• Follow well-respected agents, agencies, authors, and editors on Twitter.  You will find a wealth of advice concerning querying and publishing that may not be available elsewhere.
  • Consult Manuscript Wish List to find specific agent requests in your genre and age-range.
  • Research agent sales and reputation on Publisher’s Marketplace, Query Tracker, and Writer Beware.
  • Try not to submit to editors at publishing houses without representation—in many cases, a history of submission will make it more difficult for an agent to do their job effectively.
  • Join Twitter Pitch contests, like #PitMad and #DVPit, to practice and refine your pitching skills.
  • Read widely, especially in your age-range and genre. It's important to know your market and be well versed in what makes a book successful, not just for comps, but also for your craft.
  • Be persistent! It may take one, twenty, or one hundred queries, but this industry relies on perseverance and passion.  All writing is good practice and the more you work on your craft, the more it will pay off. 
✓  A compelling query letter that includes your pitch, a brief biography and writing credentials, your genre and age range, one or two comparable books from the last five years, and your reasons for querying a particular agent.
✓  Captivating, voicey first pages that introduce your characters, the stakes, and the world.
✓  A short synopsis with the full plot of your manuscript, all the way to the end.
✓  An understanding of the current market for your work, including target audience and similar books/comparative titles.
✓  A complete, edited, full manuscript ready to send if the agent requests it.

Laura Rennert Literary Agent resources query tips and tricks

The Andrea Brown Literary Agency runs the Big Sur Children's Writing Workshop every December with offshoot conference locations at Big Sur at Cape Cod. Since first starting the Workshop in 1997, we have brought in outstanding editors from the top publishing houses, both large and small, and successful authors to make up our experienced and giving faculty. To find out what makes this conference special and for information regarding dates, registration, faculty, success stories, and other details, visit the Big Sur website.

For other writing conferences, writing workshops, children's book industry links, general publishing links, checklists and advice from Laura, and to read a few of Laura's interviews, see below. 
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