I'm putting together a list of agents who handle romance as a preliminary step to finding 2-3 of them to come to our conference. The conference chair wants a West Coast agent, and I think we should have at least one NYC agent, since we didn't have one last year. And of course we want a nice, balanced panel, maybe with someone young and hungry and looking for clients, maybe someone from a big, well-known agency, since that could be a lure to draw registrants to the conference.
I'm working from the Writer's Market 2005 agent guide, entering info into a spreadsheet, because I'm all picky and organized. I enter in a Los Angeles agent, nice mid-sized agency, member of all the relevant organizations, and think that this one looks good and would be perfect to fill our CA slot. I'm about to highlight it as one of my "call first" agencies, and am pleased that they're one of the few that lists a website. I check it. Contrary to WM, which lists them as moderately open to new clients, the website says they're not taking on new clients at all. Market conditions. So sorry.
So next up is an NYC agency whose name I recognize. Perfect candidate for the East Coast prestige slot. I check the website. Only taking on unpublished clients in nonfiction. Tight market. They hate it, too.
Of course, these are only two agencies, and I've got others to choose from that are in the market for new clients. But it does A) suck, and B) reinforce the idea that if I'm committed to this, it needs to be for the long haul and without any immediate expectations, even if I am as brilliant as I like to think I am on my optimistic days.