Writer's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents, 13th Edition: Who They Are! What They Want! and How to Win Them Over!

Well gang- I've been working in this biz for 25 years and I've never seen so many negative reviews. I know 50 authors who have loved this book and tell me it helped them get published. I use the book all the time- There is great information here! I applaud Jeff- this is a useful book. Get it. Rick Frishman Pres. Planned TV Arts (NYC) Co-author GUERRILLA PUBLICITY & GUERRILLA MARKETING FOR WRITERS

First, folks, let me say I am a professional writer who prefers to remain anonymous, whose third novel will come out in hardcover from a major house this fall, and my agent is getting me six-figure advances, including foreign rights and audio sales. Second, like all you aspiring writers out there, four years ago I was a struggling "wannabee" too, with my own gigantic pile of "Dear Author" rejection letters. I quickly learned that wannabee writers fell into one of two groups, which I labeled the "willoughbies" (the people who WILL break in professionally sooner or later) and the "wontabees" (the people who will never succeed no matter how much you try to help them). If you really, truly want to go pro, you have to be honest with yourself that at any point in your early career you still have a heck of a lot to learn -- and the Herman Guide will make a big difference in getting you there. So, I agree with the other 5-star reviewers below, that the 1-star reviewers of the classic, indispensable Herman Guide sound like sour-grape whiners and complainers. Agents have no time or patience for obvious wontabees. And believe me, they can smell a wontabee within 3 seconds of when they open the submission envelope. Don't blame it on Anthrax. So why is this Guide valuable to you? It is the most complete and accurate existing guide to agents -- who are the only people you should contact if you have a full-length book you want to get published, not editors. Whoever below said that editors are more approachable might have been talking about short stories for magazines, where it's true that you don't need an agent and no agent will want to even look at your stuff anyway. And the guy or gal who said below that Herman is out of date probably doesn't realize how long it takes from when the raw material of a book is ready, to when the actual book reaches the bookstores. It takes over a year, sometimes closer to two years!!! Editing, production steps, and advance marketing, all force this long lead time. So, OF COURSE you should double-check the info to make sure it's current and accurate. What Herman says about my own literary agent, for instance, is spot on!!!I strongly recommend that you read every single agent's description of their "dream client" and their "client from hell" -- yes, every darned one of them in this Guide -- and then think hard about what they say, and learn from it before you send out another submission. It WILL make a difference. If you're too lazy to carefully read hundreds of different agent listings, or too self-referential to learn from this solid-gold resource of wisdom, then you're a wontabee for sure.In summary, without this Guide I would not have learned how much there was to know about things that I didn't even know I needed to know, and I would certainly not have learned the "right answers" to all these unasked questions. Nor would I have happily left my previous career "day job" far behind me long ago, and be making a

Jeff Herman does it again, as he has year after year, with the latest updated information on the publishing industry. No serious writer can work without the benefit of this invaluable resource. As both an author and a literary agent, I keep Herman's book alongside the Literary Market Place on my shelf. It works for agents as well as authors! My agency has garnered top authors thanks to this resource.

Providing a wealth of information needed to succeed in the writing industry, *Writer's Guide...* is an excellent tool for both aspiring and established writers. A most successful literary agent and author, Jeff Herman possesses a thorough knowledge of the industry which he shares an in-depth volume for writers. In the late 1970s, Herman made a living by cleaning public toilets. Just a decade later, he launched what would become the most credible and successful literary agency in the United States. His laborious efforts that paved his way to success have been channeled into his work, cutting out multiple steps and energies for other writers. As he writes, "The publishing business is a mysterious place, even for veteran (writers)...This book will help you to break the code, unmask false wizards, and empower you to challenge the obstacles." In an industry where nepotism and knowing the right person seems to be the only way to get published, Herman's work encoura! ges and inspires writers to remain persistent and optimistic. He states, "Growth and success cannot be known by those who give up or fail to even try." His own rags to wealth story lends credibility to this statement. In over 550 pages, Herman lists a multitude of United States publishers, University and religous publishers, as well as Canadian publishers, who are all anxious for innovative writing and new ideas. Each publisher listing provides the address and telephone number of the publishing house, a brief history of the company, the types of books published and several sample titles of recently published works. Writers are also provided with the contact names of whom they need to query. In the case of larger publishers, each editor is listed with a brief description of what he or she is looking to publish, so that writers may send their work to the correct individual. The only drawback to Herman's publisher description is that he does not provide information on ! which publishers accept manuscripts only from agents. There! fore, *Writer's Guide...* is best used by cross-referencing the book with *Writer's Market.* However, for the writers who wish to minimize their solicitation efforts, Herman provides an agent listing of about 200 pages. These listings provide thorough information on the agents such as their work experience, preferred clients, works sold, what they prefer to and not to market as well as a brief statement giving advice to writers on soliciting manuscripts. Also provided is the commission fees of the agents and, in a few cases, reading fees. Following the listings, Herman and company have written various articles geared toward increasing a writer's chances for success. For example, the writer will find advice on how to properly contact agents and publishers, how to write the perfect query letter, how to write book proposals, how literary agents work, as well as many other useful article that will keep the writer inspired, optimistic and informed. A writer without the

I always recommend this book to every author or literary professional who doesn't own it already. I find it invaluable in running my literary agency, can't imagine NOT owning it. Julie Hill, Literary Agent and Book Publicist