If you’ve arrived at the querying stage of your writing journey, you’re going to need a system for keeping up with all those rejections. Because let’s face it, that’s what most of your agent queries will be. The estimated numbers change depending on who you ask, but I sent out nearly 40 queries before I received a positive response. There are tools out there to help you, like querytracker, but it has its limitations.

As I started to query, I quickly realized that I’d need to separate agents into groups. Not all agents are looking for my genre, that’s a given. But not all agents are looking for the same subgenre either. Some agents are looking for YA, but not YA fantasy. Some agents are looking for fantasy, but not YA. So in a list populated with agents looking for a specific genre, you’ve still got some sifting to do.

Genres aside, it’s important to look for an agent that meshes well with you and your vision for your manuscript. I get it, your vision is publication right now, right? You can be flexible and work with anyone. That’s great. Double down on that lie. Skip this step if you want, but I highly recommend doing your research on the agent you’re querying. The research lite version? Check out agent profiles on popular sites (querytracker, writer’s digest, etc.) and the books they’ve pushed out recently. Pay attention to tone, enthusiasm, and presence on their social media platforms.

I use a ranking system for agents. There are some that I’m very enthusiastic to work with, some I’m on the fence about, and some I’ve already been rejected by or don’t want to work with. Some agents aren’t accepting new submissions at the moment. I keep them all on my list so that I don’t accidentally research the same person/agency multiple times. Querying is a lot of work, and after a while all the names kind of just jumble together.

Everything else is pretty standard. Agency and contact information, genres represented, submission requirements, estimated turnaround. I have a section for notes which varies in content, and I adjust the status of my queries as I receive rejections and send out new ones. You are welcome to use my method or create your own. But I absolutely recommend keeping a record.

That’s my Write Or Die Advice. Happy querying.