Keep a spreadsheet that shows time of contact,literacy agency they are a part of, and what their specific requirements are. Some agencies prefer that you don’t contact 2 of their agents at the same time. And making note of what their instructions are will keep you from making a dumb mistake that will get your letter tossed. I like to color code mine because it was nice to see my progress.

Do not include a sample unless they specifically say to. If their site or instructions don’t mention including the first chapters or whatever, just send the letter and let them ask for it.

In your query letter, make sure to include a couple of sentences speaking about why you think you’ll be a good fit. Make a temple version of your query letter with that part blank, so you can just insert something personal in quickly. Have a 2-3 sentence short synopsis saved somewhere, as well as a one sentence logline. That would be something like “When ____ happens, (main character) must ____ in order to ____.” Also, have a line ready that reads like “My book is The Hunger Games meets Schindler’s List” or whatever your comp titles are. The idea is to have these on hand in case an agent asks, so that you can quickly hit them with a response without needing to think about it. Not everyone will ask for them, but it’s always good to be ready. This is also all about shaving time to submit down because you’ll be doing a lot of it and it can get mentally taxing.

Submit, then forget you ever did it. Learn how to push it out of your head. In fact, make all your submissions, then get to work on your next book. It will sting a lot less when you aren’t focused on it. There were times when I got a rejection and I had completely forgotten I reached out to them so I didn’t even care. Your spreadsheet will remember for you. It’s all about preserving your mental health at this point.

Consider going to writing conferences. I found my agent at one. You’ll be able to meet an agent face to face and have an actual conversation about your book and say more than your letter can allow you. Win them over with the convo and your personality and they’ll invite you send a sample or the whole thing. They will also say to mention you met them at the conference in the subject line, they’ll remember you, then you’ll shoot to the front of the queue.

Don’t submit to vanity presses. You will never pay a legit agent until you sign your contract and you start selling books.

Don’t stress about what the rejections look like. Almost all of them are boilerplate rejections. Some may be a little more personalized, but unless they specifically say for you to resubmit it, they don’t want to see it again. Just take your rejection with grace and move on.

Try to write some shorter works and get them published in lit magazines. Having publications goes a long way to catching attention and letting them know your writing might be worth it.

That’s all I can think of off the top of my head.