The process of querying an agent is probably the hardest part of the manuscript process to date. I've sent out around 20 queries so far, and there are three things I've learned in my short time that you must do.
1. Do spell the agent's name correctly. I know it's been said before, but it is an absolute must. There's no faster way to lose an agen'ts interest than to turn them off by misspelling their name.
2. Do make sure that agent handles the genre of book that you've written. Again, it's been said many times, but it can't be said enough. If that person doesn't handle your genre, it shows that you didn't take the time to research the company. They probably won't take the time to pass on your letter to the right person. Remember, they receive hundreds of queries a day. They're extremely busy. Respect their time.
3. Do remember to follow the agent's query instructions to the letter. If they say they want one page, don't send two pages or more. If they only accept email queries, don't send a query by snail mail. (I learned this one too late. The agent guide I used was out of date, and I ended up snail mailing a query instead of emailing.)
You've done painstaking work on your manuscript to get it to the point at which you're ready for an agent to take a look at it. Don't rush the query letter! Take the same amount of time, or more, with it. Remember, it's an agent's first impression of you. You want to show them that you can follow instructions and that you're easy to work with.
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