Tools for finding an agent: Agent Query

So you've finished the book. And you've finished the editing. And you've finished editing the editing. Honestly, there's nothing more you can do with the book without going nuts. The characters you originally loved are now unwelcome guests in your mind. You need to find an agent, already.

Fortunately, the Internet has a plethora of tools to help you in that regard.

Today, we'll look at Agent Query, a searchable online database that allows you to look for agents that work in your genre, both fiction and non-fiction.

It includes an online community that allows you to communicate with other authors with similar profiles. Agents and editors can subscribe to individual authors via RSS feeds, to follow anyone who captures their interest.

Finally, it contains a robust blog roll (a list of blogs) that includes 36 agents, 12 publishers, 9 authors, and 35 other links. Some of the people listed include Lori Perkins (Ravenous Romance), Colleen Lindsay (The Swivet, and the originator of #queryday), former Florida Writers Conference keynote speaker C. Hope Clark (Funds for Writers), and the intriguingly named Smart Bitches, Trashy Books (a romance blog).

Even if you aren't looking for an agent, this site is a great place to keep up with the industry.

If you're on Twitter...

#queryday is the brainchild of literary agent Colleen Lindsay, of FinePrint Literary Management. About once every other month or so (the date is announced in advance) , writers can monitor discussion between writers and agents online and glean valuable information. Any writer who includes #queryday in their Tweet will have their post appear in the query day stream. Others, including agents and other writers, may or many not answer your Tweet.

To monitor the fun, go to http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23queryday, and refresh your browser periodically. To view a synopsis of the discussion, go to Tara Lazar's blog. If you want to participate, you need to bite the bullet and go to Twitter.com and sign up. Your question must be 140 characters or less and must include "#queryday".

You might also want to check out Colleen's blog, The Swivet. You might also want to check out her colleague Janet Reid's blog, as well.