The Key to Querying: Do Your Research

When I worked in public relations, I spent a ton of time in my entry-level years building media lists. And while the drudgery of culling through the giant Bacon’s Media Directories back in the dark ages of media research was mind-numbing, I learned a lot.

I learned how to find the right match for the right story. When you found a reporter who you just knew was going to respond well and with curiosity to your story, that’s where the magic happened. I remember finding the perfect Wall Street Journal reporter for a story once. They were so perfect a match to our content that they broke embargo (when you ask a reporter not to publish before a certain date) on the story and printed early. Our client was royally irritated, but I was over the moon excited despite our client’s frustration over the timeline because I knew the right story had gotten into the right hands and that would be beneficial to the message getting to the right audience.

While the Internet makes this type of research much easier now, it’s still a slog to read old articles and find the right fit. But the right fit is imperative to distributing a press release or creating a relationship with a reporter.

The same is true when you’re querying fiction.

My skills researching reporters are the same skills I use now to research agents to query my manuscript. There are lots of places to look, and you should look at all of them.

Today, I wanted to give a quick rundown of the tools I typically use to research an agent.

1. Querytracker. Querytracker has a huge database of agents you can search by genre. Each entry also includes links to their agency pages, social feeds, personal pages (if applicable) as well as details on how to query them. The best part? You can filter out those who are closed to queries, saving you time and energy. (There is a fee for premium access, though you can still get quite a bit of information with the free service. I recommend playing with it first to see if it’s helpful to you before jumping into any subscription.)
2. Agency Websites. You’ll find that Querytracker will spit out several agents at an agency who might fit your genre, but that doesn’t mean each is right for your story. I will visit each agency’s website to see what authors they work with, the types of books they publish, and to visit each agent bio to determine which agent at the agency is the right fit for me. Many agencies require you to pitch to only one agent at an agency, so it’s important that you choose wisely. This is a great opportunity to also dig into and confirm submission guidelines as sometimes Querytracker doesn’t have the most up to date information.
3. Socials. While narrowing down the agent search, I will check in on their X/Twitter and Instagram pages. This can show you a lot about who the agents are already working with, how they promote their authors, what they are interested in, and perhaps provide a lead to a common connection. Did they retweet they binge watched a show you also love? That might be your way in. Especially if it connects to your manuscript in any way.
4. MSWL. Manuscript Wishlist is a great resource that digs a little deeper into what each agent might be looking for or, sometimes more importantly, what they aren’t looking for. This is a great cross-reference to make sure you’re story is a good fit as well as a place to find tidbits you can use for personalizing your query. An agent I recently queried had a request for a story with the vibe of a particular album in her MSWL. An album I had listened to on repeat during edits to keep the mood of my manuscript consistent. It made for the perfect lead in to my query letter.
5. Publisher’s Marketplace. Find out what your prospective agent has sold lately and get the business side look at the agents you are interested in. NOTE: Publisher’s Marketplace also offers a subscription. It’s pricier, so weigh that before committing, try a free trial, or plan accordingly.
6. The Library. Some agents look like a great fit, but I don’t know the authors they represent. A trip to the library to skim through some of their titles might be in order to see if I want to be part of their cadre of writers. The library is also a great place to pick up some titles you admire and check the acknowledgement page to see who represents them.
7. Google. Don’t forget your tried and true search engine. Googling for articles with the top agents in your genre is one way to find leads as well as find places they may be speaking about their interests.
8. Writing Conferences. Meeting or pitching agents at writing conferences is excellent, but even if you can’t attend a writing conference, check the schedules of conferences that interest you/pertain to your genre and see which agents are speaking or attending. These might be good fits for you. Add them to your list and then dig deeper into their preferences with the methods listed above.

Remember when you’re querying to follow the agent’s submission guidelines exactly, to have a tight and short query letter, to follow your genre’s conventions (word count, subject matter, etc), and to provide only the materials they ask for in the format they ask for them. This is a professional communication regarding a potential business relationship, so present yourself accordingly.

Agents are looking for quick reasons to say no. Don’t give them any. You want your no, if you get one, to be based on the content of your manuscript. A no received from an agent because they already rep something similar or just aren’t in love with the story despite its stellar writing allow you to move ahead with confidence. A no because you sent an attachment when they clearly stated to paste the pages into the body of the email or your word count is entirely too high for a young adult novel aren’t helpful to you as a writer. They waste the agent’s time and yours.

Set yourself up for success. Do the research. Find the right match. And with perseverance, you just might be getting the magic you need to take the next step in your publishing journey.

For more tips on how to stay on track during the query process, check out this blog post from March.

Featured photo above by Becca Tapert on Unsplash

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