Do Your Research. It’s among the top rules/tips for getting an agent, along with Follow Submission Guidelines, and Never Handwrite Anything. Excellent advice in theory, but sometimes impossible in practice. It’s amazing how many literary agents have an online presence of next to nil. Sure there are the big guns, such as Nathan Bransford and Kristin Nelson, who blog, tweet, offer advice, and have done numerous interviews. But many agents have nothing more then the blurb on their agency’s site and a page at Publishers Marketplace, if that. So you dig deeper, until you’re on page twenty of Google, browsing through links titled “All-Mercury News basketball teams dating back to 1960″ or “Heaven’s Nursery – SIDS Families.”

I’ve found research to be much more productive, and less time consuming, if I begin with something solid and work backward – an interview instead of just a name. To this end, I’ve complied a list of sites that offer interviews.

Agent interviews galore

Guide to Literary Agents: Agent Advice & New Agency Alerts
Perhaps the best known, the Guide is one of the best resources for agents online.

Literary Rambles: Agent Spotlight
While Casey McCormick (blog author) offers only one official interview, Marietta Zacker, she does in-depth agent research and shares her findings online each week. In her own words:

I’ll be profiling whatever I can find on them from what they’re looking for, to personal quotes, to interviews, to average (realistic) response times, to what other writers are saying about their professionalism, etc. as well as linking up their web presence into one post.

Editor Unleashed: Agent Interviews
Offers Q&A posts and live chats with agents, as well as general advice.

Editors, Agents, and Blogs, Oh My!
Provides not only great interviews, but an extensive list of agent links.

Cynsations: Interviews & Resource Links
Here again, you have to dig a bit but it’s worth it. Scroll past the “News & Giveaways” to get to the interviews. Cynsations also offers author interviews, links, and news.

Gumbo Writers
Talk about quantity! As of 8/9/09, Gumbo Writers lists fifty separate interviews with literary agents and managers.

Writers on the Rise: Agent and Editor Insights
Provides a whole host of interviews with everyone from authors to editors, librarians to agents.

Alice’s CWIM Blog: Agents
Interviews, industry news, and articles.

Algonkian Workshops: Literary Agents
A series of in-depth interviews, including several of agency presidents.

Poets & Writers: Literary Agents
Q&A sessions featured in the magazine.

Robin Friedman: Interviews
Several in-depth chats with editors and agents.

Much Cheaper Than Therapy: Agent Interviews
Offers interviews from 2007 to now.

Interviews in twos, & threes

WordHustlerInk
The posts here are not tagged well, but there’s three interviews for those willing to dig: Joanna Stampfel-Volpe, Michael Murphy, & Zoe Fishman.

WordSmitten
These interviews are older, written in a journalistic feature style, and are more focused industry than querying.

Crime Fiction Dossier: Interviews
A few interviews including Simon Lipskar and Molly Friedrich.

Writer Unboxed: Interviews
Offers a lot of author and editor interviews, and some agents, namely Chuck Sambuchino, Donald Maass, Daniel Lazar, and Deidre Knight.

Single Interviews

The Public Query Slushpile: Interview with Jessica Faust. (Also offers some great query guidance.)
Through the Tollbooth: Interview with Sarah Davies.
Amanda Ramblings: Interview with Christine Witthohn
BronzeWord Latino Authors: Interview with Adriana Dominguez
Old People Writing for Teens: Interview with Gretchen Stelter

More Resources

ReadWriteTweet
While lacking in interviews, RWT lists agents’ twitters and tags them with their genres. Not a bad place to begin researching.

Agent Turn Around Times
Lists how quickly various agents get back to you.

I hope to add to this list as I continue my agent research. If you have any links to add, leave a comment and I’ll post them up.

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