Writer's Market: 8,000 Editors Who Buy What You Write

I used to purchase Writer's Market every year because it is such a handsome book and I wanted to imagine myself a writer. When I finally got serious and decided to write, I sat down with my WM and found everything I needed to get my book published. From WM I found a small house that published the kind of books I was trying to write. I put together a manuscript, cover letter and marketing plan with the very details I found in WM. My book, "I'll Carry the Fork! Recovering a Life After Brain Injury" was published in 1999. Please believe that, when you add Writer's Market to a dream and a commitment to hard work and determination, you have all the tools to find yourself a published author. It's the real deal. Don't pass up this gift to yourself.

Writer's Market is a must for any beginning, established, or student writer who wants to be published.It is a required text for my Freelance Writing students. They utilize Writer's Market's essays to improve their manuscripts, and they use its resources to research and place their work. Last year, a student submitted her piece on Wednesday, revised it and mailed Friday, and received an acceptance Monday. Others placed theirs quickly as well.When they follow the advice of Writer's Market, students learn marketable writing skills. I did, they do, you can, too, when you purchase Writer's Market.

As one of several freelance writers throughout the country contacted recently to do a professional review of this book for the publisher, I expected to find some changes from last's years version. The primary question I was ready to ask was if those changes being made in this version were made simply for the sake of making this edition different from its predecessor, or would there be enough real, viable, beneficial additions to an already outstanding book to make a hard-working, penny-pinching freelance writer buy a new copy. The answer was rather quickly answered as I thoroughly examined the book, and I was most pleasantly surprised at the changes actually made in this edition. Somehow Senior Editor Kirsten Holm (and the obvious multitude of others who worked on this edition) managed to find a number of subtle and not-so-subtle ways to improve a book that is almost beyond improvement. Writers Market has been, and still is, THE basic reference volume for any writer working in the magazine market, and it is an excellent resource book for any writer need information on publishers in the U.S. or Canada. This year's version now includes the addition of a section on literary agents, and although I'm not sure about its inclusion, like the rest of the book it too is well done (I have a personal problem with the rather large number of books in the writing marketplace that don't include many of the hard-working smaller agents - mine included). That said, this year's Writer's Market is worth a serious look, especially if your last year's version is as dog-earred, yellow-lined and worn as it should be if you are using it properly. Final comments? I feel so strongly about this year's version that even before I was contacted about reviewing the book, I had already purchased one. And the sample provided me for review? It now resides in our local library's reference section so the many "new" writers in my area can have access to a major reference book until they decide they need one of their own.

As a writing instructor, writer and freelance editor, I use my copy almost daily. It is the best compilation of magazine markets available. However, there are other magazines out there that are not listed. Check with the major bookstores, in the offices of doctors, lawyers, plumbers, etc. for those thaqt are not listed. Worth the money.

I am completing my twenty-third year as a professor of English and Humanities at a two-year community college. Over the years, I have taught a wide variety of Humanities/Literature/Philosophy classes. About ten years ago, I began to encourage each student to send in his/her favourite piece of writing to an appropriate magazine. Some have sent in poems and short stories; others, informative essays or reviews of works. The main goal is to send the material out to a magazine or an anthology, mainly for the experience of writing a cover letter, and for a chance for the student to revise his or her work for an specific audience. This is where I find the book, 1998 WRITER'S MARKET: WHERE & HOW TO SELL WHAT YOU WRITE (Annual) by Kristen Holm (Editor), as I did many of the past editions of THE WRITER'S MARKET, to be a most valuable refernce tool. Extremely useful information is presented in a most practical and positive manner. The most valuable pieces of information given are: a) the clear, but brief introduction as to how to use the book; b) details of the types of articles and other works that are solicited by various publishers; c) the information given on what magazines do not solicit articles directly from writers, especially unpublished ones; the listings by topic/subject; d) and the complete addresses of the publishers. Thank you for the opportunity to express my opinion.