Every now and again, I see agents have a conversation on Twitter that makes it clear that writers are shooting themselves and one another in the foot by not following standard “query procedure.” Of course every agency has its own submission guidelines, and these should always be followed and can be really easily found on almost every agency website, but there are a few things that may not be so clear, and hopefully, after reading this, they will be.

Q: How do I know if an agent accepts my category/genre?

A: Check out his or her page on the agency website or his or her personal blog. You can find this info on QueryTracker as well, but you should always be checking the agency website for submission guidelines anyway, so you may as well confirm and see what’s most likely the most updated information.

Q: When can I nudge?