I worked on my agent query letter last night. Also looked into which agents were accepting clients and were interested in what I write.
There are actually several who list Gay and Lesbian Fiction as one of their interests. I did a search for that ‘genre’ through the Agent Query website. It gave me 13 possible agents, 7 of which are interested in what I write. I did another search for Fantasy and SciFi, coming up with several more who, while not listing Gay and Lesbian as an interest, did list Romance. Those I will save for last.
I am going to send the query out to all 7 at once, something that is acceptable with agents. The no-no’s come when they ask for either part or all of a manuscript. Usually the request comes with an ‘exclusive’ term limit. The typical scenerio would be thus: Agent #4 asks for a two week exclusive to read my manuscript. After just a few days, Agent #7 also asks to see the manuscript. I have to wait until the two weeks is up (or Agent #4 is so disgusted with it she releases me from the agreement) before I can send it off to Agent #7.
I am in need of someone(s) to look over the query letter and give me feedback. If anyone is interested, please let me know either by email or using the comment form for this post.
Also, these are the agents I am considering approaching:
- Andrea Somberg – Harvey Klinger Agency
- Jennifer DeChiara – Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency
- Sherene Martin – Wylie-Merrick Agency
- Betsy Lerner – Dunow, Carlson & Lerner
- Agnes Birnbaum – Bleecker Street Associates, Inc.
- Felicia Eth – Felicia Eth Literary Representation
- Ben Salmon – DSM Agency
I am also considering others, like those with the SciFi/Fantasy/Romance likings. But since only one of them mentions an affinity to Gay and Lesbian Fiction, I will save the others for last.
- Nancy Coffey – Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation
- Kristen Nelson – Nelson Literary Agency, LLC
- Ethan Ellenberg – Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency
- Evan Marshall – Evan Marshall Agency
- Jennifer Jackson – Maass Agency
- Elizabeth Pomada – Larsen Pomada Literary Agency
- Susannah Taylor – Richard Henshaw Group
I will go to all of the agents’ websites to make sure they really are accepting new clients and to make sure I fully understand their requirements. I will set up a spreadsheet so I can keep track of what I sent where when.
Let the fun begin!