A good first impression with agents comes down to doing your research and paying attention to details, says literary agent Steve Hutson. His first piece of advice is to follow instructions. Make sure you are contacting the agent through whichever channel they prefer, and provide whatever information they specifically require. Providing vague answers to any questions will be a red flag, Hutson advises. Both fiction and nonfiction writers should be sure they’ve used good grammar, and nonfiction authors specifically must be aware that to be taken seriously by an agent, they will need to be a qualified expert in their field.