I’ve actually read—and liked—half a dozen books by this agent’s clients. I mentioned a couple (okay, four) of them in the query and, yes, I said (briefly) why my book was similar to each. Hm. Maybe that was overkill.
At any rate, it’s been two months since I sent this query. No response. The agency’s website says they can’t guarantee a response to unsolicited queries.
I hate that phrase, “unsolicited queries.” I think I will stop sending to agents who use it. It’s not good for my self-image. “Unsolicited” makes me feel like a prostitute desperately throwing myself at any and every potential client (or do I mean agent?), even if they’re indifferent or outright hostile, so I can make enough money to pay for my writing habit. And that’s totally not how it is. I write for free.
I guess it’s a good thing my computer’s paid for.