I'm really excited for when I get to the point where I can start researching agents. I mean, I have a few listed already, but I haven't done any serious agent research. I don't want to get ahead of myself because then I might get discouraged or bored with it and then have that to get over once I HAVE to do agent search.
I'm really excited to make an excel spreadsheet of agents I have or plan to Query. I love making excel spreadsheets, so I think it will be super fun.
I'd like to know, from those of you that are searching for an agent right now, how you made your list/lists?
Did you use Agent Query? Or Query Tracker? Something else?
How did you decide who was on your "A" list and who was on your "B" list, etc?
If you had a "dream" agent in mind, what was it about them that made them so?
19 comments:
I don't have a "dream" agent but I do dream to have an agent someday. I'm tenatively making a list of agents I see who represent my genre as I see them in Agent Query, Query Tracker...there's another one but I can't remember it right now.
I'm excited to get to that point as well. I hate the editing part so that might take a little longer than expected.
I'm on the edge ... need more research... appreciate your blog's honesty and how you lay it all out. Thank you!!
I met two of my fav agents at my first conference. I heard another agent speak at a second conference that is also on my top list.
The others who make up my top ten have achieved their spot because of great books they've repd, and/or interviews I've read about them, and/or past querying experiences where they requested a partial or full and gave very professional and encouraging feedback.
Agent researching is fun. Enjoy the journey!
I never queried any agents. I was told I'd have better luck querying publishers instead - and I did!
I used all the lists, all the sights, then cross-referenced back to agent web-sites, found author lists and their web-sites to see if they had written anything about their agent. It was exhausting.
As for A, B & C, I just chose according to how I felt about having them to my house for dinner. If they were exciting and smart and if I could talk to them like a real person. Those I would have on Saturday night would be A, those who get potluck on Thursday would be B and those who would only get lunch were C. I know, kind of lame, but that's me.
My dream agent is the one who wants to represent me because they believe in the integrity of my work.
Yeah, my dream agent is the one who wants to represent me and likes my work.
I'm excited to get to that point as well. Soon, soon...
I just create a table in Word. So lame. But I'm super low tech. Like I still use orange sticky notes to remember stuff for my mss. Sometimes, they are pink.
Yeah. Lame.
After the first 10 agents, the search sort of lost its magical glow. I'm just hoping one of the first ten will like me so I don't have to keep going.
Ha.
Just kidding.
I actually found 14.
Ha.
Palindrome - yeah i always wondered about those "dream agents". I could understand having an A list and a B list, but one agent to rule them all? seemed weird
Kittie - you're welcome!
Karen - yeah a conference would make perfect sense on how to have a few top agents. Someday maybe i'll get to one...
Alex - that's crazy! I don't want to go into any of that mess without an agent. Do you have an agent now?
Piedmont - that is not lame at all and actually sounds like a very very good way to decide your A list
Teebore - yeah i hear that
Carolina - LMAO! yeah my work forced me to learn excel and now i LOVE it because i can make charts and tables and add pretty colors and space things JUST SO. it really appeals to my small perfectionist side
THINGS MUST BE PRETTY!
I have a spreadsheet and I use Querytracker. I LOVE Querytracker! If you're a premium member you can even see how long it's taking agents to respond and how many requests they're making. It's awesome!
Stephanie - yeah i'm looking forward to mucking about in QT
Hehe, I started an excel sheet of agents and publishers. Only I thought I'd try and list everyone I come across so I can see who to avoid too, and why. I have such a craptacular memory with just about everything but my stories (that's over 30 handsome male characters - they're not about to let you forget a THING). The only downside is I get bored and it languishes on my HD. At least it's backed up online.
I forgot to subscribe again! BLAST!
Hey Falen,
My suggestion? Follow the agents you're interested in on Twitter. You'll find out all kinds of information about them. IE: A certain agent gets cranky if you query her, take representation from another agent and don't let her know until she sends you a request.
True story. She just said so on Twitter. :)
MRJ - yeah i was worried about getting bored too, which is why i'm holding off until i'm closer to querying
Palindrome - Lock it up
Merissa - LOL. Yeah it's probably a good idea, but i've been avoiding twitter since i do not need one more social media outlet
that has been my mindset so far. i can barely keep up on my FB
Um... I don't know how I research. Sometimes I'll google favorite authors and then go from there, hopping from random website to random website. I don't really know how I've found so much information on my couple of agents I want to query. Weird. I need to start paying closer attention to myself.
Aching - hey, that's a bigger step than i've taken. I really have to do that, find the agents of books that i lurve.
side note: When i was younger I had an imaginary agent named Billy. Wouldn't it be weird if I got an agent named Billy?! I will only query Billys!
LMAO - i loved that you had an imaginary agent.
We just imagined ourselves as dogs, or dragons
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