Agent

"Here at the Gig editorial offices, it's always a great thing to get a hold of a book that is well-written, informative, and really useful to anyone living and working in the real world. ...This is perhaps the most valuable book we have seen on getting your act together in a business sense. This is one you'll really want to check out." --Bill Evans, Gig Magazine

This book fundamentally changed the way I think about what I am doing for a living. It made it possible for me to reorganize the business aspect of my career, and by the time I was actually making a living, a really killer booking agent found me and took the work off my hands. The aforementioned agent would not have been anywhere near as interested in helping my career if I hadn't had my business [act] together, and I wouldn't have had my business [act] together if I hadn't read Jeri's book. Buy it now. You won't be disappointed.

My friend recommended this book to me a few years ago - it hasn't been far from my office desk ever since. This book is not only filled with clear, good advice and hundreds of helpful quotes and stories from all kinds of people in the business, it's also well-organized and enjoyable to read. The author breaks things down to their essentials, dealing with the big questions about being your own boss, along with the thousands of little details. I haven't seen a book that beats this one for its subject. If you want the real information about how it's really done, get this book.

This book has changed my way of thinking. Gary Keller and Dave Jenks do a remarkable job of mapping out the path to netting over a million dollars. I am currently reading this book for the second time and I plan on reading it ten more times. Our team has made some serious changes after reading this book and we are seeing the benefits and how easy it can be accomplished. Remember we are all in the Lead Generating Business. I wish you all the success after you follow the MILLIONAIRE REAL ESTATE AGENT Book.

Tremendous!!!,
Gary Keller, Dave Jenks and Jay PApasan have really laid this business of real estate sales out for the Real Estate agent that views their practice as a business. Agents that read this book-- get ready to get control of your business. He talks about mastery in the areas of lead generation, Profitablity, accountabliity, tracking, Recruiting help, grooming lead help and growing a Mega Agent practice within your current work environment. I've already experienced unbelievable results by using the principles taught in this book. I have made adjustments in my practice that are already producing significant results and profit after just a few short months. I'm on my second reading of this book and I am discovering things I missed the first time around. I think this book may revolutionize the real estate business form the agent's prospective. This is a must read for anyone that wants to take their business to its full potential!! Buy this book!!!
Tom

Anyone building a real estate business would do themselves a great favor by picking up this book. I've used the models in the Millionaire Agent as a framework to coach my real estate clients to their next levels of success. In fact, my other business clients have also gained great benefits by applying the model of using solid models, as well. The authors boil down the real estate game into something simple and tangible, the 3 L's -- Leads, Listings, and Leverage. Many agents understand the leads and listings part of the equation. My clients tend to struggle with the 3rd part, leverage. Instead of building leverage, they find themselves battling with the 4th L -- Liability.

Ideally, leverage results when you have a clear system and good tools for getting the work done. Liability and struggle occurs when you don't. Leverage occurs when you find the right people to plug into your team. Liability occurs when your people cause you more work and headaches than they save you. The people problem generally rears its ugly head when you aren't clear about your standards for operating and how you'd like a team member to fit into your system. This often occurs when you hire from a position of "needing a warm body" or trying to help someone out by providing a job. Instead, it's necessary to take the time to research successful real estate models, implement a solid work system, and search for the right person(s) to plug into it. The result is a great big opportunity for you and your ideal employees.

Regardless of where you find yourself in the real estate industry, chances are you will see yourself in this book and discover a few great millionaire models to emulate.

Now this is what everyone needs at the end of a long day, to escape into an action-and-romance romp across the galaxy.

The plot of this book (apparently part of a series that has become an underground hit while I wasn't looking): Val Con, spy and so much more for Liad, gets an unexpected pang of chivalry and saves Miri Robertson, cute little redhead, from an attack by a gang of thugs. Turns out Miri is a tough former Merc with a past that is coming after her big time in the form of the Juntavas -- a galactic mafia. Now Val Con and Miri are on the run together from varioius annoyed parties, having each made enemies of their own for all the right reasons, and they must learn to trust each other to survive. Along the way they enlist the help of some turtle-like aliens, who as chance would have it had adopted Val Con as a sort of blood brother and now take up his and Miri's cause as their own.

I found this installment of the Liaden Universe novels very different in tone and characterization from the first, Conflict of Honors; it also has some of the most original elements in space opera. For starters, the aliens have the feel of much-beloved relatives as opposed to weird creatures. And rather than focusing on hardware and technology (which is definitely a factor here, make no mistake) the authors engage us with the quirky, yet believable personalities they have created. All this, and well-timed action, too!

I just finished this book for the 7th time, and it's still one of the most involving stories I've every read. I couldn't put it down, and my spouse hasn't seen my face in days. I'm so glad I stole the first trilogy from his roommate, back in college! I won't bother to describe the plot or characters, others have done it better than I in previous reviews. I will say that this series of books fired conversations between my husband and I for years before the sequel trilogy was published. I wanted to be Miri, I had a crush on Val Con, and barring all else, I wanted to be adopted by the Clutch Turtles! Needless to say, like so many others, I highly recommend all the Liad books to anyone who appreciates science fiction.

Val Con yos'Phelium, Clan Korval, future Delm and Second Speaker, was just doing a routine mission on some backwater planet in the middle of the universe when his life changed. After completing his mission, he encountered a small spitfire of a woman and saved her life, for which she promptly repaid him by bashing his head in. When Val Con woke up, the spitfire dumped him, but Val Con was intrigued, so he followed her and saved her life again. Now Miri Robertson, whose life he had saved twice, was forced to deal with Val Con, honor demanded it. She was intrigued by Val Con, whom she nicknamed "Tough Guy", but definitely didn't want a partner. As a former mercenary and bodyguard, she could handle herself and, as a target for the powerful Juntavas crime ring, she couldn't trust anyone...

However, both Val Con and Miri, both of whom were used to working alone, soon found that they worked well as partners, at least they would if Miri would stop trying to ditch Val Con at every opportunity. Val Con knew that Miri was something special, she made him feel things that he hadn't felt in years, she made him feel alive again. Miri didn't know what was wrong with Val Con, but she knew it had something to do with what he called The Loop, some kind of brain implant that gave him the odds of success on every mission/action he made. As they grew closer together, both Val Con and Miri realized that the Department of the Interior, who had trained Val Con as an agent, must have some ulterior motive in plan. But in order to find out what it was, they had to stay alive...

Agent of Change is the 4th book in the Liaden series if you read them chronologically (which I recommend). As with the other books, I simply loved Lee & Miller's characters and world building. They spend time on the details and it shows that they have carefully thought out and executed another masterpiece. I really feel as if I know the Korval family and am taking a remedial course on Liaden etiquette, these books are that well written! If you enjoy any kind of science fiction or space opera then this book has something for you - great characters, lots of action, enemies on all sides, high tech battle sequences, romance, family relations, honor, and much, much more! You can read this book as a stand-alone novel, but I would not recommend it as you will miss a lot of background, even though you should be able to follow the plot without too much trouble. Also, you definitely should not miss out on any book in the wonderful Liaden universe - all of them are very highly recommended!

This oversize book is full of photos and graphics of the Catskills. It has good information on the entertainment aspect and on the workings and development of the big hotels. There are abundant quotes from the many Catskills entertainers, staff, owners, and guests that the Frommers interviewed. It Happened in the Catskills is a fun book to travel the Mountains with

This exuberant oral history of what Jewish comedians used to call the Borscht Belt re-creates a world now gone--a New York State vacation haven in the middle decades of this century primarily to New York City Jews. The Frommers, who collaborated on The Games of the 23rd Olympiad, have transcribed reminiscences of owners, executives, workers, entertainers and guests of establishments like Grossinger's, the Concord and the Nevele, which lured visitors as diverse as Nelson Rockefeller and an Indian maharajah and served as a proving ground for the developing talents of Milton Berle, Red Buttons, Neil Sedaka, Tony Martin and even opera star Robert Merrill. Besides stories of life in glamorous hotels, the coauthors recount adventures in the more modest bungalow colonies and smaller spots among the 500 resorts that populated the area. A wealth of ethnic jokes and photos also fill this unqualified treat.

While working at the Nevele Country Club, one of the many legendary Catskill resorts covered in this magnificent document, I briefly met Myrna and Harvey Frommer while doing their research. They probably don't remember me, I was too young at the time to offer the kind of history they were looking for, but the pair's enthusiasm and obvious love for the area's resorts and their unique (now long gone) familial atmosphere was readily apparent. When I finally got to read this book, it provided me with a sense of pride for being a part of its history. There's even an ancient picture of my father playing sax in the old Art Kahn Orchestra! But aside from personal connections, this book stands as a definitive oral history of an era. The people interviewed are true insiders, some of them legends in their own right among Catskill lore. And while the book provides some deep sociological perspective concerning its ethnic background, the authors know how to balance this with charming, amazing and often sidesplitting anecdotes. If you ever spent a weekend at Grossinger's, The Concord, The Nevele or one of the dozens of small bungalow colonies, this book will wash you in warm memories. And if you didn't have the chance, it will make you wish you did.

I think I liked this book more because of the secondary characters than the main ones. It was fun to catch up with all your old friends from previous books. Also, this is the book we meet Shelly from Clouds and Jake from Waterfalls. The two main characters, Brad and Alissa, were interesting but I cared about them less than some of the other people this series has introduced us to in the past. The story of Rosie and her groom was a good addition. In some ways, I cared more about Rosie's story than Alissa's. It's a good book, but not up to this author's usual standards, in my opinion.

I really enjoyed this book. I love the way that all the characters in the books connect. not only do they just connect in the Glenbrooke Series, but some of the characters in this series connect with characters in the Christy Miller Series. This book is about Alissa. In the Christy Miller Series, Christy was the one who prayed with Alissa when she became a Christian. She also knew Todd, Doug and Tracey. Throughout this book Christy's name is mentioned. Brad, the guy in the story, is the brother of Lauren Phillips in book 3. This was a really good book. Another thing i like about these books is that they are Christian. This book was really good.

I loved this book. It is not easy to tell how it ends. You think you know what is going to happen to Alissa, the main character, but you don't. Talk about an exciting last few chapters. I love all of Robin's work. Unlike many other books this is not only an exciting and wonderful story but this also offers wonderful insight. All I can say is don't read it in one night or read it only once. Like many of Robin's book this book gets better every time you read it. Definetly Buy it!!!

I couldn't believe how helpful and insightful this book is! I not only bought a copy for myself, but after reading it, I also bought copies for two of my friends. I'm sure this is the kind of information that agents will HATE having their clients know -- all the secrets and tricks. But it is imperitive that every actor and writer know the information that is in this book in order to best take control of their own careers, whether they already have an agent, or are currently searching. "How to Agent your Agent" is not only enlightening, but entertainly written and full of great real-life stories and examples.

This book is wonderful. Humorous and informative; my favorite combination. I am not an aspiring actress, and have only delt with Two Literary Agents in the sale of my first 4 books; however, I found Ms. Rainfords book an excellent resource. I would recomend this book to anyone who has an Agent; is thinking of getting an Agent; wants to become an Agent; or is thinking of leaving her Agent. Or anyone who is going to HOLLYWOOD to PITCH anything.

It's hard to believe Nancy Rainford hasn't written more books. Perhaps a humorous novel about her business? The book flows with the ease of a best selling novel!

5 stars to this one!

Marsha Marks

This is a great book, I couldn't put it down. My husband and I are both actors, and we actually fought over who got to read it first (we alternated). I have already recommended this book to all of my friends who are actors. It is that valuable and should be required reading for every actor in Hollywood.

The book is not just a primer on the Hollywood protocol and pecking order, but "How to Agent Your Agent" goes into such wonderful detail so as to demystify how an actor should handle his/her agent. So many actors are constantly in a quandry of how to handle a situation with their agents, or they are downright dissatisfied with their agents. This book helps an actor to define what you have control over and what you can change. Years of experience are in this book to help keep actors from making mistakes when it comes representation.

Thank you, Ms. Rainford, for telling it like it is (and being such a great storyteller).

Espionage exerts a hold on the public imagination. Race Against Evil covers Interpol, intelligence and the fight against child sex slavery and terrorism. In the fast-moving, slightly blurred world of intelligence operations it is often hard for anyone except aficionados to distinguish between the authentic and the dross. Alas, there is all too much of the latter, often masquerading as the genuine article, but David Bannon's Race Against Evil is emphatically in the former category, written by a plain-spoken ex-agent who, unlike many of his intelligence and military colleagues, writes with humility and a deep understanding of espionage. The result is a balanced memoir packed with good case histories.

Espionage exerts a hold on the public imagination. RACE AGAINST EVIL covers Interpol, intelligence and the fight against child sex slavery and terrorism. In the fast-moving, slightly blurred world of intelligence operations it is often hard for anyone except aficionados to distinguish between the authentic and the dross. Alas, there is all too much of the latter, often masquerading as the genuine article, but David Bannon's RACE AGAINST EVIL is emphatically in the former category, written by a plain-spoken ex-agent who, unlike many of his intelligence and military colleagues, writes with humility and a deep understanding of espionage. The result is a balanced memoir packed with good case histories.

David Race Bannon's "Race Against Evil" captures the verve and mastery of exceptional true crime writing. It is a lively and involving work. Race Against Evil has earned some of the best word of mouth--and every word of it is justified. As a penetrating character study it's nonpareil, with the dual "Race" of the title brilliantly realized.

David Race Bannon is a missionary who gets caught up in smuggling, at which point he encounters the intrepid Jacques Defferre. He is recruited by Defferre into Interpol and taught to loathe terrorism and child pornography and all its offshoots--with lethal results. Bannon has transformed the espionage expose into something more than factual repetition. If the author's own race against human sex traffic is sometimes foregrounded, he speaks from experience and this is still an author at his considerable best.

Quite easily one of the finest humor authors does it again! This is a hilarious account of traveling, not to mention a brief description of each U.S. state, and most European countries!

Definetely recommended for anyone who knows a bit of history, or who travels a lot.

It's a good thing that Dave Barry's travel guide is untranslatable into any language other than American. Otherwise we might have to go to war with all of those countries that he reported to be shaped like a large ketchup stain, or where he had to shell out 4,000 pfarthings to use the public restroom. Our author does not take such insults lightly. Nor does he expect you to. This guide is filled with such useful phrases as, "Mi (esposo, esposa) es been tramplado por toros," or "Tuo fratello Raoul dormi con los pesces."

Luckily, according to Dave, many foreign people speak our language. "Stick them up!" they'll say. "Please to be handing over your American Express traveler's checks! Don't leave home without them!"

There are lots of useful airline tips in this book, such as how to behave if your airplane is infested by demons, how to fit a lawn tractor into the overhead baggage compartment, and what do about the 475-pound man in the adjacent seat who has forearms the size of Roseanne. For those of you who are afraid of flying, the author very kindly takes time to explain how an airplane flies (I didn't know an airplane wing had ailerons AND halyards).

Dave doesn't just do Europe. He also takes on the fifty states ('Massachusetts is an Indian word meaning "place that is hard to spell"), Canada (which "boasts numerous goose-infested lakes"), and Mexico ("Unit of Currency - The Lambada"). I can't help wondering whether this book had anything to do with the current state of relations between ourselves and our closest neighbors.

Don't let your kids read this book right before a history or geography test, especially not Dave's highlighted "Facts at a Glance" boxes. Even I know that the unit of currency in Greece is not 'The Sheep." It's the 'minimum.'

Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need is a hilarious book! I started reading Dave Barry's pieces six months ago and he has never ceased to humor me; this book is no different. The book focuses on tourism in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico and several European countries. It is filled with numerous diagrams that are sure to make you laugh. Along with this is his own advice on vacationing, camping and other things. This book is very enjoyable with short sections to ease reading. The topics are so random and spurious that one could never get bored. The stories were also so down to Earth and real that I feel everyone can relate. For example Barry explains the baggage carousel we all no doubt have seen as a place, "where passengers traditionally gather at the end of a flight to spend several relaxing hours watching the arrival of luggage from some other flight, which comes randomly spurting out of a mysterious troll-infested tunnel that is apparently connected to another airport, possibly in another dimension." He takes an everyday occurence and turns it into a hilarious event. I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a different type of read or just some good laughs.

I'm telling you, these Writer's Digest people really do it right. If you're looking for a literary agent, this is the place to look.

The book starts with articles about getting and working with an agent and interviews with reputable agents and editors. Do you need a New York agent? Should your agent suggest rewrites? Do editors like agents, or is their relationship combative? How can you tell a good agent from a bad agent? Do you even need an agent?

All of these questions and more are answered. You'll even find examples of successful query letters, synopses, and outlines. You'll learn the components of a nonfiction book proposal. All of the basics are covered.

Then comes the actual agent listings, divided into two sections: nonfee-charging literary agents, and script agents (both nonfee and fee-charging). Listings include contact information (including e-mail addresses), professional memberships (like AAR or WGA), what they did prior to becoming agents, number of clients, percentage of new authors, percentage of novels versus nonfiction books, genres they represent, preferred method of contact, recent sales, conferences they attend, terms of representation, and tips. There is also a key to let you know how open the agency is to new writers.

New in this year's edition is a listing of independent production companies and screenwriting contests. And nonfiction authors and novelists may enjoy the listings of publicists.

More than 600 agencies are listed. I've begun querying, and have already found several agents who responded positively to my e-mail queries.

The agents listed in this book are pre-screened and deemed to be legitimate, reputable agents. No more surfing the Internet and trying to guess who's legit and who's a shyster. If you find an agent through these listings, the book can pay for itself a hundredfold. It's a very worthwhile investment in your career.

You know you need an agent to shop your work, negotiate your contracts and get your manuscript into doors closed to unrepresented authors. Your next step is to add the "2003 Guide to Literary Agents" to your writer's toolbox.

Articles from industry professionals address the most common issues writers face: do you need an agent, how do you find the right agent and how to avoid bad agents. But these articles also walk you through the entire process of getting an agent - from what to do before you begin your search, all the way to knowing your rights before you sign a contract.

The heart of this book lies within the agent listings. Every year contact information, current needs, submission guidelines and contract details are 100 percent updated.

Besides agents who represent fiction and nonfiction work, you'll also find sections on script agents, independent production companies and independent publicists. Most agent listings also specify which writing conferences the agents attend so be sure to look in the writing conferences section to find the details on a variety of writers' conferences in the U.S. and Canada.

Your search for an agent is crippled without this guide in your arsenal. If you're serious about getting an agent to represent your work, the yearly "Guide to Literary Agents" is an absolute must.

If you are a writer, or an aspiring one, you NEED this book. 90+% of publishers don't take unagented material. This book will help you to find an agent, and help you to get that manuscript you've worked so hard on published.

Ambush at Ruby Ridge is a must read for all young people not to anger them but to educate them as to what can happen when we let Government to go out of control. I feel this book weighed both sides of this issue but no matter what, the US Government came out on the losing end of it. Alan Bock has shown what can happen when we, as citizens, allow the Government to do as they feel fit giving a new meaning to the importance of showing up at the polls and putting capable people into office that will correct these kinds of problems. These type of Ruby Ridge incidents are showing up far too often in our Country.

The photographic section in the middle of the book picturing Sammy Weaver's classmates with targets pinned on their shirts shocks one into the reality that "yes, this really did happen. A fourteen year old was murdered, his little arm shot completely off." The family dog's dead carcass has multiple tank marks from being repeatedly run over. Bock is fair in pointing out that the Weaver's had a different point of view, but hey, isn't that why our forefathers came to this country? It requires some concentration to follow all the documentary but what an amazing chronicle of the great injustice done to this family by Big Brother! Bock is very courageous and I wouldn't be surprised if the government bans the book. After all, the first thing Hitler did was to kill the real journalists. Refreshing in a time when journalists are afraid to speak out for fear of government retaliation. Direct coverage of the true events surrounding Ruby Ridge trials, great photographic section!

Hard Truth - Sad Fact

The book tells the hard truth that the government messed up.

The FBI deliberately took the law into its own hands, giving its people what amounted to a "shoot on sight" directive.

The fact that the administrators escaped prosecution is a sad one.