Tough question! Hard work, strong writing, a great pitch. And probably a touch of luck, too. #AskAgent

What's on the page is the most important thing. However presenting yourself professionally in your cover letter is important - sometimes I can be put off by an arrogant, entitled or unprofessional cover letter. #askagent

If book 2 isn't sold, finish that and sub it - I'd say don't worry about whether or not book 1 is pub'd, just say it's due for pub. If you've got a 2 book deal, might be best to sub when you have something new to sell. #askagent

Ask yourself what you're struggling with. Do you need to make more time? Are you being overly-critical of yourself? or is this not the right project for you, right now? Sometimes it doesn't hurt to switch to a project that feels more fun! #askagent

Although TWs are not mandatory, I know they are appreciated.

No preference.
An extra line at the very least

I like to see if the writer is well read (or even somewhat "read") in their category and genre.

I've seen authors leave it in, and I've seen authors leave it out...either is fine.
If I had my way a short bio would be in the query, and a more detailed one would be in the separate bio box.
But this isn't a deal breaker. Just a suggestion.

I don't think nudges are obnoxious if it's 6+m as long as you're professional.

Huh.
Never really considered this, but actually, I think I prefer comparative to other authors.
...might change my query form based on this question.
THANK YOU
P.S. This is a persona preference, and honestly, either will suffice.

I expect pitch para, author bio, category/genre, word count, & any inclusions req'd, like sample pages and/or synopsis. Can't speak for all agents but to me the query is secondary to the sample, so if it's not "perfect" = not a deal breaker. Better too much info than not enough.

Not totally true. Good agent buddy of mine sells shiz ALL THE TIME and doesn't put them in PM unless the pub requests it, so while it's an excellent source, I'd also check Writers Beware, QueryTracker, and DuoTrope

If any of them do they have not said so to me so I can't say whether it's helpful or not.
I CAN say that I once had one of my manuscripts put thru a program by a former agent and I had to go thru and re-edit the damned thing b/c the program (not sure which one?) messed stuff up.

It's true that the forms act as filters for us, which is becoming increasingly helpful as our inboxes can get into the thousands, but I don't think there's more likelihood of you being signed off one query over the other.
We still have to read them all, so either way...go forth.

As long as you execute it well and it fits within the reader expectations of that category/genre, it doesn't really matter.

Not WF. That's gen fic.

Don't give away ebook copies to questionable blog tours (only use ones the publicist recommends), and if you do, watermark that shiz.
And every time you see one pop up send it to the publisher. If they don't send a C&D then you should.
Not much else you can do, I'm afraid.

Keep it one to two pages (single spaced) and give the major plot points and character developments, and leave the details out.

I don't think there's a definitive way to pitch stories like these, but the way *I* pitch them is to describe each story line and MC in one to two lines and then note how they intersect.

I'm going to admit to the world I don't actually know the statistics on this.
I DO know that military SF is a fairly small niche (in publishing) so either lean into it hard to satisfy die hard fans, or soften it to appeal to a broader audience. That's my advice.