I worked as an editor for three decades (first in magazines, then in books); I’ve been a literary agent for all of four months. But in the spirit of sharing from one agent’s “beginner’s mind,” here is something I’ve noticed: Agents have much more latitude than editors to choose the writers with whom they work. And even more than editors, agents hope to choose “for life,” to find authors they’ll work with for many years—and several books. So if your query or sample doesn’t delight a particular agent or if the agent loves your writing but you don’t hit it off over coffee or on the phone, the agent’s decision to not represent your work is actually personal. Which might sound terrible at first but isn’t. Because that “no” doesn’t necessarily mean anything about the quality or potential of your work. It simply means that all the personal relationship truisms apply, including: timing matters (for the agent and for you); if you want to be with someone, you (and your writing!) have to get out there and meet some people; and you really shouldn’t rush to pair up just because everyone else is doing it. The right person will be there for you when you and your work are ready.
—Barbara Jones of Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency