Nathan Bransford - The Forums

(This topic may have been covered - INK, sorry)

I'm in a position to submit material to an agency who's stable of authors I like and align myself with. I know nothing about the agents. I need a set of words to say why I'm approaching them.

Is saying that they have a stable of authors that I emulate, that I align myself with, enough? that I read the authors they represent and ... and what?

thoughts appreciated, thanks

I find this one tricky. If you say some sappy stuff you sound like a sap. If you don't say anything then you have not stroked their ego's enough. I usually acknowledge that the agent represents my genre and I feel that my novel fits well with works they have already managed. I am not too sure what else can or should be said?
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One question I do have is about resubmissions. If you had a pathetic query letter when you made a submission but then fixed it can you resubmit?

Presumably all the agents you will be submitting to will represent the genre you are writing in, so if you wish to personalize the query beyond that, I suggest saying "I saw that you represented soandso and/or suchandsuch and thought you might be interested in my novel: title." Alternatively, you can use that much-debated comparative tactic and say "my genre novel will appeal to the readers of suchandsuch", remembering to be realistic in the comparison and choosing writers they represent, but maybe not their standout bestselling writer.

The advice I've gotten, and which makes sense to me, is to let the agent know you are familiar with their clients without seeming like a stalker and listing everyone they've ever thought about representing. I try not to say things like "my work is just like suchandsuch", because they likely won't be interested in taking on a new client whose work is exactly like a successful author they already represent. That's for their competitors to try to do.

I really like this advice from Jackie Kessler, because she breaks down the reason behind each element of her pitch/query, which I think is helpful even if you don't write in her genre. http://www.deadlinedames.com/?p=416

Hope this helps. Good luck.

thank you, your comments are helpful, i might draft something and post it here in the feedback rooms

j