Regular viewers of this website have seen my byline below many a pitch for new and backlist titles released by E-Reads. But today I’m hyping a book that is dearest to my heart: my own.

Drawing on my experience as the president of a leading New York literary agency, How to be Your Own Literary Agent is my comprehensive practical overview of the publishing process from submissions to contract negotiations to subsidiary rights to marketing, publicity, and beyond. It is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and has been and updated to keep up with such evolving trends in publishing as e-books, industry consolidation, bookstore chains, and media tie-ins. In it you’ll find such topics as:

* Big publishers, small publishers, self-publishers, e-publishers: how to keep up in a rapidly changing business
* The new breed of editors: how to find them and know what they’re looking for
* How to understand a publishing contract clause by clause and figure out if you’re getting a good, fair, or lousy deal.
* What the electronic revolution means to you, and how to take advantage of it
* How to know your “publishing” rights and negotiate effectively
* How to have a say in your book’s design, jacket, and promotion
* How book chains and superstores have altered publishing — and what that means for you

Since I’ve been characterized as a guru of the Digital Revolution, the least I can do is utilize cutting-edge technology to market my own book. And so, under the auspices of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the revised and expanded edition of How to Be Your Own Literary Agent has been made available in its entirety on Google Search. Readers may scroll down the read-only Google scan or buy the print edition in bookstores or via amazon.com. So, have a click and check it out, and, if you like what you see, I’ll be looking for you on my next royalty statement.

Amazon reviewer Simon Haynes had this to say about How to Be Your Own Literary Agent:

The author is an experienced agent sharing his knowledge with a gentle humor. OK, sometimes not so gentle – the quip about the type of negotiating stance a first-time author should take with their publisher is a real gem. I read the book cover to cover in one sitting, skimming only the sections on collaborative writing and book packagers, and not only did I learn a lot I also laughed out loud at several observations. Information is so much easier to digest when it’s presented in a breezy conversational style. The book includes a sample publishing contract and several author-friendly clauses which can be substituted for the more usual publisher-friendly versions. Like another reviewer’s copy, my book also looks like a group of preschoolers had a go at it. Corners folded, underlining everywhere, notes in the margins… but that’s always the sign of an informative title.
Highly recommended if you’re at this stage of the game.

From time to time E-Reads will be running sample material from How to Be Your Own Literary Agent. For instance…

Want to know what goes on in a literary agent’s office when you submit your manuscript? Click here.

– Richard Curtis