Where do you find lists of agents?

[SuCue]

I hate to sound naive, but I'm new here, and I am wondering, but where do you find lists of agents to contact? The ones you find by Googling?

[cheekychook]

There are lots of sites but querytracker.com and agentquery.com are, in my opinion, the easiest to use. They are both accessible for free, but for a small annual fee you can get an account at querytracker and you can make lists of agents, keep track of when you queried them, read all sorts of comments about other writer's experiences with querying them---I couldn't imagine going through the query process without the benefits of that site. You can also search the sites by genre and, once you are a member, you can search by who accepts e-queries and a variety of other search features.

[HillaryJ]

I believe it's actually querytracker.net. That, and agentquery.com are great for running a preliminary list of agents who probably take queries in your genre/area.

www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog has recent interviews with agents, which is often more helpful that the generic lists of "likes/disklikes".

[Watcher55]

If you go to Nathan's blog and look in the left margin about halfway down there is a list of links call Author resources. Really good links.

[cheekychook]

Yes, it's querytracker.net not .com --- oops! My computer just goes there automatically!

I would recommend searching for agents at one of these sites first, compile a huge list, then to sort through it google the agents so you can find interviews (guidetoliteraryagents is a great place to find interviews as are several blogs where different agents are interviewed with great frequency). By researching the individual agents on your list it will help you to determine which agent at a big agency might be the best match for you, plus it will give you ideas on how to personalize your query to that particular agent.

[HillaryJ]

I would recommend searching for agents at one of these sites first, compile a huge list, then to sort through it google the agents so you can find interviews (guidetoliteraryagents is a great place to find interviews as are several blogs where different agents are interviewed with great frequency). By researching the individual agents on your list it will help you to determine which agent at a big agency might be the best match for you, plus it will give you ideas on how to personalize your query to that particular agent.

Le ditto. It's a time-intensive process, but since you're trying to establish a long-term professional partnership, it's worth the time.

[SuCue]

Thanks guys, this is all very helpful! This forum is awesome!

[Krista G.]

Piggybacking off of cheekychook's comment, I just wanted to add that, as far as I know, most of the features over on QueryTracker are accessible for free. Unless they've changed something in the last six months, you can track your queries, leave and read comments, and generate statistical reports all for free (although you do have to sign up for a membership). There are a few added features available to premium members, but you can definitely make do with a standard (free) subscription.

Best of luck in your agent hunt, SuCue! I'm querying my third manuscript at the moment as well. Here's hoping this one's the One:)

[cheekychook]

Piggybacking off of cheekychook's comment, I just wanted to add that, as far as I know, most of the features over on QueryTracker are accessible for free. Unless they've changed something in the last six months, you can track your queries, leave and read comments, and generate statistical reports all for free (although you do have to sign up for a membership). There are a few added features available to premium members, but you can definitely make do with a standard (free) subscription.

Best of luck in your agent hunt, SuCue! I'm querying my third manuscript at the moment as well. Here's hoping this one's the One:)

I don't actually recall which additional services you get with membership---I just know that I signed up for free and within the first month there were things I wanted that required the yearly fee ($20, I think), so I paid it. It is definitely still usable as a free service.

[jetchez]

Casey McCormick has a fantastic list of agents on her blog, LiteraryRambles, including the specific types of genres they represent, interviews, and anything else she can find on the internet about them. I recommend you start there. It's very organized and user-friendly.