Latian:
The problem is that he is represented by Wylie Agency. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. I can only request an interview, at least according to their website. Is this an interview for a job? I found their website to be rather cryptic, as informative as a cryptogram. Can anyone provide me with more information regarding that agency? Has anyone else tried to approach them?
Wylie won't take a look at your manuscript unless you've already sold something and are successful and/or being talked about in literary circles as being successful. His business model is based on letting other agents do all the hard work and then swooping in and cherry picking big name authors.
I did an MA in Creative Writing in London and a mate of mine tried Wylie on a 'don't try/don't get' basis and got rejected out of hand. If you check out the thread on Wylie's agency it looks like the newbies who've been taken on by him have already had deals in the pipework with big publishers: ,link snipped>
Latian:
The problem is a month has passed and I am still waiting for his reply.
A month is nothing. You need to give it around 3 months before chasing.
In the meantime, you should definitely be looking at other agents in the UK. The Artist's & Writers' Year Book has a good list of agents in the UK (although you should still check them via this website and Preditors & Editors). You should also research the agencies themselves to see which represent the type of fiction you're currently writing and what you want to write in future.
Latian:
I was told that it is wise to approach agencies who represent authors that you like.
That can be as good a starting point as any, but if you don't write in a style similar to those writers you like then it can be a disadvantage.
Your best bet is to take a look at agencies as a whole, look at the individual agents and their preferences and see if any have junior agents as they are more likely to be taking on new clients than the established ones - e.g. a friend of mine got taken on by Aitken Alexander because his manuscript hit the desk of a brand new agent there who was looking to build his list.
If you write in a particular genre (e.g. historical, crime or fantasy) then it can be worth while investing some money and time in conventions to speak/hear agents and editors and their preferences. Networking can be a real advantage because it gives you names and access points (that's not to say it's a substitute for having a good manuscript because that's still key but whatever you can do to help yourself get over the threshold is a worthwhile investment).
If your MA class did an anthology that went out to agents or had an agent's party then it's worth while checking out with your course tutors who got the book or asked to come to the party because it gives you a name to address a query to.
MM