Literary Agent Search Tools
Using Web Resources in Searching for Literary Representation
Mar 27, 2008
There is an unnerving Catch 22 for writers seeking publication of their first book: It is nearly impossible to get a book published today without representation by a literary agent, yet gaining representation from a quality agent is difficult without prior publication. The actual prospect of gaining representation remains as difficult as ever, but increasingly there are very useful tools on the Internet that make the search process easier and more informative.
Publishers will readily acknowledge that agents have taken over many of the functions once associated with editors, including identifying a great deal of new writing talent, and often, helping writers polish and shape their work for better first presentation to prospective publishers. The key job of the literary agent, having the contacts to best match a book with a potential editor, remains their key job despite now fulfilling other roles. Like with publishers, the most important element for this business proposition for the writer is finding an agent who will represent the writer’s work tirelessly and with genuine conviction; thus, matching an agent’s interests and existing client list to a writer’s material is paramount. That task remains demanding and illusive, but some Internet resources can aid new writers in trying to find the proper agent fit.
Searching for the Perfect Author Representation
While there are numerous web sites devoted to researching and contacting literary agents, many of which are quite useful, two sites are of particular note: QueryTracker.net and AgentQuery.com. Both of these sites offer search engines that allow narrowing agent searches by categories and both offer large, frequently updated databases of literary agents, their interests, the genres they represent, recent sales, and contact information. Both sites provide links to the homepages of the literary agencies for the listed agents whenever available, as well as mailing address information and email addresses when agents provide them. Both sites are free (although QueryTracker.net does offer additional services to Premium Members) and both require logins
Literary Agent Databases (and beyond)
AgentQuery.com is well-established and well-known among many agents, and thus they often help provide frequent update information to keep their profiles accurate. Because agents can have login access to AgentQuery.com, it offers very reliable listings and treats both writers and agents professionally. Additionally the site offers numerous secondary services, including articles about approaching literary agents, writing query letters, and information on publishers and publishing trends, among other items.
QueryTracker.net offers many of these same features. Its biggest single advantage is that for every agent search, it also offers links to the agent listing in AgentQuery.com, as well as results from Google, Yahoo, and Publisher’s Marketplace (among others) for the agent’s name. Another advantage is that this is a more user-interactive site where writers can share notes and offer updates based on their experiences when contacting listed agents, what the site calls “Social Data Gathering” based on what contributors share about their searches and interactions. Moreover, users can, as its name implies, build a personal database on the site and track their queries, updating the database if a given agent requests a partial manuscript to read or rejects a query, etc. One more very useful tool, if a bit dated at times, is a “Who Reps Who?” listing of writers and the agents who represent them. Barely a year old, QueryTracker.net currently lists 1,130 literary agents and has over 5,000 registered users.
Both sites are quite useful to writers seeking representation. Both clearly work to provide accurate and helpful listings, and neither site is a “query blaster” bent on aiding writers in blindly saturating the literary marketplace with their pleas. In fact, both emphasize the crucial bit of advice that writers still must complete strenuous research on prospective literary agents to ensure that they are approaching agents who offer a good, logical fit for their particular manuscript and also emphasize that writers must enter such query approaches with tremendous professionalism. Such sites cannot land the new author representation without the same dedicated and thankless work writers have always required to enter the publishing marketplace, but they can greatly assist in the research for getting there.
