2014 Guide to Literary Agents 23rd Edition

This is a great place to start your hunt for an agent. It is well-organized and very easy to use. There are multiple indexes listing agents individually and also by category. The detailed listings help you narrow your focus and not waste time targeting agents who either wouldn't like your stuff or only accept submissions from referrals etc, and also tell you the best way to submit. Yes, you can find a lot of such information on the agency websites online, but this book will speed up your search. I found it best to make up lists from this book first, then hit up the agency websites as a "double check" before submitting.It's also packed with important and helpful tips to help you avoid making critical errors and blowing a possible connection, including dozens of interviews with agents and writers that will enlighten you on the mindset and standard practices of the industry.WARNING!!!!! One year after posting my initial review I am compelled to revise this:"The free subscription to writers market.com is a nice bonus".ACTUALLY, the Writers Market is not that great a website and they AUTOMATICALLY CHARGE YOUR CREDIT CARD after one year -- a scam of $39.95.EVEN WORSE -- they do so with NO NOTICE (before OR after!) and there is NO OPTION on the website to deselect the auto renew.DO NOT FALL VICTIM TO THIS SCAM BY SIGNING UP ON THE WEBSITE!!!

I felt like I needed to buy this book as my search for an agent resumed because I felt overwhelmed by the task I'd set out to accomplish, but looking back, it was a waste of money. The truth is that there are a wealth of sources of information that are more complete and more up to date on the internet. For those who, like me, think they need to have a guide before they write a query letter or seek out a list of agents, I'd recommend starting with the website Absolute Write. You'll find a wealth for resources there, plus a community to commiserate with and get advice from. I even had a published writer offer to read the first three chapters of my manuscript and give me feedback as to what might be turning agents away from it.

This book provides some useful tips, but I bought it primarily because I'm presently seeking a literary agent. The alphabetical listing of agents is pretty voluminous, and the informational material allows potential authors to see if an individual agent caters to his or her genre. Website details are also provided for most agencies, and occasionally the reader can choose a specific agent before straying from Mr. Sambuchino's text. The only thing I can add is that I've sent out a number of queries, and I'm only partway into the "E" listing. This guide is definitely worth the price.

Nobody's perfect. The book is essential for the unpublished writer and for published writers looking for new representation. The book identifies the genres the agencies are looking for, whether they accept queries from unpublished authors, and the agency websites. The agencies are changing all the time and having last year's book just won't cut it. That said, this is a Writer's Digest product which means the tone is upbeat. I'm sure some of the agencies would have passed on the young F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise. I have my queries out now. The book le me narrow my focus to about a dozen promising agencies. If things go well, I may add a star to the rating..

I have been looking for literary agents on the internet for a long time. It is hard to find someone interested in your work. This book is very thorough and never knew about most of these, even though I thought that it would have nothing more than the internet. I was wrong. It was a good investment.

This is a good book if you're looking for a literary agent. But it needs one minor adjustment. When authors are looking for an agent, they are looking for one based on the genre of their book. The index of the book includes a list that shows which agents specialize in what genre, but this should be in the main part of the book so that you're not constantly flipping back and forth to find the page number of the agent you need. Other than that, the information in the book is valuable and useful.

This book has an amazing directory of up to date agents and conferences that was much longer than I expected. You can find just the right fit for you no matter what your genre. Notably, there is an in-depth chapter in this edition that is focused with memoirs. It helps explain possible confusion with this genre being fiction or nonfiction, as well as detailing the best way to query an agent for a memoir.

a gift

Superb, loads of information - for the American market but in these days of global communications I don't forsee any problems.Buy it.

Great list of literary agents....sorry there weren't more of Montreal agents!

I assumed the book concerned British Literary Agent. Wrong, it is an American book - this should be made clear to would be purchasers.