QueryCat
QueryCat is a micro-SaaS platform I founded to change the way aspiring authors connect with literary agents.
Company
QueryCat emerged as a groundbreaking online literary agent database, aiming to bridge the gap between aspiring authors and literary agents.
User Problem
The path to a major publishing deal is through a literary agent. However, many aspiring authors struggle to find representation due to outdated, inefficient databases and unwieldy agent websites reminiscent of the 1990s. I founded the company after experiencing the cumbersome nature of querying agents. This personal experience highlighted the pressing need for a modern, user-friendly platform to simplify this critical step in an author's journey.
Scratching an Itch
I had no idea what I signed up for when I decided to ship my own product. It was fun and nerve-wracking to have that much skin in the game. From art directing a brand designer to building prototypes for doing usability testing with author friends and product managing a contract developer to ship the app, I can't say I've encountered a more arduous learning experience.
Alas, a Vitamin
After testing out multiple customer acquisition channels and experimenting with various business models and pricing strategies, ultimately I couldn't figure out a way to scale the service.
Humayun and QueryCat has done the impossible: made me excited to throw myself into the query trenches, for the first time ever. It's interface is refreshingly sleek, which makes it approachable and easy to use.