Customer Reviews

2006 Writers Market

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

You are a writer, and that's why you are reading this review. The same old question, "Can I justify purchasing this book?"

You can't justify not buying this book.

If all you are looking for is having your work published in some unknown literary journal, go to the library and check the reference shelf. However, if you are serious about breaking into the real literary, periodical or book publishing world, lay down some cash and bring "2006 Writers Market" home.

Last year's edition might get you into trouble. Old addresses will result in wasted postage. This year's edition will have up-to-date information.

This is a guide. This is not the Bible. When you see a publication you like, take it a step farther and explore the URL. Don't randomly send out your work. Verify they might like your kind of writing. I've made mistakes in this regard, and could've avoided them had I used this market guide in tandem with the web. This guide will help you prepare intelligently.

It leans heavily toward article writings. Writers who have feature articles especially will find this book useful. This is not Writer's Digest's similar guide, "Novel & Short Story Writers Market," aimed at that major genre.

All the info you want is there: who and how and where to contact a publication; what and if they pay; recent authors they've published; tone and flavor; current needs; turn around from receiving an MS to replying. There are lots of little articles you'll find helpful as well.

One exciting aspect of browsing through this is the ideas you'll get realizing the diversity of publications out there. No matter what seemingly esoteric interest you have, be assured there is probably a publication out there clambering for your expertise.

I fully recommend "2006 Writers Market."

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

Get writer's market online.
It has a database that allows you to filter results from all the writer's market books and is kept up to date.
It's four bucks a month and will save you hundreds of hours of flipping through the various WM books.
You also get thousands of pages worth of articles, rather than just the handful they picked out for the paper books.

The articles that appear prior to the markets section are helpful especially, "How Much Should I Charge?" Providing quotes is my second least favorite thing... well, maybe first. Having this article as a resource provides a sanity check to see if I am charging too much or too little.

"Before Your First Sale" gives a 30,000-foot view of things to do in working to make the first sale whether it be an article or a book proposal. It doesn't cover everything, but it's brevity makes it easier to read and it offers tips that many beginners and some intermediate writers won't know about.

Queries are tough to do. I haven't had much luck there -- but I do mostly business-related writing since the work makes the best use of my time and I already have experience in this type of writing. "Query Letter Clinic" reviews what to do and what to avoid. It also shows a few good and bad examples of queries.

The articles section of the book has about 85 pages. The articles together offer writing career advice covering much of the main areas including:

* writing groups
* email communications
* interviews with successful writers
* the business of writing
* overcoming writer's block
* online PR
* book signings

According to the book, there are over 600 new listings for a total of 4,000 listings of book publishers, magazines, trade, and literary agents.

Though I rarely do queries and have yet to do a book proposal since the first one got axed — the Writer's Market is on my must-buy book every year especially now that I'm a full-time content maven.

A freelance writer, I have been a fan of the Writer's Market, always buying the latest edition as soon as it is available, and with good reason. The articles are excellent, particularly the one entitled, "How Much Should I Charge?" Then there is the "Query Letter Clinic" article with examples of "good" and "bad" query letters, along with practical sections pertaining to the business of writing, literary agents and book publishers.

At the same time, this edition has disappointed me, omitting previously-featured sections/articles on markets for education and greeting card/novelty writers, replacing them with "Interviews" and "Small Presses." From my own experience as a writer and discussions with students in professional writing classes, I have found that for many students, small presses don't count as much as regular book publishers. Also, quite a few of those students are talented in other areas as well and would welcome those missing sections enthusiastically.

We've been reviewing the annual Writer's Market guides for many years now and every year we find new features in the guide that make it even better.

This year is no exception.

The 2006 Writer's Market marks the 85th edition of the annual guide. This year's edition contains 4,000 listings for book publishers, literary agents, contests and awards, maagazines and more.

Each listing contains complete contact information, current needs, recent titles published, pay rates and even tips on how to break into that particular publishing house or magazine. Writers who want to see their work in print know all of this information is absolutely crucial to achieving your writing goals.

Even though all of the publishing listings could stand on their own, Writer's Market also deals with the business side of writing through helpful articles. From how much to charge to handling your online PR, there are a number of articles and even interviews with other successful authors and writers to give you that extra boost in your career.

We rely on the 1,000-plus pages of information as writers ourselves and simply don't know how any serious writer could survive without it.

Every year's Writer's Market listings are 100-percent updated. With submission needs changing and even contact people shuffling on to other venues, it's vital you have the current year's edition to reach the right agents, editors and publishers looking for your work.

If you are a writer, or WANT to be a writer...this book is for you. It tells you where to sell your stuff, with thousands of listings, and also gives you good advice on current market rates as well as writing tips. I've bought one every year that I've been in freelance, and will continue to do so.

For instance, if you have an idea for a magazine article, you can search alphabetically or categorically for the best places to query, and that listing will include contact information, how to get a sample copy, departments and sections of the publication, how much they pay, and what they're looking for. Most publications also include some helpful hints like, "we don't want this type of piece," or "break in with this type of piece."

You can't go wrong. Buy this RIGHT NOW.

I took writing in 1991 from a published author. One of the books on her personal shelf was "Writer's Market!!! She told me then, and I have found it to be true, that this is a valuable tool in helping find a publisher. Now with the internet, there are online publishers, but there is also tons of contact names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and other contact information for some of the top publishers and a few lesser known publishers of magazines, books, scripts and the like, IN THE WORLD!!! I have written to numerous publishers and been published and PAID for it. You can do the same!!! My teacher taught me in 1991, that writers, especially beginners, can expect 70 or more rejections PER written item. And even IF you don't find a publisher here, you might try the same route I have found profitable, selling on auctions. I have checklists and other guides I sell for 9.99 a pop!!! Just think, on average, someone is getting 6 sheets of paper with typing on it, and paying $9.99 plus paying $1.75 for shipping. But I can't keep them!!! I got people around the world begging for them. So again, try the Writer's Market, and if you don't sell it there, maybe consider going online and selling what you have in auctions etc. Oh and by the way, there are a few agents listed in the Writer's Market, an agent can assist in getting your work published even if it's not from a publisher in Writer's Market. So whether it's a book, poetry, an magazine article, or a script, this book can assist you in getting published. It also has tons of info on how to write query letters, what to and what not to say to publishers, and gives a glossary of terms, and explains about copyrights. A valuable tool for any writer, or anyone who wants to try for the first time.

In 1997, I sold my very first article to EEO Bimonthly magazine using Writer's Market. The description of the magazine in WM was so thorough that I didn't even need to read the magazine before pitching it! I've continued to buy this directory every year since then -- and I've now written for more than 120 magazines.

Though these days I normally find high-paying markets by browsing the newsstands and through word-of-mouth, I use Writer's Market to find these publications' Web sites, phone numbers, and addresses. I've also used the book to find markets for my reprints.

The online version of WM is also very helpful, as it allows you to narrow your search by various criteria, such as magazines that accept reprints. The online version is also updated fairly often.

One caveat: Editors move around so quickly that by the time the print WM hits the stands, many of the editors may have moved on to different publications. I suggest using Writer's Market to find a potential market's phone number, then calling to find the name of the correct editor to pitch.

Linda Formichelli, co-author of The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success and owner of www.lindaformichelli.com.

Excellent source for information conerning how to get a manuscript published. Lists agents and publishers with types of books they accept. Tells the steps needed to get a book to the right place to have a chance at being published. All the necessary information for promising authors.

The amount of information in this book is staggering. After I struggled with the frustration of being told, "Go there . . .," "Look here . . .," "Ask . . .," a friend told me to look for "Writer's Market" on line. As usual, I found exactly what I wanted at Amazon.com. This is an excellent reference book for anyone who writes. It is well organized, so it isn't necessary to read "from cover to cover." The practical information in the first few sections of the book is essential to a new writer. I consider this a wise purchase.