Thread by @jessica_froberg

I've seen an alarming amount of new literary agencies pop up that have many red flags. Here's a little thread on some things to look out for while querying from a writer who has queried four times and has seen and heard...many things.
#amquerying #querytip

There are two main rules I follow when choosing which agents to query. Each agent must pass these two qualifications

1. Has experience behind them
2. Has a matching manuscript wishlist to my book/career path

The fact that an agent can actually sell my book to where I want is a non-negotiable skill. Seems straightforward, but so many people see an agency website and just submit without looking deeper. Please. Not all agents are created equal.

There’s a reason the saying “no agent is better than a bad agent” is prevalent. We can’t control what a “bad” agent is, but we can set ourselves up to get a good business partner as best we can. The only indicator of that for me is looking at the experience they’ve had or have.

Experience matters. So many agents say they care deeply about writers and putting out important books. That’s really nice, we want that...but you must require more. I wouldn’t want to get surgery from someone who was passionate about healing but had no schooling or training.

They can have all the best intentions in the world. But that's not how this industry works. There are so many intricate ins and outs of being a literary agent. I've seen so many things handled by my friends' agents that only come from industry know-how.

So what about new agents? Because here’s the thing—we all start somewhere. The important thing to look at is where this new agent is starting.
My general rule of thumb is either the agent has good experience and has sold well, OR the agency the agent works at has sold well.

A new agent needs people who are proven in the industry to teach & guide them. Either way, experience is present. Most of my current fav agents are newer at great agencies. They’re hungry, building their lists, & most importantly, have the support of a proven agency behind them.

There are agencies I will not touch because they don't have the experience for what I want. That’s not mean, it’s just good business for me. Agents don't just need to love your book, they need connections, contract knowledge, industry norms figured out, pitching skills, etc

You might not care about this next thing, but if the agency primarily sells to small presses that also take unagented submissions, they may not have the connections or know-how to make a sale to the bigger houses.
aka know what you want and find an agent who can get it for you.

It’s sometimes hard to find sales without publisher's marketplace. A few ways to get around that (I don’t have it & I’ve made do) is many agencies list books they represent on their website. My favorite is when they have their sales listed or an open PM page—that’s a green flag.

What publishers those books are from matters as well, but that depends on personal preference and career aspirations like I said above.
Also, going to a bookstore and looking at recent book's acknowledgments for an agent name can work. It’s proof they could replicate that for you

Red flags to look for
🟥New agent at an agency that doesn't sell well
🟥No sales can be found on website or by digging on the internet.
🟥 No sales to reputable publishers
🟥Agent who has been around for many years with little-to-no sales

(there are always exceptions, sure)

🟥The founder of the agency talks about their passion for books and nothing about qualifications for running a lit agency (no previous experience or real sales)
🟥Agency has high turnover of agents
🟥requests money or exclusive subs. They don't know industry norms or are a scam

The next must-have is a matching MSWL.
Your book actually does need to be something this agent is looking for. I have queried four books, and all of my requests have been from agents whose mswl matched my book. It doesn't guarantee requests, but at least it's not a wasted try.

Do the research on their agency/personal website, on twitter under the hashtag, or on the Manuscript Wishlist site. You can add personalization or not, your preference. I've had high request rates for all my books, and I believe it's because I took the time to match properly.

So those are my foundational qualifications. We have very little control over things in this industry and many don’t have access to whisper networks about agent behavior, but these two things will at least steer you in the right direction.

Lastly, here's another old thread I made about finding agents if you'd like more specific direction on that step.

https://twitter.com/jessica_froberg/status/1178788927777361920