Researching Literary Agents

You've got your book.
You've got your query.

You want to be published by one of the Big Five publishers, which means you need a Literary Agent.

So how do you find a Lit Agent that will be a good fit?

Thankfully it's an easy, two step process  ... that may or may not consume your life with how long it can take and how much energy you pour into it. 

Shhh.

  { see also my Query Resources }

Finding the perfect Literary Agent for You:

Step 1: Compile a List of Literary Agents

Open up a spreadsheet, and make a list of at least 50-100 agents that:

1. Represent books like yours
2. Represent your age category (Adult, YA or MG etc)
3. Represent your genre (Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Contemporary etc.)
4. Have a track record of sales

How do you find agents who represent books like yours?

Grab a book where you could imagine yourself saying: "Well, my book is kind of like THIS book, except ... [Insert difference]." It could have similar themes, or the writing is similar, or the subgenre and world have a similar feel to yours, or just something about the book really jives with you.

a. Flip to the acknowledgements. Writers will usually thank their lit agent there.
    If the agent loved this book enough to represent it, maybe just maybe they'll love yours!!

b. Visit QueryTracker's Who Reps Whom:
     Select the first letter of the author's last name, and you're off!

c. Visit Query Tracker's Agents By Genre Search
     You'll need a (free) subscription to Query Tracker to do this,
     but you will want one when Querying. Believe me! 
     I could write an entire series of posts on all the gems buried in Query Tracker.

d. If YA or MG SFF is your niche, I've got a list of
    Lit Agencies that Represent YA or MG Spec Fic

After you've done that, do a double check on their agency or agent website guidelines. Are they still representing your age/genre? Yes? Good. Add them to your list!

How do you find agents who WANT books like yours?

Agents might technically represent your genre, and may have even represented the best Comp Title to your book once upon a time, but that doesn't mean they are looking for another book like it now. So to find what they really want, you'll need to dig deeper. This is where things start to get tricky and you can waste a lot of time. BUT. Taking the time to do a bit more sleuthing can also be a gold mine. Full disclosure: twitter stalking is how I (somewhat indirectly) found my agent.

So how do you find what they want now?

• Agency or Agent Websites
  Not all agencies will do this, but some will have mini wishlists on the sidebars of their site, or list wishlist items on their bios. Unfortunately these are not always dated.
• Manuscript Wish List
  This website is amazing, pure amazing. Search for an agent or a genre, subgenre or other keyword and find an agent who has said they want just what you're serving. Thank agent Jessica Sinsheimer for this MSWL miracle!
• MSWishList
  This is similar to the above site in some ways, but simply pulls #MSWL listings from agents' twitter accounts.
• #MSWL Hashtag on Twitter
  This will be the best way to see the most recent Manuscript Wish List requests from agents
• Agent Spotlight
  Though some of these will be older interviews, they are a great way to get to know agents and their tastes! Be sure to Google for other recent interviews too.
• Twitter Stalking
  Okay, not actual stalking, but in all seriousness, one of the best ways to get to know an agent's tastes might just be by following what they have to say on Twitter. The link above is to my list of over 500 Lit Agents on Twitter!

Okay, have you found 50 or 100 or 500 agents that you could potentially query? 

Great! Now it's time to do a little more research:

Step 2: Research and Rank

If an agent on your list has already sold a book to a well-known and respected publisher, it's fairly likely that they are a reputable agent, and worthy of a query from you. BUT NOT ALWAYS.

Red flags? 

• Fees
  The biggest is if an agent tries to charge you for anything up front. A reputable agent will never charge you anything until they sell your book.
• Lack of Sales
  Some agents will not have a track record of sales. Maybe they only sold that one book. Not necessarily a red flag, but could show lack of experience and connections, so dig deeper. How long have they been operating as an agent? Have they been around forever but few sales? Red flag. Are they brand new but interned and assisted at a few reputable agencies? Are they at an agency with a good track record now? You may want to give them a query!
  
  How do you dig up agent sales? Well, in addition to combing through their bios on agency websites, and Query Tracker's client listings (which link you to the clients' Amazon pages), one of the best ways is via Publisher's Marketplace. Caveat here: Publisher's Marketplace provides an incomplete picture of agent sales, because agents won't report all their sales there, for a variety of reasons. However, it's still useful. Unfortunately, you'll have to pay for full access. Fortunately, Publishers Weekly "Rights Report" is published regularly, is free, and is an extremely valuable resource. You can browse the listings, or Google "dream agent's name" + "rights report" to see what their latest reported sales are. They won't have advertised all of them, but it will give you a good idea.

• Shoddy practices
  Some agents will play a numbers game: sign a lot of clients, won't read (or edit) the entire manuscript, then send that work out scattershot style to a horde of publishers all at once and see if something sticks. Obviously, this is NOT the kind of agent you want. They might sell one or two things, but if you're one of the many clients whose work doesn't sell, your work (which might not have been quite ready) cannot be fixed up and shown to those editors again. You just missed your shot.
  
  See also: Scary Agent Vetting Test

Before submitting to any agent, do your research Make sure they aren't a schmagent:

1. Visit AW's Bewares, Recommendations, & Background Checks:
   Again, you'll need a free subscription to Absolute Write Water Cooler, but these forums are writerbee gold.Once there, scroll past the adverts to the top of the forum threads and click the small dropdown menu header to the right that says "Search Forum"
   Search for the name of the agent or agency you are trying to research.
   If there is dirt on an agent, chances are high it will be here. Do be aware that there may be disgruntled queriers in the mix too, so keep this in mind. Seek out opinions from folks who have actually worked with the agent.
2. Check out Writer Beware, read their Literary Agent Red Flags, and their Thumbs Down Agencies List.
3. When in doubt, ask:
   
   If you know a writer who has been through the querying trenches a time or two, chances are they know some of the shoddy agents and agencies by name. I can think of several in my head right now.  o.O

Now, go forth and polish up your manuscript, fix up that query letter, and query those agents!

If you need help with your Query, I've compiled some resources for that here:
Querying Resource Roundup

Additional Agent Researching Resources:

How to Find a Literary Agent - Jane Friedman || Researching Literary Agents - Susan Dennard || 25 Things Writers Should Know bout Literary Agents - Chuck Wendig || How to Research and Target Literary Agents - Writers In The Storm || How to Research a Literary Agent - Nathan Bransford || How Do You Know if Your Agent is Any Good? || Bookends on Bad Agents ||

Query Theory 101: Successful Query Database

Successful Query Letters Database
Image: Pixabay Vonriesling

Looking for Successful Query Letter Examples?

I've talked about Query Anatomy, and the Query Pitch, but for many, the best way to learn how to write a great query letter is by studying queries that worked. There are lots of places on the interwebs for finding successful queries. 

     { Check my Querying Resource Roundup for more on that }

But sometimes it's hard to find what you want. 

Maybe you only want to see successful queries that landed literary agents in the last 2 years, because those formats will be the most relevant. Maybe you only want to see query letters that worked in your genre. Maybe you're tired of scouring the web looking for examples of query letters that fit the bill.

So I bring you: 

The Successful Query Database


Okay, so it's more like a spreadsheet. But ... it's got links to over 600 query letters that worked, with a primary focus on queries that landed agent offers from the years 2010-2019. 

What Can You Do With The Database?

. . . Some Ideas

• Find Successful Queries for YOUR Genre / Age Category / Dream Agents 
• See how authors with no MFA or Pub credits spun their author bios
• Check out different formats for Last Lines, Comps, Themes, and Personalization.
• Probably other cool stuff too!

The spreadsheet has several tabs so you can see the data organized different ways. However, if the format is getting too annoying for you (not sure the frozen fields work in all browsers), please feel free to visit the Successful Queries Spreadsheet directly in Google Docs and view or download it (File > Download As) there :o)

Also be sure to jump down and see the Successful Query Stats after the spreadsheet in this post.

Successful Queries Database
2010-2019

 
Click to view in Google Docs
for maximum functionality

Please drop me a comment or tweet me if you notice any errors
or know of any other queries I should add to the database! 

Spreadsheet Last Updated: March 2020

*Currently, this database ONLY includes query letters that resulted in an offer of representation from a literary agent.

**I may later expand this to include queries that got agent requests because ultimately, that is the measure of success of a query, whereas an offer only comes when the manuscript also syncs with the agent. But the definition of success and what constitutes a good request rate starts to get tricky, and many people don't share their request rates. So for now, the simple definition.

TROUBLESHOOTING: If you can't get the scroll bar to work, try these work-arounds:

(1) Click on the chart, then use page-up/page-down keyboard commands

(2) Click on the white space toward the bottom of the scrollbar to scroll down. 

Dragging the grey bar seems to work to scroll it back up

Successful Query Letter Stats

For those of you who are interested in statistics { maybe you were following my stats teaser tweets? ;o) } here are the basics from the original 355 queries in the database (as of June 1, 2016):

Average Request Rate for a Successful Query:
26% request-rate to see more material (Median)

Note: Few authors posted their full statistics, and several mentioned that they didn't want to post because theirs were on the low end, request-rate-wise, so this figure is likely skewed higher than reality. A few months back I did an anonymous poll of over 100 agented authors regarding their request rate from their successful query. It's interesting to see the wide spread there!

Average Length of the "Pitch" Portion of the Query: 
198 words (Median)
Standard Deviation: 51

Typical Number of Paragraphs in the Pitch
3 pitch paragraphs

Loglines, Taglines, or Regular Pitch Opening:
While some used a logline (12% or  n=30), and others used a tagline (14% or n=51) at the start of their query pitch, the vast majority simply opened with their regular pitch paragraph (77% n=274).

Comps: 
Of the 284 pitches that included their 'housekeeping details' paragraph (category/genre/word count/title) where Comps would typically be included, most did include Comp Titles (61% or n=173) .... but many didn't include Comparative Titles (40%, or n=111).

Last Line of Pitch:
I'm still digging into the nitty-gritty of this, but since last lines are arguably one of the most important parts of the query pitch ... here's a sneak peek at the stats as they are now. While most successful queries used a specific choice or imperative "must-or-else" format (45% or n=157) at the end of the pitch, almost as many went for a more vague, ominous approach that hinted at impending doom, or a dark secret (42% or n=147), and there were some (particularly Romance, Issue Books, MG, & PB) that eschewed doom & gloom altogether and took a more hopeful/optimistic (9% or n=33) or voicey approach (4% or n=3). There's more than one way to end your query on a cliffhanger!

Personalization:
Because not all shared queries included personalization, these stats were a little more limited. But for the 197 that showed or at least talked about their personalized-to-agent paragraph, here are some stats:

The overwhelming majority opted to include personalization (83% or n=164), with just a few opting out (17% or n=33). This didn't necessarily mean they ALWAYS included personalization though. While a few mentioned they always or almost always included a personalized paragraph (5% or n=9), others only personalized 'sometimes' (17% or n=33). Others 'rarely' did -- opting to personalize only when they had a referral or other really strong personal connection to the agent (7% or n=13).

Most put their personalization before the pitch, right at the opening of the query (75% or n=85) to grab the agent's attention straight away, but some preferred to put it at the end (25% or n=29).


Author Bio:
Bios were another aspect of the query letter that not all authors chose to share when posting their successful query letters. However, the evidence seems to indicate that yes: putting an author bio is certainly standard (and probably would cause red flags for some agents if absent).

Out of 209 queriers that included or talked about their bio, nearly all of them opted to include an author bio (96% or n=200). Only nine queries explicitly stated that they didn't bother with a bio (4% or n=9)

Of the 112 queriers whose bios I've scoured for more details so far, it's interesting to note that only a few of the authors had an MFA (13% or n=14). Instead, others pointed different selling points:  Some held degrees in other areas, such as BAs in English, MAs, MDs, or PhDs (21% or n=23), many had already published short stories, articles, plays, or poetry (53% or n = 59), others mentioned that their manuscript had won or reached semi-finals in prestigious contests (10% or n = 11), nearly a dozen had already been agented once, and mentioned this in their query (10% or n = 11) some mentioned their editorial background or internships (5% or n=6), others noted a strong social media presence (2% or n = 2), and one mentioned that an editor at one of the Big 5 was already interested in the manuscript.

Take home message?

There are lots of  different ways to write a successful query. If you've got a your basic "housekeeping details" (age category, genre, word count, title), a query pitch of 1-3 paragraphs and about 150-250 words, and an author bio of some kind, you're off to a good start.

Personalization? Probably a good idea, and it seems like the standard place to put it is up front and center before the pitch paragraph. But sometimes personalization is too much of a stretch, and in those cases, it's probably fine to leave it off.

Loglines & Comp Titles? Do them if they fit (and/or if the agent your querying likes them), but if not? Don't sweat it! And keep in mind that these are the kinds of things that some agents love and some agents roll their eyes at, so YMMV depending on the agent!

Related Resources:

Successful Query Letters with Agent Commentary on what worked:

Writer's Digest - Successful Queries* || YA Highway - Query Series* || Eric Smith - Perfect Pitches ||

Other Successful Queries:

Query Tracker - Success Story Interviews* (those with interviews often have query at bottom of page)  ||  Quite the Query* || Agent Query Connect - Successful Queries* || Absolute Write Forums - Successful Queries* || YA Reddit - Query Letters that Worked* ||  Reddit : Post Successful Queries || Query Tracker Forum - Successful Queries || Successful Queries - Carl Hackman's Blog || Queries that Worked - Suzanne Van Rooyen's Blog* || Query Letters That Worked - Sub It Club (Picture Book Queries, mostly)* || Twitter Thread of PitchWars Mentors' Successful Queries ||

* = in my Successful Queries Database (2010-May 2016 queries)



I'd love to hear from you!

Know of any other successful queries I should include? Stats that would be good to calculate? What are your thoughts on pitch length/last lines/comps/personalization and/or author bios?
Notice any errors? It's 2am and I'm getting a bit loopy so there are bound to be some!

Query Theory 101: The Query Letter Pitch as Story

The Query Pitch as Story
{ image by Pexels from Pixabay }

Last time I talked about the Anatomy of a Query Letter, and we sorted out a query's basic components.

But we all know that when it comes to queries, there's really only one thing we want to talk about:

The Pitch. 

Because it's such a stumbling block for us writers, I'll talk about it a lot in this series. If there's one thing I learned in my time in the query trenches, there's no one right way to approach a query pitch, so in this series I'm going to look at it from many different angles and approaches. That way you can experiment and find an approach that works for you!

This first one though, is one of my favorites:

The Query Pitch as Story

We all know how to write a story. I mean if we're at the point where we're writing a query, we've already written a whole dang book, am I right?!?

{ although I should take time out to mention here that there is 

a distinct benefit to writing a query draft before you write your book }

A query pitch is really just a very short story, with one key difference. It ends before the resolution -- on a cliffhanger. 

So that's exactly how you can write it. For me personally, thinking of a query pitch as a story makes it so much less scary.

The Structure:

Thinking of your pitch as a story, if you haven't already, can do wonders for its structure. Here is a basic query structure. A skeleton framework for your query mini-story:

When [ UNIQUE MC ] has their world rocked by [ INCITING INCIDENT ], they must [ ACT OR MAKE A DECISION ] or else [ SOMETHING BAD WILL HAPPEN ]

Fill in the blanks, add specifics, and insert interesting plot points and complications as needed. As you build outward, your query structure may start looking more like this:

When [ AGE/NAME of MC + UNIQUE ATTRIBUTES ]
has their world rocked by [ INCITING INCIDENT ]
The MC [RESPONDS BY DOING SOMETHING]
But there's a [COMPLICATION] and [ANOTHER COMPLICATION]
Now they must [ACT OR MAKE A DECISION ] or else [ SOMETHING BAD WILL HAPPEN ]

And that is the skeleton framework of a basic query for your book! Fill in the blanks and give it a whirl. It's actually kind of fun! Don't like my query structure template? Try this query mad-lib from former agent Nathan Bransford, or agent John Cusik's silver-bullet query-opening formula.


The Scope -- Find your Cliffhanger Moment:

Some people say write your query so that it reveals only the first third of your book. Others suggest writing it right up to the final climax. I say: do whatever makes your query sound the most exciting.

How do you figure out how much of your story to reveal in order to maximize your query's thrill-factor?

Step 1: Make a list of all the climax points and cliffhanger moments in your book.
            Every single time your MC has to make a big decision or overcome
            a massive obstacle, write it down.

{ Need help? Here are some types of cliffhangers  to be on the lookout for}

Step 2: Narrow the list to only those moments where your MC is showing agency.
            That is to say: only the moments where your MC has a clear choice to
            drive/change the direction of the story with their decision or action.

Step 3: Rewrite each of these as a one-sentence *zinger* of a cliffhanger.
            (It totally helps if you use you *duh, duh, duuuhhh* voice when writing these, by the way)                               
Step 4: Which cliffhanger sentence sounds the most exciting?
            (Pick that one! ... if it doesn't work out, pick a different one!)

Once you've got a great, tension-filled cliffhanger of a last line ...
  

Work Backwards:

No one ever said you had to write your query from beginning to end. In fact, I'd argue that when writing your query as a story, it's better to do the opposite. Nail that crucial last line and have every single sentence of the query building up to that final, climactic moment.


Get Voicey -- Write your Query as your MC:

I know, I know. The one thing everyone knows they should NEVER do is send off a query written in 1st person POV in the voice of the book's Main Character. That's fast-track to rejection-land.

But hear me out for a minute.

It's also the best way to give your query voice ... which is the one thing that agents say can really push a query over the edge from being "meh" to "gimmie!" ... especially if your protagonist has a very strong voice.

So write the query in 1st Person. Off-the-cuff. As if your MC were chatting up their friends, detailing the drama that is their life right now. Just don't send that query. Instead:

Convert the 1st person query to 3rd person. Are there any parts of it you like? Any phrasing your MC uses that could be worked into your "real" query? Do it! Weave those voicey bits in!

So. Those are my tips for writing your Query as Story. What do you think about this approach? Pros/cons? What are your favorite query letter writing approaches?

Also: Stay Tuned for more posts on how to write your query letter in the Query Theory series!

Query Theory 101: The Anatomy of a Query Letter

Query Components: Some Assembly Required
{ image: pixabay }

This is Part I in my new
Query Theory series! **

The Anatomy of a Query

Ahh the dreaded query. Back when I first started querying my novels, it seemed so insurmountable. But it really doesn't have to be such a scary thing. First, it's best to break querying down into its parts, so today we're going to stick to the basics. The first question we have to ask is...

What's in a query letter? 

** sidenote: props to Laura Rueckert, who -- in addition to writing gorgeous books -- also came up with the name for this blog series and for the Query Lab!


Query Anatomy 101

A query letter is really nothing more than a nice, single-spaced, one-page letter (about 250-350 words) with a single mission:  pitch your book in a way that grabs the agent's attention.

Here are the basic components of a query letter:

• Email "To" Field:      - OnlyOneAgentPerEmail@Agency.com
  
  
• Email Subject:          -  Query: SPACEBOOK - YA sci-fi
  
  
• Greeting                      - "Dear Ms. AgentName:"
  
  
• Personalization        - "I read on your blog that you are looking for XYZ,
                                               so I think you'll like my YA sci-fi which is XYz"
  
  
• Hook (Pitch)             -  THE PITCH FOR YOUR BOOK
                                              (AKA THE MEAT OF THE QUERY)
                                               WRITTEN IN 3rd PERSON PRESENT TENSE
  
  
  
• Book (Details)        - "SPACEBOOK is a YA sci-fi, complete at 75,000 words."
  
  
• Cook (Bio)                - "I am an active member of SCBWI,
                                                and avid watcher of The 100..."
  
  
• Closing                      - "Below, please find the first 10 pages of the manuscript as per
                                         your guidelines. Thank you for your time and consideration."
  
  
• Contact Info             - "Sincerely,
                                               [Name, email, phone number, blog address etc]"
  
  
  
  ... and in e-queries: no attachments unless requested!

Doesn't look quite so scary now, does it? If we think of each component on its own, it gets just a little bit less daunting. If you have all these components, even in rough draft form: relax.

You're already halfway there.

{ Note, for example, that one agent ran the numbers and found that 25% of query letters sent to him were improperly formatted. While this isn't a dealbreaker for all agents, they do get tired of seeing the same problems over and over, and basic query mistakes can add up. That's why it's so important to give them what they want. If you've got the key parts of the query, you're well on your way! }

If you're not, don't panic.

... Okay, you're saying, that's all really nice, but what exactly do you put in each of these sections?  ... and how do you arrange them? Is that really the best order? ...  also: is there a difference between a hook and a logline and a pitch and a blurb and a synopsis? ... and dang it, why does my pitch suck? Can we please talk more about the pitch? ... and also maybe bios, comps, and personalization?

Well, all those things will be the topics of soon-to-come blog posts in the Query Theory series, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, here's some extracurricular reading ...

Resources -- Basic Parts of a Query Letter:

Query Letter Mad Lib - Former Agent Nathan Bransford || Query Letter Checklist -  Agent Janet Reid (aka The Query Shark) || Query Letter Basics - Agent Query || How to Format Your Query - Agent Carly Watters || Querying Agents - Helen Ginger || How to Format a Query Letter - Former Agent Nathan Bransford || No one right way, but basic parts  - Former Agent Mary Kole || Down and Dirty Query Letters - Agent Nephele Tempest || How to Write a Query Letter - Agent Rachelle Gardner || How to Write a Query Letter in 5 Easy Steps - Writer Unboxed || Query Letters with Agent Kate McKean - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 ||

Querying Resource Roundup

Doing the Querying Dance?

Image: Pixabay

Having made it through the query trenches myself, I thought I'd share some of my favorite go-to resources on query writing, researching agents, and staying motivated and organized through the waiting and the inevitable series of rejections.


Writing a Query

Successful Queries
One great way to see how to craft a great query is to read queries that have gotten offers of representation or publication.

I've compiled links to 600 successful query letters in my Successful Queries Database.

There are pretty large collections of queries that worked at Query Tracker. The previous link takes you to a database of success stories that is browsable by genre, word count, and agent. Be sure to click the "show interviews" box to limit your browsing to only those success stories with interviews. At the bottom of each interview you'll often find the author has shared their successful query.

 Agent Query Connect, Absolute Write (you may need to join first to read the thread), Writer's Digest,  and YA Writer's Reddit, have many successful queries as well. Also check out Amy Trueblood's "Quite the Query" series, YA Highway's Query Series, QueryLetterSuccess.com, the themed collection on GalleyCat, some in the Query Tracker forums,  on the list of successful kid lit queries on Adventures In YA Publishing, and on Dystel & Goodrich's blog.

And a few more here, here, here, and here.


Agent Advice
How should you write your query? Sometimes it's best to get advice straight from the agents' mouths. Resources: Agents Weigh in on Biggest Mistakes Writers Make When Querying,   Writer's Digest Interviews,   Query Letter Pet Peeves - Writers in the Storm,   Janet Reid/Query Shark's Top 20 Tips,   Query Shark's Effective Queries Workshop Notes,   Caitlin McDonald's Top 10 Pet Peeves,  Absolute Write's Agent AMAs and   Kate Testerman's "About My Query" Series

Agent Advice: Twitter Edition
There are several GREAT hashtags on twitter that you can follow (and in some cases, interact via) to find out more about agent preferences, likes/dislikes etc. regarding queries and more.
Read agent thoughts as they live tweet their slush pile: #querylunch, #tenqueries, #500queries
Or ask an agent a specific question if they host: #askagent, #askfuse,

Query Theory
I'm starting a new series on my blog dedicated to the illustrious query: anatomy, formulas, inspiration, the art vs. the science of query writing, and more!
Part 1: Anatomy of a Query || Part 2: The Query Letter Pitch as Story

Successful Query Database
I have an ongoing Google Spreadsheet of "queries that worked" Which currently has links to 600 queries that landed an author with their agent. It's browseable by genre, year, agent, and a few other things so if you're looking for a particular kind of query example, you might find it helpful!

{See Also: Query Letter Hell Dos and Don'ts }

Getting Feedback on Query Drafts

Here are some places where you can get feedback on your query from peers and/or professionals. Also keep in mind that one of the best ways to get better at writing your own query is to dive in and critique others' queries! 

Absolute Write's Query Letter Hell
   *Will require a (free) membership and password to join/view*
This is one of the largest, most active communities of query critiquers out there, and where I always took my queries to get feedback. A word of warning: it is called "Query Letter HELL" for a reason, so keep that in mind. The 'squirrels' (as the critters are called) are very thorough, very opinionated, and also very very willing to rip your query apart until there's nothing left. Take what feedback resonates with you, be prepared to struggle a bit with some that might not. It's okay to set feedback aside for awhile [ and maybe pick it up later if your query doesn't get a very good request rate!! ;o) ] I never left QLH with all the squirrels agreeing on the effectiveness of my query. Some loved and some hated it. But in the end, it did the job!

Agent Query Connect
Post your query for others to provide feedback, and jump in and crit others' as well! In my experience, the critters on AQ tend to be a little less critical than those on AW, so if you're looking for a gentler experience, maybe try here? Of course getting critted is always a little painful :o)

Other Query Critique Forums

Also check out SCBWI/Verla Kay's Blueboards  (for kidlit authors) ||  QueryTracker Forums

Query Shark
If selected (be *sure* to read the guidelines first), this agent-by-day, Query Shark by night will happily tear your query to shreds for you for all the interwebs to see.  [ You can also take the wimpy route like I did and simply read through previously shredded queries ;o) ]

#QuerySwap
Join this twitter pitch-party style query swap (check the rolling dates) to find the perfect peer to help refine your query.

Query Critique Calendar
I keep a list of upcoming and/or recurring opportunities to receive free feedback on your query letter from literary agents, lit interns and agented writers. Check it out here.

The Query Lab - Query Feedback Giveaway
I've started doing monthly query letter critique giveaways right here on this blog!


Researching Agents

Finding the Perfect Agent for You
Here's a quick post I wrote with tips and links for finding an agent that represents books like yours, and is currently seeking books like yours, as well as some red flags to be aware of.

Agent Spotlight on Lit Rambles
This is a FABULOUS resource when researching agents. Click the links on the left-hand sidebar to select an agent profile. Each "Spotlight" / Profile compiles all sorts of info about the agent, the genres they rep, excerpts from interviews, links to more info around the web. It's Amazing.

See Also: Agent Interviews with Krista Van Dolzer, Dahlia Adler's list of Links to Agent Interviews, ,  Amy Trueblood's "First Five Five Frenzy", and Dee Romito's Query. Sign. Submit.

Manuscript Wish List
Search agent profiles by name, genre, and more to find an agent who's looking for just what your manuscript has to offer. Agent wishlists are updated periodically, and there are also annual #MSWL days on twitter where agents will tweet their wishlists there, so check out the hashtag! (There is also a website MSWishlist that compiles these tweets and makes them sortable by things like genre, but I'm not sure how complete it is). Be sure to thank agent Jessica Sinsheimer for MSWL -- it's her brainchild!

Query Questions with Michelle4Laughs
When researching agents, especially if you're trying to personalize your queries, there is really no better resource than Michelle Hauck's blog series in which she interviews agents, asking them key questions about their thoughts on queries and query preferences. Prologue or no prologue? Love or hate comp titles? Themes they're tired of seeing? Pet peeves? It's all here! Check out the right-hand sidebar for an alphabetized list of all the agents in this series.

Personalizing Queries
To be completely honest, I'm a bit on the fence as to how much personalizing a query 100% of the time is worth the effort it takes to personalize. In some/many instances, personalizing is a no-brainer, and in those cases, definitely go for it. If you find personalization for a particular agent is feeling like a bit of a stretch, it's probably not worth your time. Of course if it's *really* a stretch, maybe that agent isn't as good of a fit as you'd thought! As this agent says, Do It Well, or Don't Do It At All.

New Agent Alerts
Writer's Digest has an ongoing series of posts when a new lit agent hits the streets. Keep on top of that here! (Query Tracker has an ongoing list of new additions to their database here as well)

Twitter List of Literary Agents
Twitter can be a great place to find out about agent's personalities, wishlists, pet peeves, etc.
I curate this list of (at the moment 600+) lit agents with twitter accounts, so if you know of any I should add, let me know!

 { See also: Lit Agencies that Represent YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy  and
Getting to Know You (aka Agent Stalking) }

While You're Querying: Motivation & Organization

Query Tracker
Query Tracker is just hands down one of the best resources out there for those in the query trenches. You'll have to sign up for full access to the resources, but a ton are opened up to you even at the free membership level. Know an author and want to figure out who reps them? Search QT's Client List. Find a comprehensive list of Agents by Genre. Find New Agents.  Follow other queriers' Experiences and Response Times  (link takes you to an example of this) in each Agent's Comment Tab. And with a Premium Membership get even more detailed reports about each agent's query response times, request/rejection rates, and partial and full reading times (only $25 a year and TOTALLY WORTH IT).

Pitch Contests
Even though I found my agent via the traditional querying route, pitch contests can be (for some people) a great way to infuse a little fun into the querying process. With lots of contests going on, particularly in the Spring and Fall, there's always another one just around the corner. Contests are a great place to meet other awesome writer folk. I met many of my CPs and dearest writer friends through contests! Contest Calendar here.

Support in the Query Trenches
Needing a little support and encouragement? Try Agent Query Connect's Support In the Trenches thread, or the Insecure Writer's Support Group Bloghop!

Feeling Rejected? Join the Prestigious Crowd
Rejection is just part of the business. We've all been through it. Even the bestsellers. Read some of their stories here. And their Protips for Coping With Rejection.

Request Rates that Worked
So you're sitting there, diligently working on your next WIP, catching up on your TBR pile, taking a much needed vacation, and definitely not thinking at all about that spreadsheet of agents whose "response" column is slowly getting filled in with "rejection on query," "rejection on query," "rejection on query" ... and you wonder ....

What does it take? What's a 'good' request rate?

Personally, I think that if you're subbing in a genre and age category that's not known to be a super-hard sell in the current market, you want to re-evaluate your query and opening pages if you're getting under a 10% request rate for more material on queries. HOWEVER. A poll of 102 authors who got their agents in the past 5 years shows that really, an ultimately "successful" request rate (i.e. resulting in an agent offer) can be just about anything. Check out the Twitter Poll here.

{ See also: Contests & Querying - Are We Spamming Agents? }

What about you? What are your favorite querying resources?