How to Query a Literary Agent: The Full Process (2026)

To query a literary agent, you finish and revise the book, build a researched list of agents who represent your genre, check that each one is legitimate, and send each a personalised query following that agent's own submission guidelines. You send in small batches, track every reply, and adjust your package if the first round gets no requests.

The query letter is one piece of that. Most querying mistakes happen before and after the letter: querying too early, querying the wrong agents, ignoring guidelines, and losing track of who has what. This guide covers the whole process, from list to offer.

StoryWith AI is our own product, so weigh what we say about it accordingly.

Key takeaways

• Query only a finished, revised manuscript (for fiction). Many agents will not look at the same book again after a pass.
• Build your list from several sources: QueryTracker, Manuscript Wish List, agency websites, Publishers Marketplace and the acknowledgements pages of recent books in your genre.
• Check every agent before you send. A legitimate agent earns a commission on sales and does not charge reading fees.
• Each agent's guidelines decide what you send: usually a query, often a synopsis and a set number of first pages. Follow them exactly.
• Send in batches of about 10, track everything, and expect long silences. Many agents never reply to a pass.
• When you get an offer, tell every agent who has requested pages, give them a deadline, and decide whether to notify agents who have only your query.

Step 1: Is the book actually ready to query?

For fiction, agents represent finished novels. That means a complete, revised draft at a length that fits its genre, read by someone other than you. Non-fiction usually sells on a proposal and sample chapters instead, so the process below applies with a proposal in place of a full manuscript.

Readiness is its own question, and we answer it in detail in our 10-point guide on whether your book is ready to query. If you have not had outside readers yet, start with where to find beta readers before you build an agent list.

The reason to be strict here is simple: you usually get one shot per agent per book. Querying early spends your list on a draft that is not your best.

Step 2: How do you build a list of literary agents?

Your goal is a list of agents who currently represent books like yours and who are open to queries. Fifty to a hundred names gives you room for several batches, but quality matters more than count. An agent who does not represent your genre is not a long shot. They are a guaranteed pass.

Use more than one source, because each one shows you something different:

As listed on querytracker.net (homepage and FAQ), manuscriptwishlist.com and publishersmarketplace.com (homepage and membership benefits page) on 19 October 2026. QueryTracker's homepage said its database held 1,911 agents and described the service as free, with optional Premium features; its FAQ says its query statistics come from information entered by its members.

The acknowledgements trick is underrated. Pick 15 to 20 books published in the last few years that share your genre and readership. Many authors thank their agent by name. That gives you agents with a proven record in exactly your category, and it doubles as comp-title research.

Writer's Digest suggests starting to collect agent information well before you query; one column, first published in 2025, put it at one to three years ahead. You do not need that long, but a list built over a few months is better than one built in a weekend.

As listed on Writer's Digest, "Organizing Your Agent Querying Process" (Paula Rizzo, published 9 May 2025, updated 21 August 2026) on 19 October 2026.

Step 3: How do you check that a literary agent is legitimate?

Before an agent goes on your send list, check four things: who they represent, what they have sold, whether they are open to queries, and whether anything about them looks like a scam.

The Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) is the US professional body for agents. Its own site says it was known as the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR) until a name change in 2020, so older advice still says "AAR member". Its Canon of Ethics bars members from charging reading fees, and from charging clients for editorial services in preparation for submitting their work to publishers.

The AALA revised its Canon in 2026, effective 1 September 2026. Members could already sell editorial services to authors who are not their clients; the revised Canon covers non-editorial services too, such as web design or promotional content. The member must tell the author in writing, in advance, that buying the service does not mean they will be represented, and may not answer an author who approached them only for representation by directing them to paid services. Representation may not be made conditional on buying the member's editorial services. Membership is held by individual agents, not whole agencies, and Writer Beware is clear that non-members can be entirely ethical too. Treat membership as a good sign, not a requirement.

As listed on the AALA's About page and 2026 Canon of Ethics (clauses 8, 9 and 11; effective 1 September 2026), its archived 2022 Canon, and Writer Beware, "The AALA Makes Significant Updates to Its Canon of Ethics" (Victoria Strauss, 31 July 2026, updated 17 August 2026), on 19 October 2026.

Red flags that should take an agent off your list:

As listed on Writer Beware: "The Case Against Reading Fees" (Victoria Strauss, 1 July 2010, on sfwa.org) and "Beware of Agent Solicitations", on 19 October 2026. Both posts are older, but the reading-fee ban they describe is still in the AALA's 2026 Canon.

Step 4: What goes in a query submission package?

The package is whatever each agent's guidelines ask for, and the guidelines vary more than most writers expect. Many agents now take queries through a submission form rather than email. QueryManager, offered by the makers of QueryTracker, is one such form: you enter your query into the agent's own form instead of an email.

Build every piece once, then cut it to each agent's request:

The query letter carries the most weight, so test it before it goes anywhere. Our free query letter grader scores a draft and flags what is missing, and the query letter generator gives you a first draft from your book's details if you are starting from a blank page. Neither replaces your own revision.

Two rules agents mention constantly. Send exactly what was asked for, no more and no less. And check whether an agency allows you to query more than one of its agents at once. For example, one agency's submissions page says you may submit to one of its agents at a time.

As listed on querymanager.com and BookEnds Literary's submissions page on 19 October 2026. This example illustrates a common rule and is not a recommendation of any agency.

Step 5: How do you personalise a query?

Personalising does not mean flattering. It means one or two sentences that show why you chose this agent, followed by a pitch that stays the same for everyone.

Good reasons to name: a book they represent that sits near yours, a wish-list item your manuscript genuinely matches, or something they said in an interview about the kind of story they want. If you cannot find a specific reason, a clean, correct, well-pitched query is better than a forced compliment.

The basics matter more than the personal line. Spell the agent's name correctly, use the right agency, put the requested pages in the requested format, and never send a mass email with every agent in the "To" field.

Step 6: How many agents should you query at once?

Send in batches. A common approach is about 10 queries per wave, which Writer's Digest's 2025 column also suggests. Send a batch, wait for results, then decide whether to send the next batch unchanged or revise first.

Batching protects your list. If ten queries produce no requests at all, the problem is usually the query or the opening pages, and you still have most of your agents left to try with a better version.

A simple way to read your first wave:

• No requests after a reasonable wait: revise the query letter first, then the opening pages.
• Partial requests but no full requests: the pitch works, but the opening pages are not holding readers. Revisit the first chapter.
• Full requests that end in passes: the issue is likely in the manuscript itself, often structure, pacing or the middle third.

Querying several agents at once, often called simultaneous submissions, is standard; the Writer's Digest column's advice to query in waves assumes it. Exclusive requests are unusual at the query stage and more common when an agent asks for the manuscript. Former agent Nathan Bransford, replying to a reader under his 2026 guide to offers, said an author is within their rights to say no to one. If you do agree to an exclusive, keep to it.

As listed on Writer's Digest and Nathan Bransford, "How to Handle an Offer of Representation From a Literary Agent" (10 August 2026, reply in the comments) on 19 October 2026.

Step 7: How should you track your queries?

Use QueryTracker's free tracker or a spreadsheet, but track every query from the day you send it. Writer's Digest recommends recording the date sent, the materials sent, the agent's guidelines, any feedback and any full requests.

Here is a hypothetical tracking table. The agents and dates are invented to show the format:

Hypothetical example for illustration only. Not real agents, agencies or reply times.

Add a column for the version of the query you sent. When you revise between batches, you will want to know which version earned which result.

Step 8: How long do agents take to respond, and when can you nudge?

Expect slow and uneven replies. Writer's Digest's 2025 column put query response times anywhere from two days to two years and called a six-month wait normal. Some agents state in their guidelines that no reply by a certain date means no.

Before you nudge, read the agent's own policy. Some say they reply to everything, some give a no-reply-means-no window, and some say how and when to follow up. If the policy says no reply means no, do not nudge on a query. Mark it closed when the window passes.

A nudge makes more sense on a requested partial or full manuscript that has gone well past the agent's stated reading time, or when something changes, such as an offer. Keep it to two or three lines: the title, the date sent, what they requested, and a polite question.

As listed on Writer's Digest on 19 October 2026.

Step 9: What happens when an agent requests a partial or full?

A partial request is a request for more pages, often the first 50 or the first three chapters. A full request is for the whole manuscript. Send exactly what was asked, in the format asked, and note the date in your tracker.

Do not revise the manuscript wholesale in the hours after a request. If you know the book has a fixable problem, it is acceptable to take a few days, but an agent who requested pages expects to see the book you queried.

If you withdraw a query or manuscript for any reason, tell the agent. It keeps your record clean if you query them with a later book.

Step 10: What do you do when you get an offer of representation?

An offer usually comes on a call. Ask your questions, thank the agent, and ask for time to decide. Fuse Literary's post-offer etiquette (from 2014, so older advice) describes agreeing a window with the offering agent, usually one to two weeks, so the other agents have time to read. Nathan Bransford's 2026 guide gives a similar range: 7 to 14 days for the other agents to consider your work.

Then notify the other agents right away. Agents who have requested a partial or full should always hear from you. Opinions vary on agents who have only your query: some agents expect to hear, and Bransford does not personally advise it, so check each agent's guidelines. A short email works: you have received an offer of representation, you are interested in their view, and you will decide by a stated date. Some will step aside, some will read quickly, and occasionally you will end up with more than one offer.

Questions worth asking on an offer call include: what revisions they would want before submission, which editors they would send it to, how they communicate, what the agency agreement says about commission and termination, and what happens if the book does not sell.

As listed on Fuse Literary, "Post-Offer Etiquette" (13 August 2014) and Nathan Bransford, "How to Handle an Offer of Representation From a Literary Agent" (10 August 2026) on 19 October 2026.

Where StoryWith AI fits

StoryWith AI does not find agents, send queries or get anyone representation. It helps with the steps before querying and the revision between batches.

Before you query, it reads the manuscript you wrote and returns one ranked list of what to fix (Book Health), covering structure and beat coverage, pacing and emotional arc, continuity and plot holes, dialogue, scene purpose and character arcs, each linked to the exact scene. That is useful if your first wave produced full requests that ended in passes and you suspect a structural problem. You can try a free manuscript readiness score on up to about 10,000 words without signing up.

On Pro and the plans above it, the pitch kit drafts a query letter, a blurb and title alternatives from your manuscript, with a checklist of what is still missing from your package. It does not write a synopsis, so you will write that yourself.

It is the wrong tool if you need agent research, a list of who is open to queries, or a human professional's market judgement. Use QueryTracker, agency websites and Publishers Marketplace for the first two, and an editor or experienced critique partner for the third.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How many literary agents should I query?

There is no fixed number, but building a list of 50 to 100 well-matched agents and querying them in batches of about 10 gives you room to learn from each round. Querying a large number of poorly matched agents adds rejections without adding chances.

Can I query multiple literary agents at the same time?

Yes. Simultaneous queries are standard practice. Exclusive requests are unusual at the query stage; if you agree to one, keep to it. Check whether an agency lets you query more than one of its agents at a time, because some allow only one.

Do I need a synopsis to query an agent?

Only if the agent's guidelines ask for one, but many do, so it is worth having one ready before your first batch. A synopsis summarises the full plot, ending included, and the length each agent wants varies.

How long should I wait before following up with a literary agent?

Read the agent's guidelines first. If they say no reply means no after a set time, do not follow up on a query. For a requested partial or full, a short, polite nudge after the stated reading time has passed is reasonable, and you should always tell agents who have requested pages when you receive an offer.

Is it a red flag if a literary agent charges a fee?

Yes, if the fee is for reading your work or for representing you. AALA members are barred from charging reading fees, and Writer Beware advises that the only fee you should pay an agent is their commission when your book sells.

What should I do if I get no requests from my first batch of queries?

Pause before sending more. Revise the query letter first, then the opening pages, and send the revised package to a new batch. Keep a note of which version went to which agents.

Can AI find me a literary agent?

No tool can get you an agent. Software can help you check a manuscript's structure before you query or tighten a query letter, but agent research, personalisation and the decision to represent a book are human work.