Literary agents
Find the right advocate for the right book.
A strong agent search is targeted research, not a mass email. Use trusted databases to identify agents who actively represent your category, then confirm every agent’s current guidelines on the agency’s own site before querying.
Start with these agent databases
AALA Agent Directory
Association of American Literary Agents member directory with subject focus and submission status.
📊QueryTracker
Large searchable agent database plus query tracking, status updates, response data, and author success interviews.
🎯Manuscript Wish List
Agent profiles describing the kinds of manuscripts and subjects they want in their inbox.
📘Poets & Writers Agents
A literary agent database from Poets & Writers with agency and category information.
🧾Publishers Marketplace
Industry deal reporting and professional research that can help verify what agents are actually selling.
🛡️Writer Beware
Warnings and practical guidance on questionable, inexperienced, fee-charging, and impersonating literary agents.
Build an agent list in layers
Define the book precisely
Category, genre, audience, approximate word count, comparable titles, and the strongest one-sentence hook.
Search by fit
Look for agents who represent your category and whose wish lists, clients, and recent deals suggest a genuine match.
Verify on the agency site
Submission windows change constantly. Confirm whether the agent is open, what materials they request, and the exact submission method.
Personalize lightly, not theatrically
A concise reason for querying that specific agent is useful. The book pitch itself still has to carry the letter.
Track every query
Record date sent, materials, response, request, follow-up date, and notes so you never duplicate or lose a conversation.
Important: reputable AALA members do not charge reading fees.
The AALA’s 2026 Canon of Ethics prohibits members from charging writers to evaluate work for possible representation. Be cautious about upfront reading, marketing, submission, or required editing fees, and verify unexpected approaches independently.
For ambitious nonfiction
Many nonfiction projects are pitched with a proposal rather than only a completed manuscript. A proposal usually demonstrates the idea, audience, comparable books, author credibility/platform, chapter plan, sample writing, and why the project belongs in the market now.