Updated November 5, 2009
| The Jeff Herman Agency, LLC began quite by accident in the mid-eighties when founder, Jeff Herman, was working in book publicity. One of his clients was Rabbi Harold Kushner and his book When Bad Things Happen to Good People. When Herman went out on his own to work in Public Relations and Publicity, he was asked if he would send a friend’s book to publishers and the rest is history.Now located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, the quaint town where Norman Rockwell lived and painted for much of his life, the agency has its roots and origin in New York City. While learning the ropes of the publishing business, Herman was frustrated by the seemingly overt efforts of the “gatekeepers,” of the industry, to keep people out. As a new agent, Herman needed to navigate beyond closed doors. What he learned was that with inside information, proper strategy and professional presentation anyone can pierce the veil between writers and the elite literati. Thus _Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors and Literary Agents_ was born. This book and Herman’s direct approach to the business of publishing has helped change the face of the industry.
The Jeff Herman Agency, LLC specializes in non-fiction. There is such as thing as a “Jeff Herman” book. In fact there have been at least 500 books sold since the agency’s inception. “I just have a gut feeling when I see it whether or not I can sell it,” he says. Deborah Levine Herman, although a freelance worker since 1990, officially joined the agency when she merged households with Jeff. “I needed to know I would always have an agent,” she quips. Herman and Herman have a unique working relationship. “We have our territories,” Jeff says. “We can both be alphas, so we are fortunate to have separate areas of interest.” Deborah Herman has spent a good deal of her career thus far as a writer, collaborator, ghostwriter, book doctor and lecturer. She is an “intuitive” who uses her gifts to assist writers who are blocked or searching for their authentic inner voice. Deborah Herman is the author of the upcoming book Deborah Herman’s guide to Spiritual and Religious Publishing which is expected in the fall of 2007. Herman and Herman have devoted their careers to teaching writers how to successfully pursue their goals. They have created their own publishing imprint, Three Dog Press, which specializes in books for writers. |
|
We represent:
|
We do not represent: |
Submission Guidelines |
Author Submissions PolicyWe will consider unsolicited submissions. Please send us a letter pitching us about why we should speculate our time to read your entire proposal or manuscript. You may either email the letter to: or send by regular mail to: Submissions The Jeff Herman Agency PO Box 1522 Stockbridge, MA 01262 We provide no guarantees about when we will respond. In the event we “reject” your submission, we might not respond if no SASE is provided for that purpose. We do not request exclusive consideration. With few exceptions, we are a non-fiction agency. Specific areas of interest include:
We look for books that fill gaps in what is already on the shelves. When choosing a topic you need to look beyond what interests you to determine if it will interest any one else. You are asking us as agents to vouch for you, the quality of your work and the potential for book sales. In turn we will be asking an editor/publisher to spend money to obtain, produce and distribute your book to the marketplace. This is a calculated business decision by both the agency and the book publisher. If you want to compete for those coveted spots on a publisher’s list you need to learn your craft as well as the business side of things. |
