How To Research Agents by M. Stevenson

If you’re planning to be traditionally published, at some point you will need to build your list of agents to query. But how do you find agents? And once you find them, how do you know if they’re any good? 

This post covers some ways to build your query list as well as how to research agents and determine who might be the right agent for you!

Step one: getting starteD

One of the most challenging parts of beginning to query is figuring out how to even find agents to begin with. Here are a few ways you can gather a list of potential agents:

1. Read the acknowledgements of recently published books in your genre. Most authors will thank their agent in the acknowledgements. This will only get you so far, but it’s a great starting place—especially if some of those books could potentially be compared to yours.

2. QueryTracker is a database where you can find agents listed by genre, country, and other factors as well as track your queries and requests once you start querying (and spend way too much time obsessing over their data). Premium membership is $25/year—in my opinion, one of the few query-related memberships absolutely worth paying for. If you write multiple genres, you can even set your search to include only agents who represent all of your genres.

3. The MSWL (manuscript wishlist) website is a free resource where agents post wish lists for what they want to represent. You can search by genre and age category as well as searching for individual agents. I’ve spent countless hours on this site—it’s a wonderful resource. 

4. If you’ve spent much time on social media, you’ve probably heard of Publisher’s Marketplace, which is a website where agents and editors report their book deals. Since most agents don’t list their deals on their website, this is really the only place where you can find out whether an agent is actually selling to editors. PM also has lists of top-selling agents by genre, which can be a way to find more agents to query. I highly recommend getting on this website at some point before you accept an offer of representation.

That said: Publisher’s Marketplace is pricey ($25/month) so I actually don’t recommend starting here unless you have extra cash. My personal recommendation is to build a list of potential agents and then get a one-month membership to do some intensive research on their sales history. You can also ask around in writing discords—often someone has a membership and will be willing to look up a few agents for you.

5. I found a handful of agents through Twitter, especially pitching events and the #MSWL hashtag—but do note that being active on Twitter doesn’t necessarily say anything about whether or not they’re a good agent. 

Step two: researching your agents

So you’ve built your list of agents. You have a list of names and agencies and you’re ready to start querying… right?

Not so fast. First, are all those agents really worth querying? You don't want to waste your time—or worse, tank your career—by sending your manuscript to someone who wouldn't be your best advocate. Trust me on this—it may feel like any agent will do, but an agent who is not a good fit for you can hold you back or, in the worst case, actively damage your career. The last thing you want is to be querying again with your confidence in tatters after things didn’t work out with agent #1 (trust me, I’ve been there).

So how do you research these agents to make sure they have a good chance of selling your book—and just as importantly, that they’ll be a good business partner for you? People talk about red flag agents, and there are lists you can look for, but only the most egregious cases appear on lists like "Writers Beware." So how do you know if an agent is someone you should submit to—especially if you don’t have access to a whisper network of established writers?

Here are some things you can do to find out!

1. Have they made sales? Some agents will list recent sales on their personal or agency websites. Most don’t. Here’s where Publisher’s Marketplace comes in. 

Note that not having sales on Publisher's Marketplace is not necessarily a bad sign. Many new agents at great agencies just don't have sales yet, and some well-established agencies don't bother to report them. It’s a good idea to also look up the sales of the agency itself if you’re querying a new agent, and/or to research the agent’s mentor. But if an agent has been around for awhile, they should have sales—and check how many of those sales are recent.

2. Who are they selling to? This depends in part on your author goals, but if an agent is selling only to publishers who don’t require agented submissions, that’s probably not a great sign. If your goal is to sell to a major publisher, check that your would-be agent (or at least their agency) has made such a sale—ideally, in your genre.

3. How many clients do they have? If a new agent is signing lots of clients within a few weeks, that’s often a red flag. (Exceptions: sometimes when an agent leaves, other agents at their agency will pick up several of their clients at once. The agents will usually make an announcement about this.)

4. Have they received good mentorship? If the agent doesn’t have plenty of experience under the wing of other legitimate agents, how can you trust that they will know how to position your book (and career) for success? Anybody can call themselves an agent, but that doesn’t mean they’re a good agent—for instance, they might not know how to negotiate a contract. Look at their bio to see who they've interned with and what their previous experience includes.

5. Ask around on Discord servers, Absolute Write, and reddit. People often have experiences they’re willing to share on forums. The Publishing Whispers tumblr is also a great resource!

6. Trust your gut. Really. If you get weird vibes from an agent or publisher, just don’t submit.

7. Remember your worth. Don’t get desperate. Your book is worth it. Your words are worth it. Don’t give them to someone who doesn’t seem like they would be your best champion.

8. A note for marginalized authors in particular: Does the agent represent any clients who share your marginalization? Many agents state that they want diverse stories, but if their client list doesn't match what they say they want, it may be a sign that they're not a good advocate for you. 

Step three: narrowing down your list

So you have your list of potential agents… now are you ready to start querying?

Maybe. But before you send out those first, nerve-wracking queries, it’s worth taking a bit of time to think about your list again. Because it’s not just important that an agent is a legitimate agent who can sell your book—it’s also imperative that they be an advocate and a partner for your writing career. A good fit is paramount.

Of course, it’s impossible to know what an agent is really like without talking to them. But you can potentially scratch a few off your list right from the start.

So before you actually start sending out queries, here are some questions to consider that may narrow down whether an agent is a good fit for you. When I queried, I kept a list of my own personal answers to these questions. Any agent who didn’t meet my criteria didn’t get queried by me.

Questions to ask yourself before you send the query:

1. How long have they been agenting? Do you want an eager new agent or someone who’s already established in the industry?

2. What is their social media presence like? Do they post about clients often? Do they seem friendly and approachable? Does it matter to you whether they’re online much?

3. Does their age matter to you? (Obviously finding out an agent’s exact age is a bit stalker-ish, but you can probably get a general idea.)

4. Does their gender matter to you?

5. Do their political views matter to you?

6. Does this person seem intimidating or approachable? How do they come across in interviews? 

7. Do they work exclusively as an agent, or do they also have another job? (Note: it’s very normal for newer agents in particular to have other jobs outside of agenting. That's not a red flag.)

8. For writers of more than one genre and/or age group: Do they represent all the genres/age groups you want to write in? Do they have a primary genre they represent, and is that the same as yours?

9. For marginalized writers: Does the agent share your marginalization(s)? Do they have clients who do? Have they expressly called for diverse submissions and/or stated their support on issues affecting you?

Note that these answers will change depending on what you personally are looking for in an agent! My answers might not be the same as yours—and that’s totally fine, because the point is to find a match for you.

While you won’t get a chance to answer these questions until you have an offer of representation in hand, I’ll also leave you with a list of questions you can ask yourself after your call with an agent.

Questions to ask yourself after the offer/the call:

1. Does their vision for the book align with yours? Especially with regards to what you see as the heart of your book?

2. Are they planning to support their authors for the long haul if the first book doesn’t sell? (I’ll give you my answer for this one: the answer should be YES.)

3. What is their communication style like? How does that compare to yours? Have they been clear and followed through on what they said they would?

4. Does this person seem like someone you can easily talk to about your work? Did you feel comfortable discussing the personal aspects of your story?

5. Are they very hands-on and editorial?

6. How did you feel talking to them? Trust your gut.

While only you can decide if an agent is ultimately right for you, and there’s only so much you can know before you work with an agent, hopefully this gives you some places to start and the confidence to know that you’ve done your due diligence—which is really all you can do. Best of luck with your research!