Read That? Read This! For Writing & Agenting!

Are you a reader that dreams of having a story written and sending it out into the world for the curious reader? In 2024 and 2025 I read some great nonfiction books, and one book discussed being a writer and the other discussed how to pitch your book for an agent. This is perfect not just for the curious reader wondering how it all works, its also for the reader wanting to send their stories out into the world! In this list, I will provide mini reviews of both books and next I will talk about which one to read first.

In March of 2024, I read Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land A Book Deal, and Become a Published Author by Lucinda Halpern. While Get Signed is a short book, there is a wealth of very useful information. What I like is Lucinda stresses the importance of the author knowing their audience as well as giving them something new while pitching regardless of if the book is fiction or nonfiction. What’s very helpful is Get Signed provides real query letters that many authors who are now on bestsellers lists, sent to agents. Here is Lucinda’s Q&A as we also go even more in depth!

https://booknotions.com/qa-with-lucinda-halpern/

Back in the summer & fall of 2025,  I began reading more of Marissa Meyer’s books with Gilded as well as her nonfiction book The Happy Writer & her Bluebeard retelling, The House Saphir. What’s great about The Happy Writer, is that it discusses the importance of plotting, creativity, first draft, publication and the most important thing, being happy, the book serves as part writing coach, part guidebook and it’s very inspirational. It’s inspirational in a way that the book tackles perfectionism & Marissa and many authors have told me throughout several Q&As as well as this book that it’s important to have things written down first, then you go back and edit later. This is my Behind The Book With Marissa as we discuss The Happy Writer.

https://booknotions.com/behind-the-book-with-marissa-meyer/

Which One To Read First?

While I know Get Signed by Lucinda Halpern came out in 2024, and The Happy Writer came out in 2025, unless you have a story already written, I would first read The Happy Writer & then read Get Signed. The Happy Writer, discusses creativity, and getting the words down. While it does discuss agents and publicists, that’s not the book’s main focus which is a good thing. Once you finish reading The Happy Writer & have the story written down and edited, that’s when you read Get Signed, because then you will be ready to learn how to pitch your book.