2015 Guide to Literary Agents: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published (Market) Twenty fourth Edition

My previous Guide to Literary Agents was from 2011, so it was time for an upgrade. This book is solid packed full of info, from query letter examples, industry advice, and agents. The index is in tiny print and I've just recently gotten glasses so it's especially hard to use. I get wanting more to save paper but geez! That said, the agent info is gold and it's an excellent reference for writers. My friends and I use together to find agents that are interested in our specific genres.

Yesterday my hot-off-the-presses copy of Chuck Sambuchino's 2015 Guide to Literary Agents arrived on my doorstep. I quickly sliced open the box and cracked it open. As I prepare to write my first novel, Where the Light Enters, for National Novel Writing Month, a portion of that planning involves marketing the book and learning as much as I can about the agent and book publishing worlds. This is completely new territory for me, and this book is one of my main sources of research, advice, and guidance. If you're taking a serious step into the writing world, I highly recommend the book. In an hour, I learned more information from it than I've learned in months of doing my own piecemeal research. It's that good. Let's do this!

The process for getting published described in this book is very depressing. I know that if I followed it, it would destroy any modicum of creativity that I have. This is all about playing the game, selling yourself to a bunch of establishment hacks who are only interested in turning a quick buck on a book that they can sell. Platform, Publicity, Pitch-Perfect Queries and Synopses, SASE, saying "pretty please" to the right person with loads of sugar on top. Honestly? Sounds like a fricking nightmare to me. I'd rather have my work languishing in obscurity in a self-published format than follow the milquetoast, formulaic route described here.This is a well-intended marketing book, but expending so much effort and time on following the described corporate marketing ritual is sure to destroy anyone who has a truly unique vision. Writing a multitude of queries or synopses in the specific fashion dictated by various agents requires a completely different mind-set from writing a good story. I'm not inclined to squander my finite energies appeasing these mostly-NYC literary elites. I can either spend my next dozen weekends writing away on my next story or I can try to cater to these skeptical people, each of whom has their own little niche. I'd rather write my next story. As one agent said, a great book will find its own market. I'd rather just self-publish and get my work out there. It will either ignite or it won't. Word of mouth is a potent force, and I'd rather deal with readers than agents who have stacks of stuff they don't have time to genuinely explore. I'm not looking to make a fortune or become famous; I'd just like to be read without losing my inertia or dignity.I recently finished a 105,000 word science fiction piece that I thought was pretty good. I had several beta readers take a look at it, and all of them gave it a resounding thumbs up. They assured me this one would have broad appeal. (I wrote it with that in mind, unlike my earlier efforts.) I had originally planned on self-publishing, but my beta readers suggested that this one was marketable, and that I'd certainly get a publisher. Someone suggested this book to help me find an agent. I read the introductory chapters and felt my enthusiasm waning with each page. Then I got to the directory of agents, and started searching for those who might be interested in my piece. I found that I just didn't have the energy to write the politically correct and instantly captivating query which is required to capture someone's eye. It felt like I was compromising my story to even try. Most of what I like in a good book is intangible and nuance; how can you distill that down into a few paragraphs? Many of the best books ever written would sound inane in a the query or synopsis format, and most wouldn't fit a single publishing niche. Hmmm...let's call Huckleberry Finn "Young Adult"--that's probably the closest category, and it's a very active market!I determined that this route just isn't for me. I feel like this is the equivalent of knocking on doors trying to sell Avon or vacuum cleaners. I want to write, not squander my energies on a web page, a blog, tweeting, attending writer's conferences, networking and all the other corporate machinations that are anathema to cultivating and maintaining creativity. In my view, all those activities run the risk of vanillafying a writer and turning him or her into a mainstream gadfly. I want to deviate from the herd, not graze along with it. We need to stay unique and independent, not congeal and homogenize to make things safe for Corporate.If there was ever a single document making the case for self-publishing, this is it. I wandered the aisles at a major bookstore recently and looked at all the formulaic titles...like compliant paper widgets which have run down the Acme Corp. conveyor belt, waiting to be picked up, bought and adored by their target audiences. The only books of interest to me were at least 40 years old, before writing became industrialized like the production of scrumptious little cookies that are sure to please everyone and sell super-well and make the aspiring writer so very significant to the world for a few weeks.

This is the go to reference for authors who want to find an agent, the number of which is daunting. Fortunately, there is a cross reference index, which lists agents/agencies by what type of works they will consider. Also, the book includes a coding system that helps the reader know if the firm/agent is accepting new clients. As a bonus, several articles at the beginning give tips on submission and other useful information, including testimonials from successful authors about their experiences, one of whom self-published his work initially, only to be contacted by a publisher later based on his success. In my opinion, this book is a must-have for anyone seeking an agent.

This book is thorough! I can't assess whether EVERY available literary agent is in this book, but I do like its comprehensive style. Each listing has a tone. What I mean is, I can tell you from the written description of the agent or agency, whether or not I'd taken even a CHANCE on a particular person or group. I don't know how they do it, but I think I can rely on these listings.

This is a very useful book and also includes a free subscription to Writer's Digest on line My book came with 33 pages missing, it went from pg. 252 and then jumped to 285. The pages weren't torn out, just not there. I called and was sent a replacement book (all pages were there). Received new book in 1 day. Would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an agent.

I found this useful even though I haven't yet used it to contact an agent. The beginning chapters tell you what agents are and aren't looking for in a book, particularly a NOVEL. I realized mine needed more work and am revising it. I wouldn't suggest trying to find an agent without reading this book. There are very complete listings of agents in the back, with their preferences and contact info.

Lots of possibly useful information. A few pages of what might actually turn out to be worthwhile. It is plain that you can spend more time looking for an agent than writing the book. Self publishing looks like a good alternative.Too many pages are spent telling a beginning writer how to write good fiction. If you don't know that, you shouldn't be looking for an agent.A few very good pages on how to structure a query to catch an agent's attention. Probably worth the cost of the book, along with a listing of agents and what type of manuscripts they will look at.

Very interesting useful book for anyone in publishing or authors

An excellent guide, lots of helpful hints and ideas. To the point examples of what not to do for those new writer's and those not so new. A must have for anyone exploring the writing industry. I loved it.

OK, but not great for the UK