Writer’s Digest Best Everything Agents Websites for Writers 2023
Here are the top websites by and about agents as identified in the 25th Annual 101 Best Websites from the May/June 2023 issue of Writer’s Digest.
1. Agents + Books by Kate McKean
Agents + Books is a biweekly newsletter that answers the most common questions about literary agents, publishing, and writing. Run by the VP of Howard Morhaim Literary Agency, Kate McKean, the Tuesday newsletters are free and offer the most vital information, and the Thursday subscription-based newsletters offer a more behind-the-scenes look, with the opportunity to ask specific publishing questions.
2. Association of American Literary Agents*
If you’re looking for a literary agent or want to know more about how literary agents should and should not operate, look no further than the AALA. Their code of ethics sets the standard for how agents manage their authors’ writing careers. Search their database of member agents by name or by category to see a full profile.
3. Duotrope
Duotrope is an all-encompassing resource for writers looking for agents, publishing news, submission tracking, and more. Boasting more than 7,500 active agents and publishers, Duotrope is subscription-based, with two available options: $5/month or $50/year.
4. Manuscript Wish List
Created with one goal in mind—helping writers find the perfect industry professionals to pitch their work to—you can pinpoint exactly who you’d like to pitch to and how they prefer to be contacted about queries. #MSWL is also used on social media as a way for writers to search for professionals (though writers shouldn’t post on the hashtag themselves).
5. QueryShark
For brave writers seeking representation, Query Shark (aka literary agent Janet Reid) is a free service that chooses writer-submitted queries for public critique on the blog. Read the guidelines and extensive archive before submitting. Private critiques are available for a fee and include the opportunity for two revisions.
6. Query Tracker
Find the right literary agent for you with a free database of thousands of literary agents for writers who are ready to find representation. Whether your book is a cookbook, fantasy, murder mystery, or literary fiction, Query Tracker will help find the right home for you and your story.
View the best writing advice websites roundup here.
Agents get literally thousands of submissions a year, including query letters, sample pages, and synopses. Of those thousands, they request a full manuscript from few and offer representation to even fewer.In this boot camp from Fuse Literary Agency, attendees will learn how to put together a short yet effective query letter and a one- to two-page book synopsis (fiction). They’ll also learn some best practices for submitting their query, pages, and synopsis to agents.Each attendee will have the opportunity to have ten pages critiqued by an agent along with their work in any combination: query letter, manuscript pages, and synopsis.
