2005 Writers Market (Writer's Market)

Rating:
Summary: Great! Make sure you order the right edition ... see review
Review: Great book. When looking at amazon.com for this book, it first displayed the "regular" edition, which is much less expensive. This is the Deluxe Edition, which includes a 1-year subscription to the WritersMarket.com web site. The site updates information, which is very valuable as the months go by. The Deluxe Edition also contains additional material that the "regular" edition doesn't have.

Just make sure you order the edition you want.

Rating:
Summary: UPDATE! Make sure you order the right edition ... see review
Review: I reviewed the Deluxe Edition of the 2005 Writer's Market book (see my original review, probably below). However, amazon.com posted the review to THIS edition of the book, which is NOT the Deluxe Edition.

It is hard to search for and find the 2005 Writer's Market Deluxe Edition on amazon.com. I do not know why. That edition costs $32.99 and has the 1-year subscription to the web site and more material. I hope this helps.

Rating:
Summary: Writer's Market or Jeff Herman's Writer's Guide? You Decide
Review: So, you've decided to become a writer. You've studied writing, had your work critiqued, learned all there is to know about editing, and you are ready to look for a publisher. The question now is which market survey book is right for you: Writer's Market or Jeff Herman's Writer's Guide.

First, let me state that both these books are excellent and full of very useful information. Neither one is, as the reviewer below says, a "telephone book."

The primary advantage of Herman's book is that the listings are very detailed. Another thing that may be an advantage to some is this one book covers fiction and nonfiction, agents and book publishers. It contains some very useful articles on the business, most of them written by Jeff Herman himself (and he knows his stuff).

The primary advantages of Writer's Market is that it contains magazine listings (as well as listings for book publishers) and most listings include icons that show how well the particular magazine pays or how open the publishing house is to unagented submissions. Writer's Market is particularly suited to the nonfiction writer, because there are special Writer's Digest books for children's writers and illustrators, and for novel and short story writers. (There is also a Writer's Digest guide to literary agents, and there used to be a Poet's Market, but it seems the last edition of that was published in 2002.) Writer's Market contains many interesting articles and interviews with industry insiders, which are very informative and well written.

So which should you get? If you can afford it, get both. If not... it's a tough call.

This year I opted for Writer's Market, because I plan to make a living doing what I'm good at: writing for magazines and newspapers. I haven't read the book cover to cover yet, but I've noticed many changes, and I like them. I've also purchased the other Writer's Market survey books, because I would like to work in the children's market, get my novel published and maybe find an agent.

Please, do not buy this book with the expectation that it will automatically turn you into a published writer. That is not the case. To succeed in this business, a writer needs talent, perseverance, the ability to listen to editors and to adjust to the market's demands, and great timing. As technology makes it easier for people with little or no talent to send manuscripts to editors and agents, it becomes harder and harder for great writers to get noticed. Imagine yourself in the shoes of an editor who receives over a hundred queries a day, and you'll start to understand why it is so hard to break in. Hard but not impossible.

I would highly recommend 2005 Writer's Market to those who take the job of writing and publishing very seriously and have studied the craft. To others I would say, study the craft first, get feedback from other writers, learn from your mistakes, edit your work, and try to get a bit of non-paying or low-paying experience first before you try to break into the big league. Either that or become a celebrity, and to heck with actual talent. You can publish a children's book or get someone else to write a bestseller for you.


Rating:
Summary: It is like opening a treasure chest.
Review: The writing field ahs gotten too massive to put everything you ever wanted to know into one book. Every the listings alone would make a book larger then you telephone book. On the other hand if you were to buy every book you need to cover all the bases then you would have to buy and maintain a library and update it every year.

So whether you are focused on one form or field in writing or you are diverse this is the best book to start with. The main focus of the book is still on writing and has something for everyone.

There is not enough room here to describe all the contents of this book. However If you start out from the front it will take you several days to read sand digest before you even thing of activating the 1-year online subscription. I find it interesting to re-read many articles that I already know about and say "I know that." However there are two main advantages in this exercise. First you reinforce what you already know. Second there just might be something new or a new way of looking at tine information.

As with a treasure chest there are all kinds of hidden or not so hidden goodies in this book. Every thing from how to read it to a free book mark that can be used as a quick card. The pages are well indexed for those that tend to skip over all the good stuff and hit the deck running.

Whether you are just starting out or have been in the business for years it would be embarrassing to be caught with out this book.


Rating:
Summary: The Book That Launched My Career
Review: This book and its companion website have been indispensible for me. The sheer breadth of markets and contact info is enough to make it worth it, but I also love the search capabilities of the website and the submission tracker, which I use every time I send out a query or get a response. No need for vast index card files anymore; now I can just click to find out if I've submitted to a market before, which editor responded, what the feedback was, etc.

There is no better book for writers looking for markets for their work. Whether you write books or articles, you're bound to find appropriate publishers here-- usually with website and e-mail addresses included, along with the pay rate and what each one is looking for. This series represents a tremendous amount of research and saves me a ton of money and time in tracking down writer's guidelines and trying to ascertain needs, contact info, rates, etc. for each publication.

I found my first paying markets in the Writer's Market many years ago, and have bought the book every year since then. I wouldn't have a career without it, and now I can't imagine doing without the online version, either. If I just came up with a great idea for an article about a health topic, I can search (with one click) to find out which high-paying magazines publish health articles, accept queries by e-mail, and have websites.

You're truly missing out if you don't have this book on your reference shelf.

--Jenna Glatzer
Author of MAKE A REAL LIVING AS A FREELANCE WRITER and editor of AbsoluteWrite.com


Rating:
Summary: This is a must have for any writer seeking publishers
Review: This is it folks. If you like writing poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or even greeting cards, this is a must-have book for you!

There are over 4,000 places listed, including tips on how to make the best impression, in this market guide. It has easy to follow tabs and guides that point out the important items to consider when submitting proposals. The tips are awesome and provide a great deal of insight into the publishing world.

The book tells you whether or not a publication accepts manuscripts and articles online, through a fax machine, or only through snail-mail. It also includes the amount of money publishers pay for accepted works.

The 2005 Writer's Market also expalins exactly what kind of writing each publisher is looking for, the amount of work they accept each year, and the best way to package your work.

There is simply no better resource for any writer. This book will help you submit your work in the best possible format and increase your chances of finding publishers who are interested in your product.

This book is a great investment and a must have for anyone seriously considering a career in writing.

See ya next review.





Rating:
Summary: A Vital Tool for Serious Writers
Review: What type of work do you want to publish? An article, book, a greeting card?

The 2005 Writer's Market has these markets and more covered. This year's guide has been completely redesigned and every listing has been 100 percent updated.

One of the most helpful sections of the guide starts on page 71. "How Much Should I Charge?" is a question most writers face at some point in their writing career. This particular section in this year's Writer's Market contains invaluable information to give you a better idea of going rates.

Fields covered in the rates section include copywriting, book publishing, editorial rates, newspapers, magazines and even miscellaneous writing projects like comedy writing for nightclub entertainers. Laying this information out for writers in both per hour and per project forms gives writers the exact info they need to make sure they're getting the most out of their own rates. This info alone makes the guide worth purchasing.

But there's even more.

You'll find about 1,000 pages of listings covering agents, publishers, magazine markets, writers' conferences and more. Each listing shows you exactly what the agent, publisher or editor is looking for - a must for writers to know before they submit their work.

Listings show you the contact info, pay rates, exact needs, submission guidelines and even helpful tips on breaking into that particular market. For writers looking for a book publisher, you'll be interested in the number of titles the publisher releases in a year as well as the percentages of books published from first-time authors, agented authors and those without representation.

Every year, you can always count on the Writer's Market guides to contain helpful articles. This year, some of the articles included are:

* Entry-Level Opportunities - 10 Gigs for Rookie Writers
* What Really Happens? - Understanding the Publishing Process
* Getting Great Interviews - Three Writers Offer Interview Tips
* Online Opportunities - Living the Freelance Life Online

Whether you're just beginning your writing career or you're a seasoned pro, the 2005 Writer's Market is essential to seeing your work in print.

Don't make the mistake of working from a previous year's Writer's Market. Market needs change and if you're going to actively pursue a career in writing, you've got to stay on top of the writing opportunities, the contact info and their current needs.

The 2005 Writer's Market is your first step to seeing your work published in 2005. An absolute must for serious writers.


Rating:
Summary: Phone Book
Review: Writres Market is a phone book filled with agents, publishers, and editors that really don't want to talk to you. They will send you their "sorry" card telling you that they have 1000's of cold queries a month and darn, they simply don't have the time for a personal response. It's business you know. Looking for the right agent only works if you have a referal from someone the agent trusts. They say don't call them but, yikes, so many of them have changed what they are handling (ex: no more fiction) that if you want to save yourself some time, call 'em anyhow. All they can say is no and they're going to say that anyhow, what can you lose? Only suckers send hundreds of queries to these quys who don't read them. They have an assistant wannabe writer who reads them. The agent's problem is that most writers can't write. At least commercial stuff. So when something with promise comes along it gets the heave ho like all the other stuff. Try to make some kind of personal contact with an agent or editor. They show up at events. You have a few moments for a pitch, pitch. But again all these writers books are, are over priced, over hyped yellow pages. Do you really want to look for an agent in the yellow pages? Some stranger? E-mail any agent editor you can, find out what they want, tell them what you have and unless you're famous forget the famous bio. Good Luck writers. Keep writing. The longer you write the better you get.