Be Your Own Literary Agent: The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Getting Published Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is good for what it is. What it isn't, is how to be your own agent. Chapters on contracts and agreements say get a lawyer or agent. Though it does give examples of contract provisions, it leaves the reader thinking that he really does need an agent or attorney. This book isn't about never having an agent, its about getting the offer BEFORE you get an agent. It might even let you negotiate your first book deal if its a simple one.
However, the book IS a good guide on how to get your manuscript to an editor, and get him to read it. With tips not only on what your presentation should look like (query letters, sample chapters, etc.) but also how to find the right editor and make sure he or she reads your manuscript.
The book contains annecdotes from famous authors, sample query letters, cover letters, as well as tips on improving your chances to get plucked from the slush pile. It also does give you familiarity with contract terms and a good idea of what a "standard" offer might be, so that you and your agent will be speaking the same language.
This is a good book for anyone who wants to send their manuscript directly to the editor rather than trying to first find an agent. If you think you'll have more luck this way, this is a good book for you.

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The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual Review

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While the media run rampant with flimsy leads and stories based solely on hearsay, it's good to know that at least their grammar stays in check, thanks to the hard and fast rules set forth in the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual.
Providing direct distinctions between similar words, the correct spelling of commonly-misspelled words, and the politically-correct use of dangerous words, the AP stylebook delineates specific style rules for virtually every journalistic possibility. Set up in a dictionary-style format, the manual's general stylebook lists everything from the perils of "a" versus "an" to the preferred usage of ZIP codes.
Following the stylebook are the more specific sections dealing with sports and business style, both also set up with A to Z listings, including usage and spelling. Although sports writing info may be confined to the needs of the sportswriter, the business section is helpful for those who take interest in corporate designations and definitions of stock market terms.
Finally, just before the manual switches from the absoluteness of style to the murky legal waters of the libel section, comes, in my opinion, the pièce de résistance-A Guide To Punctuation-music to the ears of syntax-psychos and grammar-Nazis, alike.
Starting with words of wisdom from what the AP refers to as "a bible of writers," "The Elements of Style," this portion is eleven pages of invaluable knowledge for any writer, regardless of profession, and is arranged so succintly that even children can access its information for their own use.
Although I have thus far had little use for the information about libel in this book, it is primarily what its introduction claims-not a libel text, but merely a useful guide which "explains the fundamental principles in libel for working writers and editors." It also contains some key parts of the Freedom of Information Act which should be read by everyone to fully know our rights regarding the access to federal information, during what has now become the Age of the X-file.
All-in-all, the AP Stylebook and Libel Manual should be a welcome edition to any writer's reference library.

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Contains over 5,000 entries laying out the AP's rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage.Paper.

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