Resources for Authors AND for Finding Agents

There are many places to look for agents. Manuscript Wishlist is a good website to browse agents, as well as QueryTracker. You can find the names of reputable agents. Writers Digest also keeps a list of agents and agencies. Publishers Marketplace keeps a list of agents and agencies, as well as deal announcements and news. All agents, agencies, and publishers on Publishers Marketplace are accredited/legitimate, so it's a very good resource. I'd recommend that one personally.

​

Here are the links:

​

https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/

https://querytracker.net/

https://www.writersdigest.com/getting-published

https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/

​

Twitter is always a good resource. You can search the hashtag #MSWL (which stands for Manuscript Wishlist) where agents will share what they’re looking for. If you think your manuscript matches what they want, feel free to query.

​

I really recommend getting a Twitter account. It can be helpful to chat with other writers (using the hashtags #WritingCommunity and #amwriting) and participate in pitch contests. But again, that’s up to you.

​

What are the popular pitch contests on Twitter? #PitMad is pretty popular, and it happens every few months. Agents will check Twitter in and out all day. As a writer, you write the best pitch for your book - in 280 characters or less - with the appropriate hashtags. (#MG for middle grade, #YA for young adult, etc.) If agents like it, they will "favorite" your Tweet as an invitation to query them. There are also other Pitch contests that happen year-round on Twitter - some for specific genres and age groups.

​

I did that a few times, but I never got anywhere with agents. So if you don't get any likes or engagement, don't feel bad! I got my agent the old-fashioned way - a query submission through QueryTracker. I actually queried another agent at my agency, but it was forwarded to my agent as a better match. Thank goodness it did!

​

Learn more about PitMad here: https://pitchwars.org/pitmad/

​

You may also hear about NaNoWriMo. It stands for "National Novel Writing Month". It takes place every November. Basically, you aim to write a 50k word novel in a month (November). You can create an account and chat with other writers on the message boards. You don't have to do it, but it is a good way to meet other writers and stay motivated. I've done it and won a few times. If you write 50k in one month, you win a cool certificate! Some writers really struggle to self-motivate, so this can be a good idea for them. Remember - you don't need to win it. Just getting words on the page is the goal!

​

Here's the link for NaNoWriMo: https://nanowrimo.org/

 

Camp NanoWriMo is the same thing, except it takes place in April and July. Again, you don't need to do it, but it can be a fun exercise in motivation. Here's the link: https://nanowrimo.org/what-is-camp-nanowrimo

​

Do you need a large following to get an agent? No, not at all. An agent doesn’t expect you to be famous – they understand you’re trying to make a name for yourself. All the writers I know have an online presence - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, blog, official website on Wix, etc. They might not have a lot of followers, but they're still there to interact with readers and get their names out there.

​

Even if you haven't sold a book or even finished one yet, it's still a good idea to have some kind of social media involvement. All the writer friends I know are online - I've never met them in person! I've learned about a lot of great books from Twitter and Instagram that I never would've from real life, so that should tell you how important it is. Get yourself out there - don't be shy! The writing community is VERY friendly and welcoming.

​

Celebrities, of course, have an easy time getting an agent. But if you're an average person and not famous, it will be tougher. (That's true about everything in life, though!)

​

In the old days before the Internet, you'd send out your manuscript in the mail. Nowadays, agents only want digital submissions through email. It saves a lot of time, money, and paper, too!