Submission Sunday 4.16.23: How to Find Literary Agents to Query

Tip: Use Twitter while you still can

Since our March 5 post on writing your best query letter, I’m sure you’ve all got the perfect query letter ready to go. Now all you need is the perfect agent! (Side note: If you don’t feel like the perfect query letter is coming easy to you, just a reminder that I work with writers all the time to make that process more palatable. Scroll to Writers Ready to Query Agents here.)

Unfortunately, very few publishers will consider unagented submissions (although this state of affairs is shifting a bit—more about this trend in a future post for paid subscribers). Let’s start with a reminder that different agents will want different submissions for different genres. In general (although the final say will be found at the agent’s website):

• Fiction: Query letter (followed by full manuscript)

• Nonfiction (narrative/journalism): Start with query letter and/or book proposal

• Memoir: Start with query letter (followed by book proposal and/or full manuscript)

Once you have these materials prepared, it’s time to find your perfect(-ish) match. So where do you find agents and how do you decide which agents to query? Below I’ll break down some search methods, but if you have any other suggestions, please add them in the comments.