Melissa Charles author

Where do I find agents to query?

There a few good, reliable sites, imo. QueryTracker (there is both free and paid membership) was an invaluable resource for me, plus PublishersMarketplace (free trial) and ManuscriptWishList (free). There are other sites, but those are the ones I personally have experience with.

Which agents should I query?

Depending on your age group and genre, the sheer number of possible agents to query can be overwhelming. Read through their bios and their wish lists. Some agents will also post on social media. ONLY query agents who are 1) open to queries 2) represent your genre and age group. 3) Fit the parameters of your story. If they say they don’t like talking animals, don’t pitch them a book with a chatty Golden Retriever, even if they represent middle grade fantasy. Don’t waste their time or yours by querying agents who don’t rep what you’ve written, or aren’t currently accepting queries in your genre/age group. Then, once you have narrowed your list down, DO YOUR RESEARCH.

When should you research? 

AS SOON AS YOU HAVE THE NAME OF THE AGENT YOU WANT TO QUERY. Knowing WHO to query is as important as your query package itself.

Do not, DO NOT, wait until you have an offer on the table. You’ll be excited, nervous, and probably feel like you can’t afford to say no. But let me hold your hand as I tell you this: you can ALWAYS say no. No agent is better than a bad agent. Please, for the love of the universe, do NOT sign with an agent who makes your gut do The Twist. (Remember, I’m on my THIRD agent. You can read about how I got my current agent here. She’s fantastic and I adore her, but it’s been a hell of a journey to get here).

Where should I look?

Finding accurate information can definitely be a challenge as a new author. One of the most common terms I heard of as a newbie was the ‘whisper network.’ Simply put, when it comes to publishing, reputation is a huge factor. Many authors, who’ve had negative experiences are absolutely TERRIFIED of speaking about it in public. They don’t want to risk their careers by being labelled ‘difficult’ or worse, which is completely understandable. So, they tell trusted people, who then tell others, and voila, the whisper network is born. Unfortunately, if you’re new, you may not know anyone who has access to that sort of grapevine, so now what?

Writer Beware. Victoria Strauss is an amazing person who takes the time to investigate different publishing whispers and posts them publicly on the blog so that even the newest of newbies can find information. From schmagents to bad publishers, she puts them all out there, with the goal of protecting authors. Absolutely a must in research, imo.

QueryTracker comments section. Definitely worth a read.

Absolute Write Bewares Recommendations and Background Check. Absolute Write is an amazing forum, with so many different resources, the link I’ve posted is specifically to the research aspect, but worth checking out the site for all the different boards and finding fellow authors. I think you’ll need to create a free account to access the forums, but DEFINITELY worth it.

Research is done. Now what?

Go through your list and delete anyone you wouldn’t be absolutely THRILLED to be represented by. I say this with a caveat: ditch the ‘dream agent’ designation. Until you’re actively working with someone, it’s impossible to really know if someone is your ‘dream agent’ or not. One person’s ‘dream agent’ may be another’s nightmare. The truth is, there isn’t one ‘right agent’ for everyone. Different authors need different things from their author/agent relationship, and that’s totally okay! All of my author friends have different agents than I do, and have excellent relationships with them. Until there’s an offer on the table, be hopeful by all means, but don’t let any one agent be your everything. Keep doing your research, keep queries rolling out, keep working on another project.

Wishing you every success,