Personalising Agent Letters in the UK

I just include a line or two about why I am writing to them specifically eg. I am writing to you because you are building your children's list, or you like dark, gritty YA with unexpected twists.

To be honest, that's about all the information you're likely to get on most UK agents - they're not quite as forthcoming about what they like/don't like as the US ones. Many agents I've looked up don't reveal much beyond their name and work history.

Stephanie Thwaites, from Curtis Brown is the only agent I've read about so far who gives lengthy info on what she's looking for.

Interestingly, the one letter I didn't personalise (I just wrote a standard, I am seeking rep/this is my book/this is what it is about/I look forward to hearing from you/have a nice day...type of thing) is the one I got a request for the full from.

Edit: obviously I can only speak for my own experience researching agents in my genre, YA. I don't know how good the info is on agents in other genres.

By all means personalise your letter if you can do so succinctly and if you have a really good reason to personalise it: but just saying, "I'm submitting to you because I have a great big crush on your biggest client" wouldn't be a good way to go.

How might you say that in a tactful fashion, Old Hack? Or do you think it's best left out?

Adoring a particular writer is not a good reason to submit to their agent. It suggests that the agent's skills are not your main reason for wanting them to represent you.

Recognising that the author is well-represented is a good reason; but you wouldn't submit to an agent who didn't represent their authors well, would you?

(Sorry if this is resurrecting a dead thread)

Personalisation to UK agents is one of the things I stress about the most when querying - I overthink and procrastinate because I worry about faux pas! Great points, everyone. I definitely err on the side of going straight into my paragraphs about the novel after the 'Dear x' unless there's something unusual about how I've come across the agent. For Fantasy, it's more difficult, I feel, as few UK agents explicitly say they want Fantasy novels.

I don't really like an 'intro' sentence - a 'I am querying you because...' - I feel that it's grasping at straws a bit, and, as has been said above, some agents don't appreciate being told the obvious and would rather actually just learn about the book.

Nevertheless, it's interesting to see different approaches to how people query UK agents. My stats haven't shown a strength for personalisation.