Customer Reviews

1999 Guide to Literary Agents: 500 Agents Who Sell What You Write

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An indispensable book for anyone unfortunate enough to be looking for an agent. No other guide to agents is as well laid-out, as comprehensive, or as up to date. There's also entertainment value in comparing the arrogant posturing of so many agents, who act like they'll only accept the Great American Novel (and even then only if the manuscript is double-spaced!), with the kind of discount-table fodder they've succeeded in foisting onto publishers. But as long as publishers are too lazy to do their own reading, aspiring writers will need agents - and this superb guide to them.

This is the 1999 version of the standard guide to literary agents. It has the same strengths and same weaknesses as the 1998 and earlier editions of this same work. Aside from the usual additions and subtractions in the listing pages, the only major difference from last year's book is the new introductory articles. Most of these articles are reprints from previous issues of Writers Digest magazine, but they're generally well worth reading. (Of course, this book is kinda like Playboy Magazine in that no one buys it for the articles, excellent though they may be in some cases.)

The listings are useful, but incomplete. Many important agencies have been left out for one reason or another.

Happily, fee-charging agencies are strictly segregated from the non-fee-charging agencies (which are the only ones you want to do business with.) Even if you are foolish enough to go with a fee-charging agency, you can at least assume that the agencies in this book do occasionally actually sell books to publishers.

(I might add that the editor of the 1999 edition, Donya Dickerson, is my second cousin's ex-wife. I've never even met the woman, and the generally positive nature of my review is not due to this rather attenuated family tie.)

I got the 1999 copy of this incredible guide from a friend who is currently writing her own non-fiction book. It is an incredible resource for both the aspiring and the accomplished writer. Of course, the listings of agents will change from year to year, but what is most useful about this guide is its articles on agents and the publishing industry. The authors have also done a very good job of including a list of helpful resources and organizations for writers of all stripes.

However, this book is most useful to those have a finished manuscript in hand, and want to get it in print. Aspiring writers like myself do learn from this volume how not to get taken by unscrupulous literary agents. We also learn what role(s) the agent plays, and we also learn what gets the agent's attention.

"Forewarned is fore-armed", said a wise man a long time ago. This guide and its later volumes can teach intrepid writers a lot. For the aspiring author, two other books along these lines that are worthwhile reads are Michael Larsen's How to Write a Book Proposal and Guide to Literary Agents.

I found the review to be good. But, I seek information on name, address and e-mails of the LITERARY AGENTS OF ART MOVIES(FEATURE FILMS) IN USA for my forthcoming film.

Sincerely yours

Apurba Chakraborty