Review of 2009 Writer's Market (Paperback)

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 ormaking money with your writing then you need this book.
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I tried the online adjunct servicetwice 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 submissionsare 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 andserious 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 themwill 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:)

Product Description
For 88 years, Writer's Market has given fiction and nonfiction writers the information they need to sell their work--from completely up-to-date listings to exclusive interviews with successful writers. The 2009 edition provides all this and more with over 3,500 listings for book publishers, magazines and literary agents, in addition to a completely updated freelance rate chart.In addition to the thousands of market listings, writers will find up-to-date information on becoming a successful freelancer covering everything from writing query letters to launching a freelance business, and more.

About the Author
Robert Lee Brewer is the editor of Writer's Market, Writer's Market Deluxe Edition and WritersMarket.com. A published poet, he covers poetry topics at his Poetic Asides poetry blog www.writersdigest.com/poeticasides. Brewer also speaks at writers' conferences and writes articles for Writer's Market and Writer's Digest.

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