Customer Reviews

2010 Writer's Market

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

 

 

Compared to earlier editions of the Writer's Market I have owned, this edition is substandard. It is printed on coarse paper, full of Canadian publications which specifically ask for Canadian writers, and is too expensive for any limited use it might have for a writer. The blurb for each magazine is so basic that you need the magazine websites themselves for full editorial and submission information. This is the last time I will purchase this annual book. The public library reference copy is sufficient. This might be a good starting point for ideas about where a new writer might publish a specific piece, but it hardly offers an exhaustive list. As for the peripheral information included in this volume? It could certainly be of value to new writers looking for a little guidance.

For a publication that plays itself off as the quintessential end-all for writers in search of prospective publishers, editors, and agents, this edition missed the boat completely. Until now, I have regarded The Writer's Market as my Bible when it came to directing writers to the best resources in the writing field. The index in this edition is off by a page or two...or ten, on many of its entries, and an incomplete sentence without punctuation seems to be the norm rather than the exception. There are times when the font size jumps from a size `8' to a `9' for no apparent reason, and the quality of stock this book is printed on isn't up to its usual standards. No editing in this edition!

Since 1995, I've been a professional writer, writing hundreds of articles for magazines, newspapers and websites. And then in 2002, I wrote "The Houses That Sears Built" which landed me on national television several times (PBS History Detectives, A&E's Biography and more). Heck, I even made the front page of "The Wall Street Journal".

My point is, for the last 15 years, writing has been my *career* and livelihood. And throughout those 15 years, I've purchased many copies of The Writer's Market. More recently I had hoped to write and sell a few magazine articles so I purchased the 2010 edition of The Writer's Market. What a profound disappointment it was.

In fact, it's more than a disappointment, it's a waste of money. The great majority of references that I looked up in this thick tome had *NO* direct contact information, or editors names and said only, "Send email for writer's guidelines." And the email address was typically a generic info@ such and such.

C'mon. Really? I could have gleaned that useless bit of info from the magazine's website. The whole point of a Writer's Market is to provide freelance writers with resources for selling their work. This is the equivalent of paying for a subscription to an employment website, and then finding after you surrender your money to get into the site, it says only, "Send email to lots of companies to see if they're hiring anyone."

I know that newspapers are laying off left and right and I know that serious professional journalists are becoming the 1990s equivalent of the carburetor mechanic but we're not stupid. However, I suppose we are a gullible bunch. I do hope the publishers know that this 2010 Writer's Market is the last edition of this book that I'll be buying.

I suppose it's not a total loss. I always need kindling for the fireplace. However, this is pretty expensive kindling.

Rosemary Thornton
author, The Ugly Woman's Guide to Internet Dating

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 3000 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.

Don't buy this regular edition yet-the first-run print job is bad: a substantial amount of contacts and requirements are unreadable from "spillover" ink.
Update: I returned it for a Deluxe Edition copy, which is free from excess print ink. No matter which edition you buy, check it out thoroughly.

This publication is extremely helpful to writers wanting to market their skills, but somebody needed to proof the manuscript before publication.
Page 245, for example, has the sentence: See Web site for submissions me....
Page 231: Our audience would be forward Become familiar with the kind...
Page 213: Query with SASE and first 2 p....


Yes, it's really that bad. The sentences just stop. It is annoying. Once is OK I suppose, but I stopped circling the errors because I was getting them confused with the stuff I was interested in.

I used to hold Writer's Market in high regard - no more. It's like nobody edited this work. Many entries end mid-sentence. There are countless typos. The index is off by several pages and entries aren't accurate (for example, some of the children's book publishers aren't included in the index but they're in the book).

I was shocked at how awful this book was. I have used Writer's Market before and thought it was of higher quality. It's too expensive to be this bad - and because there are so many (really, at least one on almost every page of this huge book) errors, I completely distrust that the information is even accurate. I feel safer using the agents/companies' websites - in which case, there is absolutely no reason to buy this book.

Don't waste your time or money!

In the past, I had purchased the Writer's Market series periodically (tried to work a two-year cycle) despite a slight "pang" in my gut for feeling like a "chump." But, it seemed that "this" was the way to first approach the publishers.

But, beginning with this 2010 year (at least, it seemed to me), it appears as though there is NO MARKET for new submissions / or writers. If that's the market, so be it. However, to "sell" this "Telephone Directory to Nowhere" as though its girth actually carried varied opportunity is a move in the direction of the "swindle." $30.00 is a hefty sum for the basic listing.

SO many listings are "Agented Fiction Only." Why list these publications? The publishers may feel that they have to list them regardless of the "closed door" policy. But, if this is the case, why aren't some "popular" magazines listed that seemingly never accept from the "slush pile." "What's good for the goose is good for the gander."

Extremely poor product.

I do feel swindled.

And, I am now thinking of the other few "Writer's Digest" publications in my library. How spurious were they? I will absolutely take another, more discerning, look.

A lot of the reviews of this book have been negative. Most such comments were rather picky. It answered my needs. This book has been around for a long time and has always had faults. But it is the best there is. I bought it just to keep current and see what publishers were still active. My old addition was over five years old and many old inclusions have disappeared.

whenevr I get used books from here I'm always satisfied the books really are in great condition.
there is alot of info for someone looking to get published, this is A highly recommended book