You opened QueryTracker. Three hours later, you have learned nothing and bookmarked forty agents.
The misdiagnosisThe misdiagnosis is that more research equals better aim.
The real diagnosisAim follows fit, not volume. The smaller, smarter list is built by comparing the books you wrote to the books your target agents represent. That's the whole search.
The Agent List Build (Six Days)
| Day | Move | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | List your three closest comps | 3 books |
| 2 | Find each comp's agent | 3 names |
| 3 | List those agents' other clients | 12-30 books |
| 4 | Read sample chapters of three more | Match to your voice |
| 5 | Build the 20-agent list | Active list |
| 6 | Personalize 20 queries | Send batch 1 |
Three Agent Search Mistakes
- Querying agents who don't rep your genre.
- Querying every agent at once. Batch of 8-10.
- Personalizing too much. Two lines is enough.
Research is not the same as submission. The research is the day before the work.
Six days. Twenty agents. Two-line personalizations. Done.
The dare (not assignment)Pick three comps. Find their agents. Build the list of twenty by Friday.
Image promptA spreadsheet on a screen with neat columns and color-coded rows. Painterly. Cream and pink. No people.
— The Book Maven
