Writer's Resource: #MSWL

Yesterday was a #MSWL day on Twitter! Whether you're a seasoned Twitter-user or terrified to even poke your head in, this is an incredibly useful tool for writers who are seeking agents. Here's a quick primer.

#MSWL stands for Manuscript Wishlist. Agent Jessica Sinsheimer conceived this several years ago as a way to connect agents who wanted to see specific things in their inboxes with writers who could provide them.

When an event is scheduled, agents (and sometimes editors, but mostly agents) tweet things they're interested in seeing—say, YA sci-fi with aliens or adult romantic suspense—and because they include the hashtag, it's all collected into an easily searchable list. Writers can get as specific as they want with their searches. Use twitter.com or your favorite third-party Twitter app, like TweetDeck or HootSuite and type "#MSWL" and your keywords into the search.

A few cautions:
-This event has been running since 2013, so be sure to check the dates on any matches you find before you submit your work. Agents usually aren't looking for the same things they were a few years ago.

-Anyone can post on the #MSWL hashtag, so you should always do your research before you send a query and make sure they're someone you'd want to work with.

-Don't ever tweet a pitch for your book using the #MSWL hashtag. It's reserved for agents and other industry professionals, so it's a major faux pas to blunder in as a writer looking for representation. If you need to ask a question to clarify someone's MSWL tweet, that's fine—just do a direct reply and don't use the hashtag, and that way it won't show up in searches.

If you think this #MSWL thing is pretty cool, check out the website! Manuscriptwishlist.com is a huge repository of agent information and should be a writer gearing up to query's first stop.

Writer's Resource: Manuscript Wish List

Are you a querying (or soon to be querying) writer? If you've started compiling your agent query list (with QueryTracker, I hope), you know that matching your manuscript with the agents who are most likely to love it isn't for the faint of heart. I used to rely mainly on several blogs that would do detailed agent profiles, but my favorites haven't been updated in a while and the information is somewhat stale. This is a big deal, since what agents were looking for two years or even six months ago is probably not what they're looking for right now.

Luckily, I found a truly excellent resource to replace those blogs! Manuscript Wish List is the brainchild of agent Jessica Sinsheimer and writer KK Hendin. They took the idea of the #MSWL hashtag on Twitter (where agents and editors tweet things they wish they were seeing in their inbox) and expanded it to a whole website. While the tweets were limited to 140 characters (135, counting the hashtag), this site has whole paragraphs describing their wants in detail.

One of the best things about the site is its HUGE list of tags. Scroll down to the bottom of any page to see the list of tags that have been used on the posts. They are very specific and extremely helpful. For example, you'll find tags for "strong female protagonist," "steamy romance," and "difficult issues." There are also tags for comparable books, so you can even search for a similar type of story.

I found over a dozen agents that wouldn't have been on my list otherwise by using this site. I highly recommend it!