Somebody who really gets my voice, style, humor and irony--I'll start there first. I've had three agents in the past 23 years. New agents are gangbusters when it comes to expending a lot of time and effort into querying widely and keeping the manuscript out there for very long times. They respond quickly, call often, do more editing and seem more attentive. Problem is, nobody recognizes their name or logo, and they might have very little sales and experience.
You can get lost in the big pond of a super-agent, but that's what sub-agents are for, and even they can get swamped, overburdened.
My ideal agent is somewhere in the middle. But...one that has had at least 10 years in the trenches. That's my only strict qualification. I hope that they would also have numerous sales in my genre and be name-recognizable. I don't need a hand-holder, but someone who answers my emails within a reasonable amount of time and provides me with a sub and rejection list.
You can get lost in the big pond of a super-agent, but that's what sub-agents are for, and even they can get swamped, overburdened.
My ideal agent is somewhere in the middle. But...one that has had at least 10 years in the trenches. That's my only strict qualification. I hope that they would also have numerous sales in my genre and be name-recognizable. I don't need a hand-holder, but someone who answers my emails within a reasonable amount of time and provides me with a sub and rejection list.