believe you should be pretty compatible. Similar interests in books gets some major compatibility points.
Another big one for me is a website. I know that says nothing about the agency as far as clients, sales and contacts go, but I’m big on the internet. Everyone has a website these days. Plus, I can learn more by looking at a constantly updating website than I can by looking at an outdated literary agency listings book.
What else do I look for? I check QueryTracker.net to see the feedback other writers have given the agent. Fast response times and courteous responses give that agent extra points. Any negative feedback always makes me think twice about adding them to my “To Be Queried” list.
I also enjoy seeing, on websites usually, enthusiasm and news and updates about current clients. It’s really important to me that an agent loves books and reading and shows excitement about current projects. And you’d be surprised that I’ve seen a few today that don’t seem to be all that interested in what they’re doing. Not naming any names though.
So, after I’ve whittled down the choices to agents interested in YA fantasy, those with websites of useful information, up-to-date news and enthusiastic bios and those with positive feedback on other agent tracking websites, I add them to my agent querying list for my novel. I might learn to be less picky over time as I start collecting rejections, but for now, this is my process.
That’s what I look for in an agent. What do you look for?
Filed under: agents, query letters, writing
Jen, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being highly selective in your first rounds of pitches. In fact, I think researching agents — and letting them know they’ve been carefully chosen — only reinforces that you’re serious about the business and willing to put in the work required to find a good match.
You’re probably already aware of him, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Nathan Brandsford (http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/), who not only represents YA, but is thoroughly web-savvy and seems to be one of the “good guys” as far as agents go.
No matter whom you choose to query, very best of luck with it! It takes guts to put yourself out there, and I’m rooting for you.
Yes, some people might think it’s weird to be picky, when getting an agent is such a daunting task in itself–but it’s your career, and you don’t want someone representing you unless they’re good.
Important things for me: AAR membership (not a dealbreaker, but nice); sales, recommended, or highly recommended status on Preditors and Editors; reps YA; reps Fantasy/Contemporary Fantasy/Urban Fantasy; reps a name i recognize. I also got a few months’ membership to Publisher’s Marketplace while I was putting together my info, and used their database to find out how many deals the particular agent had made in YA in the past two years, and what type of deals.
When it comes to the agent hunt, I get a little OCD, but it’s worth it to know WHO you’re querying when the time comes.
@ Kristen - Yeah, I’ve been thinking about getting a membership to Publisher’s Marketplace, but I haven’t yet. I’m cheap. So much info there though so maybe I’ll look into it again…
@ Bill - Yep, I know of Nathan, and he’s on my list!
He seems like such a great guy who would bend over backwards for any of his clients.