Customer Reviews

2004 Writer's Market (Writer's Market, 2004)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The writer's bible dated 2004 A.D. has arrived! Most writers won't wonder what book I'm speaking of since it's THE BOOK.

The first 100 pages or so contain articles and advice while the rest is markets, markets, markets. These articles include agents, pricing, interviews, building a career, and queries. Writers have been complaining about one critical item that's missing from the 2003 edition. It's back. Yes, the "How much I should charge?" article is here to rescue writers (me included) who struggle with pricing. The article has seven pages worth of gold with going market rates sorted by categories. Scan these 100 pages as soon as the book arrives in your hands to put the advice to immediate use.

Copyright issues make me crazy. "The Business of Writing" defines terms relating to rights and provides a brief overview of selling subsidiary rights and contracts and agreements. It's a painless five to ten minutes read. Online markets have pounded writers with more confusion over rights and rates. "Strategies for Negotiating Electronic Rights and Rates," untangles the web.

If you own an older version of the book, this one is still worth the purchase. It has 1,100 new listings and contacts change often with people moving around within the industry and to new locations.

For those who have never seen or heard of this book, read the first article in the book, which takes you on a tour of what's in it and how to use it. The markets cover 300+ agents, book publishers, magazines, journals, scriptwriting, contests and awards, and resources making this a valuable paperweight or doorstopper. Inside of the front and back covers is a key to the symbols and abbreviation to help you make heads and tails of each entry.

Each listing comes with contact information, pay rates, statistics, tips on how to deal with the resource, and details on the publisher's needs. The agents sections provides terms, recent sales, representation type (subjects, fiction, etc.), and member agents.

We get too busy to read books. This is not a book you need to make time to read. When you come up with a brilliant article or manuscript, search the book for possible publishers to pursue. It's a heck of a lot faster than researching online or at the library.

This baby with over 1,000 pages pays for itself with one cheap article. Even if you find just one or two markets from the book, it's worth the investment.

The 2004 edition of Writer's Market is as complete and wonderful as it is every year. The massive paperback is brimming with tips and information about the craft as well as the business of writing. It is complete with contact information for book publishers, agents, and magazines. It also has a section on contests and awards, and a nice glossary. It is a good value.

My one gripe is that the book has ads in it. I count three cardboard inserts advertising their magazine, their Web site, workshops, and their other books.

I have to admit I was very disappointed last year when I bought the 2003 Writer's Market only to find that the article "How Much Should I Charge?" was missing. That is one of the big reasons why I buy the book every year. I tried to find the information elsewhere, but did not have much luck. So, I figured I would give the book one more chance, and I am glad that I did! The pay rates have been added back to the book and they have all been updated--there is even a list of organizations I can contact if I want more information about the pay rates and various jobs. This article alone made my purchase worth the money.

I'm giving the Writer's Market two stars because it is a useful resource for beginning writers. However, I'm fed up with the book. Not only does it neglect to list many, many, many common markets, let alone the lessor-known markets, but the non-web version doesn't have access to many of the few markets they do list. My non-web version, for example, doesn't have writer's guidelines for well-known magazines like Women's World and Good Housekeeping. Apparently, if I wanted those markets, I should have paid $10 more and messed with their CD. (Or I can just go online and get them through a two-second Google search.)

Not to mention, I have often found the information in Writer's Market to be WRONG and I have to always independently check it with the market. Of course, that's something you should do anyway, but I think it's amazing how often WM gets things like addresses and websites wrong. We're not talking information that is bound to change anyway, like editors or contact e-mails, but static information that WM has plain gotten wrong. You can't trust this book.

A few years ago, WM was a LOT more thorough and trustworthy. Now it seems like they don't even update their database against previous editions. Many markets that were in the 2002 and 2003 editions are not in the 2004 edition, even many of those markets still exist. As a freelancer, I don't even use this book very often as a resource since I know it will only list some obvious markets, at best. I find Google and the bookstore work better than WM.

Serious writers look forward to this time of year. The latest edition of Writer's Market always offers something new and contains even more invaluable than the previous year's.

Why should you update your Writer's Market every year? In the past year, some editors have moved on to other opportunities, contact information has changed and submission guidelines have evolved with current needs.

The best reason to get the current year? All new content, 100-percent updated information, new articles and more than 250 literary and script agent listings.

Inside you'll find helpful articles about the writing life as well as the business aspects of the craft. The annual Guide to Literary Agents has been combined into the Writer's Market, now giving writers everything they need to not only find a market for their articles and books but also representation for those who need an agent.

Also new this year, the greeting card and syndicate listings have been moved. They are now exclusively available through Writer's Market Online, joining newspaper and online publications.

Besides book publishers, Writer's Market contains thousands of magazine opportunities covering a variety of topics, including these sample markets:

* Hobby and Craft
* Juvenile
* Regional
* Religious
* Sports
* Teen and Young Adult
* Trade, Technical and Professional Journals
* Travel
* Medical

If you're unfamiliar with this resource, each listing contains icons to help you identify the publisher's pay scale. Example: A market with one dollar sign ($) pays 0 - 9 cents per word or $0 - $150 an article. A market with four dollar signs ($$$$) pays at least $1 a word or over $1,500 per article. You'll also find special icons for markets new to the 2004 edition, Canadian markets, online publications, markets not accepting unsolicited submissions and markets only accepting agented manuscripts.

Regardless of your writing experience, Writer's Market can help you get published. Whether you're looking for a home for your world affairs book or write articles on people who live in coal towns, this guide has a market for you.

A great resource for all types of writers. This book along with Mahesh Grossman's "Write a Book Without Lifting a Finger" have helped me to land a whopper advance. I highly recommend "2004 Writer's Market" and "Write a Book Without Lifting a Finger" if you are tired of wanting to be a professional writer and are ready to get it done!

With so many books out telling you how to get published, where to do it, which way is best, etc. it can all get pretty confusing. Writer's Market keeps it simple. They tell you who does what, what they pay, what they want and accept and what they don't. It's up to date, informative, and the most useful resource a freelancer or author can use.

I think the 2004 Writer's Market has the best articles I've ever read in the book. And I didn't even get the book for the articles. Except I'm glad they brought back the "How Much Should I Charge?" piece, because it helps me figure up my rates.

I also noticed there are many more markets, especially in the agent category. As a writer who's thinking about trying to get a book published, this is awesome! If the website has even more information, then I guess I better get that too.

Breaking into the world of published writing can be an overwhelming challenge. The 2004 Writer's Market brings that challenge down to size, thanks to the exceptional content and the ease of use. Writing is only the first half the publication battle. Selling is the second. Writer's Market brings analysis into focus for writers of every kind.

As a freelance writer and editor, I don't know where I'd be without Writer's Market! It provides detailed information on who wants what and how to contact them, and I love the submission tracker that's included with the electronic version. It's indispensible!