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Making the Perfect Pitch: How To Catch a Literary Agent's Eye (Paperback)

~ Katharine Sands (Author) "Imagine for a moment you're a literary agent..." (more)
Key Phrases: poetry pitch, nonfiction proposal, good query letter, New York, Jeff Herman, Katharine Sands Sands (more...)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Here's a very useful book for first-time writers. Most how-to books for writers deal with this important subject (finding an agent) in a chapter or two, but Sands, a literary agent in New York, shows that there's a lot more to it than one might expect. Drawing on the experience of a variety of agents (plus one copywriter), she demonstrates that finding an agent involves finding the perfect match between author and representative, between material and market. Think it's easy to write a query letter? Think again: agents get a lot of mail, and you only have one chance to get their attention. Think it's easy to put together a book proposal? Try it sometime, but try not to be too wordy, or too self-promoting, or too been-there-done-that. Do your homework, Sands stresses: don't pitch a genre novel to an agent who deals primarily in nonfiction; do know what other books cover the same ground as yours. But, above all, do read this book, which should teach you pretty much everything you'll need to know. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Watson-Guptill (April 1, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0871162067
  • ISBN-13: 978-0871162069
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 2.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #93,365 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Imagine for a moment you're a literary agent. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
poetry pitch, nonfiction proposal, good query letter, pitch letter, narrative nonfiction, query letters, discovery story, slush pile, commercial fiction
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Jeff Herman, Katharine Sands Sands, Random House, Pulitzer Prize, Bear Heart, Sheree Bykofsky, Stephen King, Distant Valor, San Francisco, William Morris, John Wiley, Literary Market Place, Publishers Weekly, Pushing Thirty, The Complete Idiot's Guide, Tom Clancy, Alternate History, Babitt's Copywriting Canon, Harry Potter, Hot Flashes, John Grisham, Old School, The World of Normal Boys, Trident Media Group
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Making the Perfect Pitch: How To Catch a Literary Agent's Eye
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25 Reviews
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4.8 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the best book on the subject, March 24, 2006
By Daniel L Edelen (Mt. Orab, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
I've read many books intended to help writers get published, but this is possibly the best book I've seen on getting an agent to notice your work. Katharine Sands, an agent herself, has given us a reference that is a must for your writing library.

We've all seen single-source guides on pitching your book, but Sands goes one further by collecting the wisdom of some of the top agents in the publishing business:

* Sarah Jane Freymann relates seven essentials needed in a query letter.

* Robert Gottlieb tells how to stay ahead of publishing trends.

* Michael Larsen give tips on establishing a marketing niche that will appeal to publishers and agents.

* Laurie Horowitz shows how agents can turn books into films.

* Andrew Stuart gives insider tips on paring back queries to their bare essence, packing the most punch on a page.

* Jane Dystel advises the best way to stand out from the rest of the slush pile.

* Donald Maass discusses stand-out settings, memorable protagonists and intractable problems that every novel needs to be breakout-worthy.

There are forty chapters of advice from the best in the business. And while some of it will, by nature, overlap, the info here is invaluable. It's a panel discussion in a convenient book form so beginning writers can refer to it again and again.

If you're considering writing for publication, this book is peerless. Highly recommended.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading for All Writers, August 4, 2004
By Sharon Magee (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I'm the author of two non-fiction books and am preparing to sell my first novel. In studying and listening to agents, I found that each one required something a little different, which was not only confusing but scary. I had heard Katharine Sands speak about Making the Perfect Pitch at a writers conference and bought it. I felt like I'd been let in on the secrets of the publishing world. The agents contributing to the book explained what they want and what they don't, and while each may want things a little different, the basics are the same. The day I received Making the Perfect Pitch, I read it straight through. This book should be required reading for all writers - first-time or seasoned.
Sharon Magee
Author of Geronimo! Stories of an American Legend
Co-Author of Arizona Goes to War
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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I can't say enough positive things about this book, October 23, 2005
By Juan Bwon Jovi (Prague, CZ) - See all my reviews
When I got this, I figured it was just another book about writing, submitting, and trying to succeed at writing. This book is very different though. It is very blunt, like so many other books, but somehow it is rarely negative. After reading similar books, I've come away feeling I could never make it as a writer. This book is uplifting, and sort of says, "You can make it, but here are the things you have to nail down." A great book. Highly recommended to anyone making an attempt at publishing fiction, non-fiction, or screenplays.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!
As a newbie to the world of finding an agent, this books is invaluable. A wide variety of agents weight in on their likes, dislikes, and recommendations for proposals and query... Read more
Published 1 month ago by New Writer

3.0 out of 5 stars Fiction writers look elsewhere.
Though I'm sure this is a good book for non-fiction writers, it is not for fiction.

Fiction is mentioned, but only as an afterthought. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Paul

5.0 out of 5 stars MFA nice, but not required
Weighing in on the MFA question--I saw nowhere in this book that an MFA is *required* to get noticed or to get published. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jean T. Ownbey

5.0 out of 5 stars Making the Pitch easier
This a great help to the aspiring or even the published writer. It peels back the veil that often surrounds the publishing industry. Read more
Published 10 months ago by JMS

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable insight into the minds of top literary agents!
If you've ever wished for the opportunity to interview the top literary agents in America, read Making the Perfect Pitch. Read more
Published 13 months ago by T. L. Cooper

5.0 out of 5 stars Time is Now
Katharine Sands is a New York literary agent. We heard her speak in a workshop some time back. She knows her business and has sage advice for the beginning writer as to how to... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Nash Black

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best
The best book I've ever read about the business of writing. A top agent herself, Sands has gathered the wisdom and candor of other agents as well to share what writers need to... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Cynthia Lamb

5.0 out of 5 stars PRACTICAL MAGIC
As a freelance writer, author, and Internet marketing consultant, I am always looking for new insight into the difficult process of attracting an agent or publisher's eye, both... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Rosemary C

5.0 out of 5 stars You need this book
If you can't write a flawless pitch after reading this book, it's not because you didn't have all the information you could possibly need. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Hanging on Every Word

5.0 out of 5 stars Making the Perfect Pitch
I thought Perfect Pitch was great! It was insightful, informative and entertaining. I have seen her speak in LA and her enthusiasm was contagious, which translated right through... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Tiffany Paris

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Making the Perfect Pitch: Advice from 45 Top Book Agents

Making the Perfect Pitch offers relevant information for first-time writers struggling with capturing the attention of a literary agent in today's competitive marketplace.

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Created on Nov 06, 2006, last edited on Nov 06, 2006.

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