Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents 2010, 20E: Who They Are! What They Want! How to Win Them Over! (Jeff Herman's Guide ... Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents),   ISBN:9781402230004

Customer Rating: 

As a source of information on literary agents, this book is hugely disappointing. The hundreds of pages devoted to literary agents contain mostly obscure agents with not a lot of pertinent info (i.e., who their clients are). Look elsewhere if you need a literary agent (a lot of info is available on the Net).

Customer Rating: 

Many people recommended this guide to me for advice about professional writing, but until I got + read this tomb, I didn't see fully appreciate why they were so emphatic about it.

The detailed interviews with agents give you a nuanced understanding of what people are looking for and how to approach a professional career in writing and publishing. The example formats and directions for a book proposal are helpful too.

Customer Rating: 

This guide to publishers, editors, and agents is better than any I've used before because of its in-depth look at the publishing world. The format is easy to read. There are many additional helps about query letters and summaries, as well as self-publishers. I especially like the "How would you describe the "author from hell" section. This book is well worth the money.

Customer Rating: 

I really recommend this book for anyone in the process of trying to get their book published and sold. Herman's book is packed with how-to, hints, suggestions and best of all, a rather unique manner of listing the literary agents. The method Herman uses lets the reader get acquainted with the agent, which of course is not an easy thing to do when we can't visit the agent in their office. But Herman's method did it for me. Made it easier to decide which literary agent to contact with a query letter, one-page synopsis and SASE. I just began (December 2009) the process of trying to get represented by a literary agent, but I'm confident it will happen now that I have Herman's book to guide and help me.
Sunny Sarah, California

Customer Rating: 

Jeff Herman's book is an excellent resource for writers and he offers much practical advice. He also "kicks it up a notch" by allowing us a glimpse into the personal lives of those who would buy our work and that is a very telling thing for a writer. He also offers solid help with writing a proposal (a most daunting task at times for us non-fiction writers) in an easy format. The only negative thing I've found is that unlike "The Writer's Market" his book offers no information on what each publisher pays (royalties, advance offered, etc.) and for those of us who are interested in such things this is a serious subject I wish was included. Otherwise, a great book I would highly recommend.