As a working stand-up comic, I found this book extremely helpful, particularly in dealing with "hell gigs," the necessary bane of every comic's existence. Jay Sankey clearly knows of what he speaks, and my performance has improved considerably as a result. If you're a working comic, or want to be, this book will be worth its weight in gold to you.

I've read a lot of bad books on stand-up comedy, all of them except this one. This is the only good one I've read. After I read this, I did stand-up for the first time at a bar for 30 people. The next week I was in the Comedy Central/Miller Lite Lite 'n Up competition at Comedy Works in Denver for a packed house each time I performed. Out of 100 people, and over the course of 2 months of performing, I got third place. Since then I've moved to Chicago and got booked at Zanie's. A lot of that had to do with the book. It cuts through to the chase.

I've read

How to Be a Working Comic : An Insider's Guide to a Career in Stand-Up Comedy; Dave Schwensen

Stand-Up Comedy : The Book; Judy Carter

Zen and the Art of Stand-Up Comedy; Jay Sankey

They are all good reads, but this one (Zen and the Art of Stand-Up Comedy by Jay Sankey) is my favorite. The prose is simple and straightforward and covers a lot of material from both analytical and philosophical view points.

I even like the size of the book in terms of width by height - it's a good size to carry around.