Me and my amazing agent, Joyce Sweeney.
I’m so grateful for my incredible agent, and hope this post will help you connect with an amazing agent, too. But please keep in mind that not having an agent is better than a bad agent. Research agents before submitting (there are some horrible schmagents out there who could hurt your career vs. helping it). Writer Beware gives great tips for avoiding bad agents.
Ways to Research Agents
- We have Agent/Editor Spotlights that give insight on them (and sometimes include a giveaway or private pitch party).
- QueryTracker is an amazing tool! The free version is great, but it’s worth paying a small annual amount in order to have extra tools that make it even easier to research and stalk (um, I mean keep up with) agent response times. Tip: Sign up for their free newsletter so you receive e-mail notifications of new agents or changes for existing agents.
- Literary Rambles has great interviews, and you can look up agents by MG and other categories.
- Publishers Marketplace is a fantastic resource for seeing sales similar to what you write, and you can see who both the agent and editor are.
- If you read a book that has similarities to your style or topics (but not too similar) you can look for an agent’s name in the acknowledgements.
- Conferences and workshops are a great way to learn from agents—and get an idea of what it might be like to work with them. Some great places to take them are SCBWI, Highlights Foundation, and The Writing Barn.
WAIT! Don’t Send Queries Yet
Before you start querying, make sure you’re 100% ready. You only have one chance to make a first impression.
- Read, read, read, then read even more recent books in your genre (and it’s great to read other genres as well).
- Write, revise, get feedback…repeat, repeat, repeat! So many writers query too early (I was guilty of that early on, too).
- Find at least one awesome critique group with others who also write middle-grade novels. I personally find it helpful to run middle grade novels through a group a few chapters at a time. Once the entire MG is as strong as I can get it, critique swaps for the full manuscript are a huge help.
- When your manuscript as polished as possible, consider getting a professional critique. Feedback from successful authors can be really helpful. I also loved getting critiques from agents (and now that I’m agented, I seek out editor critiques before submitting, if possible). Where can you get paid agent critiques? Here are a few places that come to mind: SCBWI events often offer them for an additional price, The Manuscript Academy, and Inked Voices offers workshops with peer and agent feedback.
Don’t Forget to Polish Your Query
After spending tons of time making a novel shine, some writers quick draft a query and send, send, send. NO! Please don’t do that. Take the time to write, revise, then get feedback on your query and make sure it’s polished before sending to agents. That’s your first impression—make sure it’s a great one. Also, it’s good to only send 5 – 10 queries at a time to see how well they do. Plus, you might receive feedback you’d like to use before sending the next round of queries.
- Study book blurbs to see what makes you want to dive into a book (or put it down and run away).
- Read these amazing query tips at Kidlit 411. This site is full of great advice. How to write a query, submission errors to avoid, comps, queries that worked, etc. Tip: Check out the rest of the Kidlit 411 website, too. There’s a whole section on middle grade novels…and so much more.
- You can also check out amazing queries in the PBParty Showcase. They’re for picture books, but you can still see what makes a query professional. The 2025 showcase won’t be available on my website until March 10, but here’s a link to the 2024 showcase, which still has most of the queries up (thanks amazing finalists for allowing others to learn from your incredible entries). Tip: Look at the impact the inspiration and connection to the story both have. Many writers forget to include a bit of that in a query–and it can make a huge difference! For the contest, I created a separate area for it, but as you look through great query examples here and other places, consider how those connections make you feel. Then tap into yours and make sure it shines through your query.
I’m sending tons of good luck vibes and fairy dust your way, and hope you’ll have an amazing agent soon!
Do you have agent tips and resources to share?
