Customer Reviews

The Insider's Guide to Getting an Agent

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am "prepublished" and have a very respected agent for my novel. I bought this book because I am going to be teaching a workshop on getting an agent, and just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything.

I read it two days, and could not believe how much more I learned about the entire process of having a book published. I've studied this subject to about two years, but in this book Lori answered questions that I've never seen answered anywhere else. Getting An Agent really made me sit down and evaluate why I write, AGAIN.

The only problem is I think the title is very limiting and many people who could benefit will pass it up because they already have representation.

The publishing industry is inscrutable to the uninitiated. And the road from the act of writing a first draft is long and laborious. Writer's Digest publishes some of the best "how to" books around to aid writers in the process, and Lori Perkins has lent her knowledge and experience to their ranks in writing this book. Ms. Perkins is a former editor and has been an agent for fifteen years.

Ms. Perkins writes this book as an advocate for writers. Not only does she stress the writing itself, but she gives a coherent explanation of the publishing world and what makes or breaks both new and established authors. The world of publishing is like a small community, with unspoken rules that writers need to know about to be successful:

"I wanted to write a book on etiquette for writers because I had a brief period of time where many of my established writers seemed to all have their planetary influences in stupidity. What I mean by this is that a number of authors who should have known better did a whole bunch of really self-destructive things to their writing careers."

Ms. Perkins carefully explains the role and necessity for agents in publishing. She teaches the writer how to find an agent, hook an agent, and work with an agent. She gives an excellent overview of the publishing business and how it changes direction very quickly, sometimes snagging writers and their agents in the middle of a project. Editors change jobs, creating "orphaned books." In order to survive as a full-time writer, one must learn to adapt and change at the whim of the public.

Writing is also not as easy as it seems, and Ms. Perkins describes healthy habits to adopt, including how to deal with an agent, once one is signed. Many excellent authors have perished due to bad interpersonal relations, and Ms. Perkins takes pains to point out the pitfalls.

The Insider's Guide to Getting An Agent is a warmly written resource that is invaluable for almost anyone considering the life and perils of writing. The volume should stay at the top of the stack of "how to" books for anyone involved in the writing and publishing business.

Shelly Glodowski, Reviewer

This poorly written book falls far short of coming anywhere near to living up to its title: "The Insider's Guide to GETTING AN AGENT." There was nothing "inside" about it. There were very few solid suggestions and not much space devoted to "GETTING AN AGENT." It should have been called, "Lori Perkins' Guide to Working for Lori Perkins." Or, "Some Lori Perkins' Trite Expressions." There must have been a half dozen mentions in the first half dozen pages that the author had been an agent for 15 years. Wow! How many times to I need to read that? It was an ego trip for Ms Perkins who admitted she wanted to write a different book than what got into print. I also found several errors in the book which read like it was written it short takes and the author forgot what she had already written in earlier pages! Very sloppy editing. Very sloppy writing. Very unworthy of the price. Obviously, I could not recommend this but I could recommend Ms Perkins read some of the reference books she mentions. That was the best thing I got from the book. It is certainly nobody's "Definitive Writer's Resource."

Unfortunately, the editorial synopsis hits it right on the head: Not much of this book (only one chapter) is actually devoted to getting an agent. The rest is about what agents do, how to interact with your agent, etc.

The VAST majority of people who buy this book will want to learn how to actually obtain an agent. This is a reasonable desire considering the book's misleading title. However, the book basically tells you:

1. Look in books with agent lists 2. Try contacting a writers' association for agent lists 3. Write a good query letter 4. Try to contact new agents instead of proven ones

To which I reply: DUH! Tell me something I don't know!

The book itself is well written, but ultimately, who cares if it doesn't tell you the things it purports to? Why would anyone care what agents do during their lunch hour if they don't actualy have one yet?

As other readers have pointed out, this book won't do much for you in terms of persuading an agent to work with you. New writers need all the help they can get in that endeavor, but this is no real help. Since the query letter is the primary contact, one might think that a book like this would have more than one single example. That's all it contains-- and at that, one from Lori's "dream client"--in other words, someone who probably doesn't need this book, or an agent at all for that matter.

For any writer who has spent years working on a manuscript and paying attention to every little detail of grammar and good writing generally, it's especially discouraging to see something in print that was obviously written without careful editing. Most of the people reading this book could probably do a better structural job of writing it.

There is some interesting material, but it doesn't do much to help writers overcome the almost childishly subjective and highly conservative approach most agents take with new writers. At best it's a mildly entertaining read, but like most books on the subject it doesn't deal honestly with the almost impossible task writers face when trying to interest an agent with a short query letter.

IF you choose to read this book, take it out of the library. The advice Ms. Perkins offers is the typical, trite fare you'll find in every other book about getting an agent--it's all about first impressions...blah, blah, blah...write a concise, businesslike cover letter...blah, blah, blah...grab their attention with your query...target your queries...blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. In essence, if you have half a brain and have spent any time trying to get published, you will know everything she discusses in this book. What she doesn't talk about--like every other agent who writes one of these books--is this: given how difficult it is to get an agent, how one really can break in. Neither she nor any of the agent/authors out there address the Catch-22 issue of you can't get an agent without being published, and you can't get published without an agent. Save your money for mailing out your manuscript; she won't teach you anything worthwhile.

The title and back cover description of this book are completely misleading. Of the book's 240-odd pages, I count approximately 30 that discuss the actual search for an agent. The "insider" tips divulged in those pages can be summarized as follows: send out good query letters.

Thanks, now I'm way ahead of the curve.

The balance of the tips are information you can find on dozens of free internet sites if you spend two minutes on Google. It is no defense to say that the book was published five years ago; the tips are common sense, and were no more "insider" information then than they are now.

To put it in perspective, these 30 pages are preceded by 50 pages of Ms. Perkins talking about herself (!) and the industry in very general terms. I acknowledge the need to understand the publishing industry and what agents do before you try to sell a book, and would have no argument with the inclusion of these pages had they been followed with anything of substance. This, however, was not the case. Did the author really think it was a good idea to devote so much space to her lunches? Section headings for "Appetizer", "The Main Course", "Coffee Time"? Literary corn starch.

For further perspective, the pages following the "insider" tips begin with the words "The wait is over: You have an agent." The balance of the book presumes that your query letters have been successful and you've retained an agent! Unagented writers need not read any further. There is even a helpful chapter on calculating how much money you have to make before you can quit your day job. This may be a tad premature in a book on how to obtain an agent.

Credit where it is due - had this book been titled "Caring for and Feeding your Agent", or even "Getting Published", I imagine it may be helpful and I would not feel nearly so cheated. However, the title is "An Insider's Guide to Getting an Agent", and it wholly fails on all counts. This book unfairly captializes on unpublished writers' desire to be published and does nothing to help them on their way.

Thank you, Ms. Perkins. I'm sure my $16.99 will be well spent on your next lunch, with which I'm all too familar.

DT

This is a great book for getting an agent. There is no magic phrase that will get you an agent. You need to know the publishing biz, know what they're looking for and know how agents work - that's how you get one, and that's what Ms. Perkins writes about. This is a very valuable book on the business of publishing, which goes hand in hand with getting agent. I can't stress it's importance enough, except to say I read it cover to cover, followed Ms. Perkins' advice and I now have an agent. You do the math.

Sure, the title is misleading. I was misled, but I'll tell you what--the trade off was worth it. This book gives the reader a better understanding of what it means to be an agent than any other.

This, of course, is helpful in actually getting an agent, since one of the first rules of making it as a writer is know your audience.

Actually, this book does do a better job of helping a writer know how to get an agent than just a straight up list of do's and don'ts, because it gives readers an inside view at what agents like and don't like, and how the process works.

Has a special spot on my book shelf.

Of all the books I've read with information on a new author-agent relationship and the editor-publisher process, I found this one to be the most helpful. Why? It's honest and straightforward, filled with candid tips.

It's almost as if Lori Perkins is sitting down with you for a cup of coffee, offering you fifteen years of insights as she highlights why finding the right agent and building long term relationships in the book business is critical to an author's career.