How do you find the right agents to query? Here's a thread of things I've been doing. Feel free to share/bookmark this, or comment with your own tricks!

(1/9)

1.) Twitter! Many agents are active on Twitter, and many of them post their wish lists. The hashtag (#)MSWL (manuscript wishlist) is a great way to search these. Type "(hashtag)MSWL" "(your keyword)" and search that way! So, for example... 2/

Did you write a swords and dragons fantasy where everybody dies? Search "MSWL" "Game of Thrones." Agents use specific authors as comps too (I found one to query by searching "MSWL" "Blake Crouch") 3/

2.) Manuscript Wishlist has a similar keyword search function on their website. You can search for agents by genre, keyword, comparable titles, really anything. It's good to pick out some things in advance to search for. 4/

For me, my novel is thematically very similar to the show Black Mirror. There are several agents that mention that show specifically as something they're interested in, which makes it a really easy decision to query them! Plus it's something I can use to personalize the query! 5/

3.) Genre is broader, but searching by genre is useful. There are many different kinds of sci-fi. My near-future tech-gone-rogue story might not appeal to a space exploration or Star Wars kind of sci-fi agent. So there's a lot of reading through profiles. 6/

That being said, it doesn't hurt to send a query even if you're not a perfect fit. Maybe something in your book will jump out and grab that agent! The worst that can happen is they pass. 7/

4.) Google is a good tool. There are loads of agent interviews out there. If you see an agent that isn't a good fit, go ahead to their agency's page and look for the other agents there. Skim profiles. Maybe a different agent *does* rep things like your book. 8/

Querying can be a long process. Agents get a ton of queries and hardly take any authors on, so you may be looking for a while. But you can increase your odds of finding a good fit with some of these mehtods. Let me know if you have any other ideas (so I can use them too!) 9/9