Customer Reviews

2009 Writer's Market

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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This is the current (2009) edition of an annual (88 so far) guide (WM) put out by Writers Digest Books. If you are serious about getting published or making money with your writing then you need this book.
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I tried the online adjunct service twice previously but did not find it worth the extra price. This review is for the 2009 book only.
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This is pretty much the only game in town if you want a fairly complete list of magazines, publishers, or agents to guide your submissions. There are also some listings for newspapers, as well as scripts, and greeting cards.
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Newspaper submissions are a weak area that needs substantial improvement. The info on syndication is also extremely weak.
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It appears that a certain core set of listings is in every edition but a substantial number of markets seem to be rotated in/out on a five year or so basis. I would suggest that you buy each years copy and save them for five years before throwing older ones away.
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Writers Handbook (WH) is a clear second place choice and serious writers should have both.
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There is also some reference material in this edition of WM that includes a list of professional organisations, and a glossary; as well as a list of contests and awards.
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It has the usual filler on the basics, and some articles with personal views.
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I find the basics to be too short to be of significant value to anyone who would need this guidebook. Fortunately, WD wastes less space on this filler in their WM than the WH tome does.
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It would be nice if all the background and intro info was collected into a separate companion book instead of wasting space in the main guide book each year. Much of it seems like reprints from previous magazine articles especially in the WH.
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This is a good but far from perfect book. Problems with this edition include a number of E&Os such as some new symbols used but not explained. Most of them are the same as previous years and are noted inside the covers, but I found at least one that is a mystery.
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Other annoyances include listings that are symbolically flagged as closed to freelancers, but have the comment "query first". So which is it?
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Anyone who tries to use LMP will find more entries but each has a lot less information which leaves the burden on the writer to dig out the details.
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If you are in a speciality/niche area there are other reference books such as Christian Writers Market Guide (about 620 pages + CDROM). Most other guides are much smaller and harder to locate than these main guidebooks (WM, WH, CWMG).
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It should be obvious that even though this is the 2009 edition it had to have been compiled in 2008 (possibly some parts even earlier). So, with the usual turnover and changes in the industry, it is always prudent to verify the current status of a market and the proper editor/agent's name before submitting.
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This and other guides should be used to help identify possible markets. Not all of them will be as fruitful as the guides indicate. There will always be some others that could be. So explore beyond the obvious listings. And, as always, there are many markets that never make the guide books. And I think the publishers for leaving out a few of my favorite ones so as to limit the competition:)
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Okay, here's the real deal. This book is a good start, yes. But that's all it is- a start. Information in the book quickly becomes outdated and unreliable. So then you have to pony up another twenty or thirty bucks next year and hope for the best. I'm a person who has bought many copies of the WM for years and still didn't get everything I needed. There's another way! Recently, I found a site that has good listings (for free. i know. i almost passed out), just like the Writers Market, but helps with the rest of the writer's dilemma- mailing, tracking, etc.(which they do charge for, but INEXPENSIVE) It's called WordHustler.com- it's about time someone helped writer's catch up to the Age of Informatioooon!

Very, very helpful.

I would hope this version is better than the 2008 and 2007 versions. Of the former, I sent my document to 5 publishers listed in the book. Three were returned undelivered since the publisher either long ago moved from the address listed in the book or no longer was in existence. One was returned with the statement that the publisher had moved 2-1/2 YEARS AGO! 2 out of 5 publisher deliveries is a % only good in baseball.

Better organized than Herman's Guide with good use of symbols such as"A" to alert you that only an agent can submit proposals or manuscripts. Shortcomings are, some publishers (Canadians) are included who don't want to be included and who don't want American manuscripts (Gordon Shifford?). There should be more publishers and agents included.

Back in 1991, I was studying creative writing under a published author. The one thing we learned was to expect an average 70 rejections no matter if were beginners or seasoned pros. So if you write something, and you send it to be published, and it is rejected...DON'T GIVE UP!!!
With that in mind let me say that this book is one of, if not THE most, respected publications in its field. There are literally over 1000 different publishers of various types of material in this huge book. Publishers of both fiction and nonfiction, publishers of books as well as magazine publishers, complete with addresses and in some cases, phone numbers, email addresses, and websites.
This huge publication houses some of the most respected names in writing, which is another bonus of this book. You get "THE BIG BOYS", plus you get smaller publishers. Publishers of religious material, erotica, poetry, short stories, novels, history, sports, hobbies, and much much more. Another bonus of this fine publication, is that it has tips for how to increase your chances of being published as well as notes some of the legal aspects of the art.
My first two articles I had printed and PAID for, were the result of sending my material to publishers in this handy guide.
So if you're looking for an publication that will greatly increase your chances of getting published, you need this well known publishing tool.

2009 Writer's Market

My wife loves this book as an invaluable resource. She has already contacted and submtted manuscripts to several publishers based on the accurate information found in the book.

The 2009 Writer's Market is a must have for any freelancer. It gives great information to help you find exactly the publication that might make use of your materials. Magazine, Book (Fiction and Non), Poetry, Photography, etc. Writer's Market has it all. One tip, make sure you check (on the internet or from a recent physical copy of publication) that the entry you are using still contains the correct information as to who is the Editor in Chief, etc. before you send any queries.

In general, the Book has loads of good leads. I really like being able to sit down and relax with Writer's Market. For anyone who wants updated information, just sign up for the online Writer's Market. They list new information regularly so you never miss out.

In regard to the Book, it is nice to have when you don't want to go online, but you still want to look for a place to sell your writing. You can always check a market listenings' website for updates.

If you can afford to purchase the text and subscribe online, even better.

Written by writers for writers, this 2009 edition of Writer's Market packs in over 700 new listings plus interviews and provides the latest contact information and submission guidelines for over 3,500 markets from literary magazines and theatres to greeting card companies and book publishers. The latest information and submission guidelines is accompanied by interviews with Amy Silverstein and others, updated pay rate charts for pros, and tabbed pages for quick and easy location of info. Every lending library at the public or high school forward level must have this.

If you want to get published, this is the best resource available to you. It provides listings of literary agents and publishers. It breaks down the publishers according to size and specialty. In the listings for agents and publishers, you will be able to best determine who might want to consider working with you.

Aside from being a comprehensive index, it also provides other valuable resources. It will show you how to write an effective query letter and how to put together a book proposal. There are valuable words of wisdom from successfully published authors.

I have recently become a published author, having written a series of spiritually-themed and comedic novels. [...] The Writer's Market proved to be a valuable resource for me as I navigated the waters of what can be a mind-boggling publishing industry.

Davis Aujourd'hui