i bought this book to go along with the guide to litrary agents. it was completely pointless. i wish i had returned it. it had nothing to do with what i was looking for and it was rather pricey, considering a new one will come out again next year. i needed something that was more to the point and easier to look up.

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.

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.

I buy this book every year when the new edition comes out and love it. It is up to date, and a great resource.

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.

Wow! This book has everything I never knew about the market. Now I need to get busy!

This book is helpful for finding publishers and literary agents. It is great at explaining how to send a good query letter for fiction and nonfiction magazines. It was recommended to me by my online class teacher and she was right. If you are looking to become a serious writer you will need this book for important contacts.

This book is a must-have for any aspiring writer. It not only has seemingly countless listings of publications and services but also some great articles loaded with tips for writers attempting to break into the market. There are certain things writers absolutely need to know in order to be successful in today's market and this book provides that information. Much of it is publication-specific, which is a great asset to have when you're targeting those particular publications. Though there are a lot of books out there that are excellent resources, this is easily the most comprehensive publication I've ever laid hands on. The 2009 edition is the second copy I've owned and I will never not own a recent edition again. If ever there was a book that writers must have, this is it.

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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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