How many people do you query?

[commando8]

For a good lesson/story/reminder on this, please see my post is this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=910&start=110

Small batches really are the key, no matter the circumstance!

[sarahdee]

Haven't started yet, but I've got a list of basically my top twenty agents I plan to query. I'm just going to throw this question in here for any of you who have already started :) Do you suggest working your way up to your absolute favorite agent to query? That's the one thing I can't decide on. If I query to the one's lower on the list, possibly get some helpful rejections/feedback, I see how that can help me fix things to go on and query the top agents. But what if you (for some miraculously amazing miracle) hear back from one of those agents lower down on your list? Do you immediately shoot out a query to your top agents? Haha, sorry if this is confusing or annoying, it's just something I haven't been able to figure out! Thanks!

I started with my favourites but I think next time I will start with some in the middle for feedback. I only have 20 on my list and the faves are only faves as they have authors I love and can compare to, its not like the others looked awful from their website or anything.

How do you pick faves? I googled their websites for authors I like, and if their websites are helpful. Some have FAQ and great submission guidelines so these are top of the list.

[heyimkt]

I started with my favourites but I think next time I will start with some in the middle for feedback. I only have 20 on my list and the faves are only faves as they have authors I love and can compare to, its not like the others looked awful from their website or anything.

How do you pick faves? I googled their websites for authors I like, and if their websites are helpful. Some have FAQ and great submission guidelines so these are top of the list.

Thanks for the advice. That sounds like a good plan :) I don't have many on my list either (probably around 20 too) and that's exactly how my "faves" are. They've just got a good reputation, I like their authors, and I just get an overall good feel for them. The websites are definitely helpful, and they've made choosing people much easier. Thanks again for the help, and I think I'll start somewhere in the middle of my "faves!" :)

[CharleeVale]

A little bit of a different question, but it's in the same vein so I didn't want to start a new topic.

How did you all narrow down your list of potential agents? I have quite a few that I'm researching, but how many do you keep on your list?

CV

[HillaryJ]

Charlee,

When I first queried, I came up with a list of about 75. They all, according to agentquery.com, querytracker.com, guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog and/or writersmarket.com represented my genre. I then went to each agent's website or blog, if they had one, to make sure they were open to queries, that they actually represented my genre, and that I got a good feeling about them. I probably trimmed 10 from my list during that review. Then I tried to track down which ones had recent sales and/or good reputations with their existing clients. I trimmed another five there.

Please note that I was between jobs when I did this, so I had more time on my hands than the average person.

I selected my top five agents due to their reputations and my knowledge of their clients. The rest I prioritized based on how they took queries (if they accepted pages rather than just a query letter they went higher on the list).

So, that's how I did it, and it worked for me.

[sarahdee]

A little bit of a different question, but it's in the same vein so I didn't want to start a new topic.

How did you all narrow down your list of potential agents? I have quite a few that I'm researching, but how many do you keep on your list?

CV

I am tricky as I live in the Philippines but am approaching UK agents so my list is firstly narrowed down by:

Accepts email queries
Accepts queries from people overseas (many want Uk residents for the face to face time)

This actually got my list down to around 20.

Pretty much everyone accepts my genre so thats not a problem (general fiction)

So then I ordered it by :

Authors I could compare to already using them
How 'nice' their websites were. Not 'nice' as in pretty but if they seemed arrogant and they would be doing me a favour by getting my email they went straight to the bottom of my list. If they seemed helpful to new authors and gave clear guidelines on submissions they went to the top.

[karenbb]

My poor husband is my proof reader, but his comments are only as far as spelling, grammar, typos etc. I have two friends who have read and generally commented although I realise they are far to nice to be too critical. Neither are writers but both are big readers and generally very literate people.

I have made contact with one possible critique partner, perhaps I should branch out and try another. One day I shall be brave enough to post an excerpt on here. So far everyone who commented on my query/synopsis has given fair, useful, pleasant yet firm critique. I shall definitely wait for further critique on the ms from either this partner or the boards before trying again so end of summer sounds realistic.

Sarah,

I would not start querying until you have found your critique partner. It needs to be someone who can give real, constructive criticism. I found an amazing critique partner on the NB forums (actually she found me and we've been in literary love ever since) but she was not afraid to be brutally honest with me and vice versa. She had me completely dismantle seven or eight chapters and she asked the tough questions. My MS is so much better now and I don't have loose ends any more. I'm all for having friends read it, because their comments are often what keep you motivated but you have to find someone who doesn't have a reason to like it. The best part, is this teaches you to get really good at accepting criticism!