Writer's Market

[Jennyg]

Hi all,

I have the 2007 edition of the "Novel & Short Story Writer's Market".

Two questions:
1) In your experience, should I run out & buy the 2008 version now, or do you think I'm still safe with the 2007 version for a little while longer?

2) Has anyone purchased the "Novel & Short Story Writer's Market" and the "Writer's Market" and do you think one is better than the other? I know the first one focuses on fiction, which is what I wrote but has anyone had experience with both books & what's your opinion?

Thanks a lot for any advice!

- Jennyg

[orion_mk3]

I've not purchased but repeatedly checked out various editions of the full Writer's Market. It's more of an omnibus, with sections on fiction and nonfiction, with agents, publishers, magazines, and trade publications. So if you want to cast a wider net, it might be useful.

In my experience, established agents, publishers, and periodicals don't change much from edition to edition of Writer's Market (though you should always double-check the information online if you can). The changes do add up over time, of course, but the major changes I've noticed are publications with the "new" tag--they tend to pop up and fade away rather quickly.

[Jennyg]

Thanks for your input!

I want to submit to this one agent but my edition of Writer's Market has one address & her website has another...I'm going to have to call & verify the address.

[jenstrikesagain]

Your local public library is almost certainly going to order a copy for their reference section, so if money is an issue, you might want to check it out there first. ;)

[Jennyg]

The library, my second home ;) I definitely have to check that out....

[Shweta]

Thanks for your input!

I want to submit to this one agent but my edition of Writer's Market has one address & her website has another...I'm going to have to call & verify the address.

I generally assume the online versions are more up to date than any print ones.

[EelKat]

I tend to buy it every other year, rather than every year... and I have copies dating back to 1982! I have never seen enough changes in it to make it worth getting a new one each year.

[mikeland]

A couple of years ago, when I was starting to write short stories again, I bought the 2006 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market. I hadn't thought about markets in a long time and I wanted to be able to carry it around and browse the options. I used it for about two weeks, made a lot of notes and haven't touched it since.

Personally, I don't trust that any name or address in the print Writer's Market is current, even in the latest edition. By the time it hits the bookshelf it is likely six months to a year out of date. IMO, it is great to take a macro look at the marketplace. But for key details, I only fully trust each agent/magazine's own website.

Just my two cents.

[Finni]

IMPORTANT

If you go and buy the Novel and Short Story Writers Market for 2008 make sure it has all the pages in the back. I bought the book in december and realized there were about 80 pages missing. It was at the end of the Workshops and Conference section. I guess a few of the books had pages missing. I did write to the publisher and they send me a complete book though.

Just check through it to make sure.

[badducky]

I never shelled out the cash.

Step 1) pad and notepaper.

Step 2) Write anything contact info down in the store or with help from a library photo-copier.

Step 3) DOUBLE-CHECK EVERYTHING WITH PREDITORS & EDITORS AND WRITER BEWARE!!!

(One borderline operation spent years in that little book. I haven't checked the last two issues to see if they still include Sedgeband out of Dallas. Dave Kuzminski, Anne Crispin, and Victoria Strauss seem to have either more courage or better lawyers. Probably both.)

[RickN]

I bought the Writer's Market every year, including online access. I prefered the search facility over page flipping. I only stopped subscribing when they "upgraded" their webpage and destroyed the submission tracking section. I didn't think it was worth the cost any longer.

Now I use donation-based websites like duotrope.

[a_sharp]

It's a lot of money and a lot of bookshelf for old data. In the information age, web info rules, and you're likely to waste a lot of time chasing agents and editors, who move with greater frequency each year. Stick to AgentQuery.com and the agency blogs to stay on top. As mentioned, a phone call to verify if an agent is still there is appropriate.

[donroc]

I agree with a sharp. It seems Writer's Market may indeed be obsolete given all the CURRENT info here and other sites on the internet.

[BenPanced]

Agreed. I bought the 2008 Literary Agent guide last night and gagged on the intro. It seems the editor of the book is proud of the fact that his guide is more up to date than any website.

[Jennyg]

Thanks everyone for your input, I really, really appreciate it. I figured the internet was the way to go, but being new to the publishing world I want to make sure I'm exploring all of the right avenues. Everything that you all had to say has been a huge help! :D

[Linton Robinson]

--It seems the editor of the book is proud of the fact that his guide is more up to date than any website.

For ten minutes.

Obviously the internet can update more in a year than a book can.

But here's another way to look at it. When you ask about "to be safe"... Safe from what? From a couple of possible markets in the narrow sphere of your interest slipping by you? There are thousands of markets. You aren't going to submit to them all.

With the kind of search and notification possible on the internet...and the availability of Writer's Market and other such books in your local library...does it really warrant the expense to buy a shiny new book every year? A book that is 96% redundant to the one you bought last year?

[Linda Adams]

Writer Beware did a blog on this subject: http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2008/01/victoria-strauss-new-years-resolution.html

[stormie]

I bought the guide for the first few years I was submitting my work. And also did the online subscription. But guess what? The online subscription wasn't always up-to-date either. Also, there were a few vanity publishers listed that I notified WM about back then.

With the Internet the way it is now, and info at your fingertips (and I'm talking about the agency's or publisher's website, P&E's website, and of course, here at AW where you can ask questions), I wouldn't spend the money. Always cross-reference everything anyway.

[TrishD]

I'm on both sides of the fence on this one.

I bought the Guide to Literary Agents, researched all the agents who handle YA, and made a list--from favorites to not-so-favorite. Then I cross-referenced the agents using internet sources and made notes in the book, so when I wasn't online, I'd remember what I liked and what I didn't like. Granted, I discovered a few agents online that weren't listed in the book, but when I was ready to send out my queries, I knew exactly who I was querying and why.

If money was a factor and I had to choose between online resources and the GLA, I'd probably use the Internet. But the book wasn't THAT expensive (although I know some of the other guides are pricier) and I liked having a hands-on reference I could use when I wasn't at the computer.

[badducky]

The best place to find your literary agent is not a guidebook. Go to your book shelf. Find out who represents the authors with books kind of like yours. Who sold the book that's like yours and how well did they sell it?

Just because someone is listed, for instance, as accepting "Science Fiction" books, they might only have two clients out of fifteen that have a couple books for middle/low advances...

Get what I'm saying?

Find these things at author websites, and author acknowledgment pages.

A pen. A notepad. Those are your best tools.

Also, my ancient, dusty Writer's Market can't even kill a Texas cockroach when you smash one with it. Maybe if it was hardback, but that soft cover just doesn't do the trick.