You Can Make It Big Writing Books: A Top Agent Shows How to Develop a Million-Dollar Bestseller (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If your goal is a Pulitzer, don't look here. But if your aspirations include wealth, bestsellerdom, and an appearance on Oprah®, You Can Make It Big Writing Books can help. The majority of the book comprises author and literary agent Jeff Herman's profiles of more than 60 topselling authors. While the profiles quickly begin to sound formulaic--the authors all seem to have been asked the exact same questions--there is a lot to learn from this group of confident, successful self-promoters: mainly that writing may be an art form, but, as says Carmen Renee Berry (Girlfriends for Life), "publishing is a business." Some of the best--and funniest--tips come from Ralph Roberts (Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman). Roberts recommends autographing books at every bookstore you can (it makes it more difficult for the store to return them to the publisher) and giving the pilot a copy of your book every time you fly. "It's awesome," says Roberts, "to hear the pilot announce: 'We have Ralph Roberts, the world's greatest salesperson, on board.'"

The final third of the book is devoted to promotional tips from Herman and other specialists. They advise that you write a query letter so good that an agent will feel compelled to call you immediately; make your radio appearances so engrossing that even ice cream in the trunk wouldn't make a listener turn off the car and go inside; and take advantage of America Online's 30-day free trial to promote your book to its members. Of course, divine intervention and that booking on Oprah® wouldn't hurt, either. --Jane Steinberg

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Discover the Success Secrets of 60 of Today's Bestselling Authors! -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Prima Lifestyles (September 8, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761513620
• ISBN-13: 978-0761513629
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,184,049 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Publishing is a Business, May 31, 2000

By	A. Petrotchenkov (Moscow, Russia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is wonderful. It combines the professional know-how of 60 celebrated American authors. The topselling American authors all seem to have been asked the same questions, and there is a lot to learn from this group of successful self-promoters in the first 220 pages of the book. And in the final third of the book is devoted to promotional tips from top literary agent Jeff Herman and his colleagues.

Every page of "You Can Make It Big Writing Books" has inspiration. But this book is not about writing fine literature. This is about taking a pretty good idea and positioning it for success. This book for those who wants to make big money writing books -- from the basics of drafting a great idea into a marketable book to the specifics of book publishing.

I recommend: don't even think about writing a book until you read "You Can Make It Big Writing Books". This is one of the best reference books on this subject, maybe the next after "How to Be Your Own Literary Agent: The Business of Getting a Book Published" by Richard Curtis. It is a must-have for anyone trying to break into the world of authorship.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teaches real secrets to get published., November 20, 1999

By A Customer

This book is super! The best of it's kind if you ask me and as an aspiring author I've read plenty of these "how to publish your book" manuals. This is the first book I have ever seen that takes you inside an author's head to discern how he or she really thinks. The book also includes terrific information on book promotion. John Gray, Mark Victor Hansen (of Chicken Soup for the Soul), Ralph Roberts (the World's Greatest Salesman), and noted psychotherapy author Dr. Howard Rosenthal provide some the most interesting and inspiring ideas I've heard to date. I'm confident after reading this book that I can apply the ideas and eventually will see my book in print.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best volumes ever written about selling books, October 4, 1999

By	joel hirschhorn ([e-mail]) (Westlake Village, California) - See all my reviews

"You can make it big writing books" is an expert combination of superb artistic advice and practical direction. The interviews have a warmly accessible, direct quality that makes the reader feel that these fine writers are talking directly to them and offering invaluable nuggets of information. There's something else that makes "You can make it big" special -- it's uplifting and inspiring. Without avoiding the realities all writers must know, it makes the reader feel confident that he or she can achieve their dreams of achieving a bestseller. It accomplishes this in a hugely entertaining way, and deserves to be read by all creative people. Authors Jeff Herman (one of the world's top literary agents), Deborah Levine Herman and Julia Devillers should be congratulated for their outstanding and indispensably helpful book.