Write Query Hook vs Manuscript Wish List: build your query list

Finding an agent who wants a book like yours is a good start. Then comes the work of checking whether they are open, choosing your next batch, and remembering what you sent to whom.

Write Query Hook brings that work into one place. Smart Match recommends agents for your manuscript, and your Query Dashboard keeps the search connected to the queries that follow. If you want a shortlist you can work through week after week, WQH is where we recommend starting.

We make Write Query Hook. This comparison draws on Manuscript Wish List's public search tools and guidance, reviewed on November 6, 2026.

What Manuscript Wish List helps you find

Manuscript Wish List lets you search agent and editor profiles by age group, genre, name, agency, keywords, and titles. Those profiles can tell you what someone wants to read in their own words. A specific interest may explain an agent's taste better than a genre label alone.

Its search guide also points to Smart Search for ManuscriptWishList.com posts and verified publishing-professional posts on Bluesky. MSWL has more to offer than a static directory. Reading those requests can help you investigate a possible fit.

WQH's advantage is the connection between a manuscript profile, ranked agent results, and your query records. You can move from finding candidates to managing the book's submissions without building a separate tracking system.

Start with your book, then choose your agents

Smart Match uses your genre, subgenres, themes, audience, format, and comparable titles to recommend agents from a database of over 3,300 literary agents. You give the search the details of the book you actually wrote.

Take an adult mystery about estranged sisters running a seaside hotel. The genre matters, but so do the family relationships, setting, and tone. With WQH, those details belong in the project profile that informs your recommendations. You get a ranked list to review instead of having to assemble every candidate from individual searches.

That is the practical reason to start with WQH. You have somewhere to begin, and each manuscript gets its own recommendations. Read the suggested agents' interests and submission instructions before deciding whom to query. A useful match should give you a reason to investigate the agent.

A wish-list post can add detail to that decision. If an agent asks for family-centered mysteries, read the full request and consider whether your book fits. There is no need to reshape your pitch around a detail that barely appears in the manuscript.

Build a list you can query now

An appealing wish list does not necessarily mean an agent is accepting queries today. WQH updates open and closed agent statuses every 24 hours, and submission-status filters help you focus your research on agents you can approach.

MSWL's own query guide recommends checking agency websites for current submission guidelines and whether an agent is open. WQH's daily refresh makes that research easier to plan. Check the official instructions again before you send.

With a WQH subscription, you can also download a spreadsheet already populated with your agent results. Start with the research in place, then sort or annotate it as you plan a batch. You can keep working in the Query Dashboard if you prefer managing queries in the app.

This is where WQH saves repeated work. The search produces a list you can use, with submission statuses to help you prioritize it and an export when you want the results in a spreadsheet.

Keep every project and agency straight

A second manuscript should have its own agent search. WQH supports multiple projects, each with a manuscript profile, recommendations, and Query Dashboard. You can query a novel while researching agents for a memoir without mixing their records.

Agency warnings help you spot overlap across those projects. When another saved agent belongs to the same agency, WQH flags the match. The check includes agents you are still researching, so you can review a potential conflict before sending anything.

Suppose you saved an agent for your novel last month and now find a colleague who looks right for your memoir. WQH brings that shared agency to your attention. Check your records and the agency's submission policy before deciding what to do next.

A shared agency does not automatically mean a submission is prohibited. The warning gives you the information to check, and your dashboard helps you distinguish an agent you saved from one you already queried. Keep your records current so those checks reflect your actual submissions.

Where we would start

For authors who want agent recommendations and a place to manage the resulting queries, WQH is the better starting point. Create a project, enter the manuscript details, review your matches, and save the agents you want to research. Your next session starts with that work already organized.

Use Manuscript Wish List alongside WQH when you want to read more about an agent's tastes. A relevant request can strengthen your reason for querying someone. Keep the query record in WQH so you can return to the same project when it is time to send another batch.

Try WQH with your manuscript to see how the recommendations fit your book. Limited free access is available; a subscription includes full results and spreadsheet downloads. See the current plans for access details.

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