Finding a Good Fit (Literary Agents)
Wednesday Writing Weekly #59
When it comes to querying, picking out which agents you send your manuscript to is just as important as preparing a quality query letter. In today’s article, I want to share with you the importance of finding a literary agent that fits your book. Your goal is to query your book to as many people as possible but the phrase “quality over quantity” is essential.
Why You Want to Find a Good Fit
Literary agents have many different tastes, backgrounds, and preferences when it comes to what kind of projects they would like to represent. One agent might love fantasy books but does not like crime. One agent might love true crime, but they only work with fiction rather than nonfiction. These different preferences are no different than how a reader might pick out a book that they want to read!
If you send twenty query letters to twenty random literary agents, your chance of hearing a response back is next to zero. There are a few reasons for this:
Literary agents are swamped! Some receive hundreds of queries weekly or daily.
Literary agents work within certain genres. Does your work match their niche?
Maybe the agent you reached out to doesn’t align with your personal goals.
Do not query someone randomly! The more research you do on your end to find a literary agent that is looking for a book like yours can increase your chance of potentially hearing back. Never send your mystery YA manuscript to an agent who says they only work within the adult fantasy genre. That’s not a match! A good match increases the possibility of catching an agent’s notice.
What are Manuscript Wish Lists?
A manuscript wish list or representation lists are the genres, audiences, and styles a literary agent is currently looking to represent.
The website Poets & Writers has a database listing literary agents’ names, company, “Interested in Representing” lists, and the authors they have represented. For example, the literary agent, Laurie Abkemeir of the DeFiore and Company came up when I opened the page. She is interested in representing BIPOC voices, journalism/investigative Reporting, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, and Pop Culture. She is not someone I would submit a fiction piece to!
Websites like QueryTracker (free to make an account) is another database that has an entire tab dedicated to listing out what genres literary agents are open to. Ms. Penny Moore of Aevitas Creative Management has a genre tab listing that she is seeking fantasy, horror, romance, and more in the children’s, middle-grade, and young adult categories.
Previous Projects
Previous projects are books that have been previously represented by the agent. Another way to see if your work is a good match see if your book is similar to books they have represented. Just like my advice above, this relies heavily on genres and themes the agent has a personal interest in. Some agents even make lists pointing out what books they love (but have not represented) to say that is the kind of story they want to work with next. If this matches your own, that is not only a reason to reach out to the literary agent with your query, but that is something to bring up in the query letter itself! Do your research in this process and make every connection you can!
When writing a book, you might worry about reading stories that sound like yours. As long as your idea remains unique, reading similar works and being familiar with them is a strength as you market yourself.
Conclusion
There are many literary agents out there but there are even more authors trying to get traditionally published. By finding someone who is a potentially good match for your work, you can improve your chances of getting representation. Take your time, enjoy the process, and see what you discover.
As always, here are some links for you all to explore as you start this process. These are some of my favorite references to use when querying: