Publishing?

Writer's Market or Jeff Herman's Writer's Guide? You Decide, October 18, 2004
Reviewer: Shevi Arnold "FantasyWeaver" (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
So, you've decided to become a writer. You've studied writing, had your work critiqued, learned all there is to know about editing, and you are ready to look for a publisher. The question now is which market survey book is right for you: Writer's Market or Jeff Herman's Writer's Guide.

First, let me state that both these books are excellent and full of very useful information. Neither one is, as the reviewer below says, a "telephone book."

The primary advantage of Herman's book is that the listings are very detailed. Another thing that may be an advantage to some is this one book covers fiction and nonfiction, agents and book publishers. It contains some very useful articles on the business, most of them written by Jeff Herman himself (and he knows his stuff).

The primary advantages of Writer's Market is that it contains magazine listings (as well as listings for book publishers) and most listings include icons that show how well the particular magazine pays or how open the publishing house is to unagented submissions. Writer's Market is particularly suited to the nonfiction writer, because there are special Writer's Digest books for children's writers and illustrators, and for novel and short story writers. (There is also a Writer's Digest guide to literary agents, and there used to be a Poet's Market, but it seems the last edition of that was published in 2002.) Writer's Market contains many interesting articles and interviews with industry insiders, which are very informative and well written.

So which should you get? If you can afford it, get both. If not... it's a tough call.

This year I opted for Writer's Market, because I plan to make a living doing what I'm good at: writing for magazines and newspapers. I haven't read the book cover to cover yet, but I've noticed many changes, and I like them. I've also purchased the other Writer's Market survey books, because I would like to work in the children's market, get my novel published and maybe find an agent.

Please, do not buy this book with the expectation that it will automatically turn you into a published writer. That is not the case. To succeed in this business, a writer needs talent, perseverance, the ability to listen to editors and to adjust to the market's demands, and great timing. As technology makes it easier for people with little or no talent to send manuscripts to editors and agents, it becomes harder and harder for great writers to get noticed. Imagine yourself in the shoes of an editor who receives over a hundred queries a day, and you'll start to understand why it is so hard to break in. Hard but not impossible.

I would highly recommend 2005 Writer's Market to those who take the job of writing and publishing very seriously and have studied the craft. To others I would say, study the craft first, get feedback from other writers, learn from your mistakes, edit your work, and try to get a bit of non-paying or low-paying experience first before you try to break into the big league. Either that or become a celebrity, and to heck with actual talent. You can publish a children's book or get someone else to write a bestseller for you.