Agent Query List

2010 Goal Tracking:

Writing progress: agent list
Weight progress: keeping with the schedule!
Bible in a year progress: Genesis 21-23, Psalm 9

After months and months of research and weeding out, I've finally got my agent list together for queries! I have all their information organized on a spreadsheet and ranked according to what they're looking for. My "high" priorities include the agents seeking both women's fiction and young adult, because I'm pretty sure I will write YA sometime soon. And JUST IN CASE I'm able to snag an agent for Between the Letters, I'd like them to handle YA also. I have a top ten that for one reason or another I got particularly attached to during the research process, two of which I'm alsmost positive I will get a little teary if they don't request sample chapters. I figure I'll try these 10 first, then work my way down the list every couple of weeks or so. What really irks me is that almost every agent requires something different for the query. Some just want the query letter, some want that plus a full synopsis, some need you to actually MAIL it to them and include a SASE even though that doesn't even gaurantee you a response.... And ALL of them have that very discouraging disclaimer - "We accept very few new clients so that we can focus on the needs of our current authors." Well, at some point, SOMEONE has to add a new client.

I have one more (hopefully) major edit of Between the Letters, and should be ready to query by end of January/beginning of February. And my birthday is in February, so how cool would that be to get a full manuscript request by then?! (Wishful thinking, yes, but it's my birthday so I'll wish what I like, thanks. lol)

And about this agent list of mine...there are only 63 of them. Am I being too picky? I've read that I shouldn't stop until i get 150-200 rejections but, where is everybody finding all of these people to query???
Maybe my condition that they must represent both women's fiction and YA is keeping the number down? But that's something I shouldn't really compromise on, or else I'll either have to talk this hypothetical agent of mine into selling a YA project, or switch...

What have/are you done/doing about the research stage. What standards do you look for? WHERE do you look?