New and totally confused!

kayreno said:

. . . and a request from Kate Lee (ICM) for the hard copy of my full. One problem I seem to be encountering is that mine is apparently a "hard edge" or "hard-boiled" novel. . . . but I can't find many that look for the hard edge ones. Even in researching books that they represent, I m hard pressed to find one that feels the same in genre to mine.

Click to expand...

Okay, if it's hard you want, try Hard Case Crime. It's a publisher, not and agent, but an end run shouldn't be all that hard.

You've run into a problem many of us have. I've sent many queries to agents that appear to handle works similar to mine, but I get rejections saying "Not for us." I realize this is a form reject, but I wish they would have selected a different form, after all the research I put into selecting them.
Congrats on the "Full" request, that's a big hurdle.

I haven't tried to find an agent for a mystery in a while, but the 'formula' is probably the same for any subgenre. Hit the bookstore and note titles, authors, and publishers of books which seem to be hard, like yours.

Back home, Google away, seeking information on each author's agent, or listings of titles' sales, and such, in every combination with the word "agent" you can invent. You can usually find the agents of at least half the titles now in stores which fit your subgenre. That's your dream list.

Maryn, who eons ago gave up on getting an agent for her mystery

kayreno said:

I did send a query and got a very quick reply part of which follows:

We don't do special agents vs. serial killers -- we do
adulterous couples in the throes of passion conspiring to murder an
unloved husband, or world-weary private eyes doggedly uncovering the truth
about a sad case, or a heist crew planning the robbery of a casino right
under the owner's nose, or con men scamming an unwary sucker...that sort
of thing. Also, our books generally run between 50,000 and 60,000 words. (My manusript is 84,000) UGGHHH!!

Click to expand...

I apologize for the wild goose Chase to Hard Case Crime. But I am glad you posted their helpful reply. Unlike typical rejects, they returned some valuable information.

Get a subscription to Publisher's Marketplace. It's $20 month-to-month so you can discontinue it when you're done researching. You can look up sales (Pub Deals) for those agents who rep authors with works like yours. It gives you a better real-time picture of what they're signing and what they're selling.

Keep in mind, Kayreno, that writing a good book isn't enough, it must be an exceptional book. If I were in the market for an agent to handle a book such as yours, which I am not, I would go to Bouchercon in Indianapolis this October and try to talk with agents who specialize in mysteries. There's nothing like a face-to-face meeting. Spend your evenings in the bar talking to writers and you may find agents there as well.
If I were young and just starting out I would go to New York and haunt people. Persistence pays off, but it comes with a price.