Really. Yes. No kidding.

Finding an agent doesn’t have to involve searching through publications, acknowledgment pages, and a myriad other places. Here’s a site you’ll want to try, LitMatch.

First, you can search for an agent or agency. Their search feature allows you to filter by several categories like genre, fiction/non-fiction, geographical area, agent name. You can further limit your search to agents with web sites, those taking queries, and those who accept e-mail submissions.

For each agency, you’ll see information to help you decide if they’re right for you. This includes a list of other authors they represent (you can search by that as well). Users of the site report their interactions with the agency, including response times, whether rejections are personal or form, and acceptance information. Users can even enter comments for the agency.

The site also has an area to allow you to track submissions. If you have a book you’re interested in sending out, enter its information and track which agency you’ve sent it to and the response.

Overall, I think this site looks great, so if the time is right for you to approach an agent, this is definitely a great place to begin looking.