The Insider's Guide to Getting an Agent

Of all the books I've read with information on a new author-agent relationship and the editor-publisher process, I found this one to be the most helpful. Why? It's honest and straightforward, filled with candid tips. It's almost as if Lori Perkins is sitting down with you for a cup of coffee, offering you fifteen years of insights as she highlights why finding the right agent and building long term relationships in the book business is critical to an author's career.

Sure, the title is misleading. I was misled, but I'll tell you what--the trade off was worth it. This book gives the reader a better understanding of what it means to be an agent than any other. This, of course, is helpful in actually getting an agent, since one of the first rules of making it as a writer is know your audience.Actually, this book does do a better job of helping a writer know how to get an agent than just a straight up list of do's and don'ts, because it gives readers an inside view at what agents like and don't like, and how the process works.Has a special spot on my book shelf.

This is a great book for getting an agent. There is no magic phrase that will get you an agent. You need to know the publishing biz, know what they're looking for and know how agents work - that's how you get one, and that's what Ms. Perkins writes about. This is a very valuable book on the business of publishing, which goes hand in hand with getting agent. I can't stress it's importance enough, except to say I read it cover to cover, followed Ms. Perkins' advice and I now have an agent. You do the math.

The publishing industry is inscrutable to the uninitiated. And the road from the act of writing a first draft is long and laborious. Writer's Digest publishes some of the best "how to" books around to aid writers in the process, and Lori Perkins has lent her knowledge and experience to their ranks in writing this book. Ms. Perkins is a former editor and has been an agent for fifteen years. Ms. Perkins writes this book as an advocate for writers. Not only does she stress the writing itself, but she gives a coherent explanation of the publishing world and what makes or breaks both new and established authors. The world of publishing is like a small community, with unspoken rules that writers need to know about to be successful: "I wanted to write a book on etiquette for writers because I had a brief period of time where many of my established writers seemed to all have their planetary influences in stupidity. What I mean by this is that a number of authors who should have known better did a whole bunch of really self-destructive things to their writing careers."Ms. Perkins carefully explains the role and necessity for agents in publishing. She teaches the writer how to find an agent, hook an agent, and work with an agent. She gives an excellent overview of the publishing business and how it changes direction very quickly, sometimes snagging writers and their agents in the middle of a project. Editors change jobs, creating "orphaned books." In order to survive as a full-time writer, one must learn to adapt and change at the whim of the public.Writing is also not as easy as it seems, and Ms. Perkins describes healthy habits to adopt, including how to deal with an agent, once one is signed. Many excellent authors have perished due to bad interpersonal relations, and Ms. Perkins takes pains to point out the pitfalls. The Insider's Guide to Getting An Agent is a warmly written resource that is invaluable for almost anyone considering the life and perils of writing. The volume should stay at the top of the stack of "how to" books for anyone involved in the writing and publishing business.Shelly Glodowski, Reviewer

I am "prepublished" and have a very respected agent for my novel. I bought this book because I am going to be teaching a workshop on getting an agent, and just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything.I read it two days, and could not believe how much more I learned about the entire process of having a book published. I've studied this subject to about two years, but in this book Lori answered questions that I've never seen answered anywhere else. Getting An Agent really made me sit down and evaluate why I write, AGAIN.The only problem is I think the title is very limiting and many people who could benefit will pass it up because they already have representation.