I spotted a link to some agent tracking search engine and just for fun I plugged in sci-fi and got over a hundred hits. I suppose me, or any other aspiring writer, would be lucky to snag any one of them to represent a novel. But, supposing more than one would be interested, how do you know which agents are superior to others? Which are most likely to sell the book, etc?
It seems totally arbitrary which "I represent sci-fi" agents I would mail queries to. They need some kind of rating mechanism to really show off which are good agents and which aren't.
Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :
Well, I think that's where research pays off. I believe it's Publisher's Weekly that puts out reports (monthly?) about what deals were made. Inspecting those lists could help you identify an agent that represents similar books, sells to good publishing houses, and represents authors you might like. JeanneT wrote some excellent advice on the subject a while ago. I'll see if I can dig it up.
Posted by MAP (Member # 8631) on :
There is a list of questions you should ask an agent before you sign with him/her posted on several agent's blogs (Nathan Bransford, Kristen Nelson, and Jessica Faust).
You should always ask for a client list (once they have made an offer not before) and make sure that you can find their clients' published books at your local bookstores. You can even contact their clients and ask them if they like their agents.
These are just tips I have read off of the internet. I don't even have a novel ready to query yet. I would love to have that problem.