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#PitchWars mentees: I'm guessing some of y'all are starting to research agents/think about the showcase (wheee!), so thought I'd toss out some querying/agent search wisdom.
Some will be stuff you've heard before, I'm sure. Take what you need; leave the rest.
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Some will be stuff you've heard before, I'm sure. Take what you need; leave the rest.
(thread)
First, a reminder: #PitchWars does not vet agents who participate. Which means you need to. Even if they're on the list of participating agents, they could still be shady.
So, make sure you do your agent research on everyone you plan to query - whether they're participating in Pitch Wars or not. Things I look at when I'm researching agents include: sales record (do they have sales? If they are new, does their agencies have sales? Do they (cont.)
...have sales in your genre?)
:: Reputation (do you hear good things about them? Bad things? Do their colleagues seem to respect them? Do their authors speak well of them without prompting?)
:: Reputation (do you hear good things about them? Bad things? Do their colleagues seem to respect them? Do their authors speak well of them without prompting?)
:: Shady shit (has the agent/agency failed to pay their authors? Have they knowingly submitted to presses that have failed to pay authors? Do they have a reputation for ghosting their authors?)
:: Values
Does the agent share your values? Are they a feminist? Do they consistently promote and support authors of color? Disabled authors? Queer authors? What does the whisper network say about how they treat marginalized people behind the scenes?
Does the agent share your values? Are they a feminist? Do they consistently promote and support authors of color? Disabled authors? Queer authors? What does the whisper network say about how they treat marginalized people behind the scenes?
This is where a whisper network comes in handy. Rely on your fellow mentees and other author groups. Reach out to people who offer to help new authors on Twitter (my DMs are open and I will happily tell you about bad actors). @themoosef is also an incredible resource for tea.
Some of the agent tea is public too. Google, ask around in online groups, etc. Here's one warning blog post:
https://accrispin.blogspot.com/2020/06/dawn-frederick-of-red-sofa-literary.html
https://accrispin.blogspot.com/2020/06/dawn-frederick-of-red-sofa-literary.html
Here's another warning that's public: http://kaia.booklikes.com/post/1016575/it-happened-to-me-my-year-with-a-terrible-agent
Okay, so other things to consider:
:: What books does the agent represent? Are they books you like? Genres you want to write in? Authors you admire?
:: Does their wishlist excite you?
:: What books does the agent represent? Are they books you like? Genres you want to write in? Authors you admire?
:: Does their wishlist excite you?
There are some things you can't know until they offer. Like: What's their vision for your book? What's their vision for your career? What do their author contracts look like?
And remember that you can absolutely say no to an offer of representation if you find red flags later.
And remember that you can absolutely say no to an offer of representation if you find red flags later.
Okay, so research resources:
:: Publishers Marketplace - https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/
Not every sale is listed on there, but it's a good foundational resource for agent sales records and the types of books they've been selling.
(cont.)
:: Publishers Marketplace - https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/
Not every sale is listed on there, but it's a good foundational resource for agent sales records and the types of books they've been selling.
(cont.)
Publishers Marketplace is $25 per month. If you can afford it for one month, what I did was purchase a subscription, research like a fiend, and then cancel before the next month. If you can't afford it, ask your fellow mentees if someone has it and can look agents up for you.
Manuscript wishlist - https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/
A great place to get a sense of what agents are looking for.
#MSWL tag here on Twitter is another short-form way to see what agents want.
A great place to get a sense of what agents are looking for.
#MSWL tag here on Twitter is another short-form way to see what agents want.
Writer beware - https://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/
Warnings for writers.
Warnings for writers.
Absolute Write forum - search for the INDEX TO AGENTS, PUBLISHERS, AND OTHERS - http://absolutewrite.com/
Authors share their experiences in the forum and it can be super helpful for identifying shady agents.
Authors share their experiences in the forum and it can be super helpful for identifying shady agents.
Other miscellaneous tips:
:: Don't limit yourself to #PitchWars participating agents or even agents who request; query the people you think will be the best fit.
:: Don't limit yourself to #PitchWars participating agents or even agents who request; query the people you think will be the best fit.
:: Don't worry too much about who requests/doesn't request in the showcase. Some books pitch well in short form. Some need a query. In last year's class, quite a few people queried Pitch Wars agents who had not requested their pages AND GOT FULL REQUESTS.
Finally, reminder: there are so many different paths to your agent. Some of my class got Pitch Wars requests and ended up signing with a requesting agent. Others signed through regular querying. Still others pitched in a pitch contest like #DVPit or #PitMad + found their agent.
Questions? Need to see my shady agent list? Drop questions here and/or DM me. No writer should be without a whisper network. Consider me yours now. 
#PitchWars
#PitchWars
Y'all should also follow @YaWhispers, an anonymous account that helps writers navigate this stuff. #PitchWars
