Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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104 of 108 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential if you're serious about writing, 14 Oct 2005
If you're in any way serious about writing and live in the British Isles, there are two books you need to buy every year - "Writers' and Artists' Yearbook" and "The Writer's Handbook". The questions you'll be asking now are Why? and what does he mean by "serious about writing"?People start writing for a variety of reasons - fun, love, therapy. It's a progressive illness. At some stage, you decide you'd like to improve your skills ... or come to the conclusion that other people might benefit from hearing your words! You join a writers' group, take classes, or start sending your poems, short stories, manuscripts, or articles to publishers. It's before this stage you have to get serious. If you want to improve your writing and have at least the ambition to get published, then I'd suggest you invest in the "Writers' and Artists' Yearbook" and learn a little about marketing before you start sending out material on spec. The "Yearbook" contains a generous helping of useful articles which might just stimulate you and inspire you with the confidence to share your writings with others. If you're serious enough to believe that you'd like to push your writing to the ultimate conclusion and try to earn money (if not a living) from it, then you will need both books. If you were to compare the two, "Writers' and Artists' Yearbook" is probably the better value. Both contain page after page of addresses - UK newspapers and magazines, publishers, agents, competitions, etc., etc., etc., complete with pen portraits of these. Both books offer a number of articles on the subject of writing and publication. In general, the "Yearbook" is slightly better. The 2006 edition opens with an inspirational introduction by Terry Pratchett - it's always worth hearing from successful writers about their earliest experiences and approaches to their work, it gives you a sense of the success you'd like to achieve and an appreciation of the work you need to put in to your craft. The "Yearbook" offers short guides on getting started, how to submit a manuscript or approach an editor, the basics of copyright, libel, tax and social security, and advice on websites, e-publishing, and much, much more. There's also a handy little guide to proof reading and correcting. The basics are here - use them as your starting point. When it comes to listings of publications and publishers, the "Writers' and Artists' Yearbook" and "The Writer's Handbook" do not entirely overlap - they have a number of different listings, they offer a different perspective, and it is worth having both on your bookshelf - and if you want to break in to American markets, you should also consider "Writer's Market". In some respects, you may find the listings in "The Handbook" more informative, but that can be a matter of opinion. The "Yearbook" is well laid out. It's been going for years, so they should have got it right by now. The material is concise, easily digested, and in the last nine years I've failed to find a mistake in any of the copies I've bought. For an annual publication, its information is accurate, timely, and accessible. If you're serious about writing, it will become a good friend, to be cherished and handled with due care.
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37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential if you're serious about writing, 19 Oct 2005
If you're in any way serious about writing and live in the British Isles, there are two books you need to buy every year - "Writers' and Artists' Yearbook" and "The Writer's Handbook". The questions you'll be asking now are Why? and what does he mean by "serious about writing"?People start writing for a variety of reasons - fun, love, therapy. It's a progressive illness. At some stage, you decide you'd like to improve your skills ... or come to the conclusion that other people might benefit from hearing your words! You join a writers' group, take classes, or start sending your poems, short stories, manuscripts, or articles to publishers. It's before this stage you have to get serious. If you want to improve your writing and have at least the ambition to get published, then I'd suggest you invest in the "Writers' and Artists' Yearbook" and learn a little about marketing before you start sending out material on spec. The "Yearbook" contains a generous helping of useful articles which might just stimulate you and inspire you with the confidence to share your writings with others. If you're serious enough to believe that you'd like to push your writing to the ultimate conclusion and try to earn money (if not a living) from it, then you will need both books. If you were to compare the two, "Writers' and Artists' Yearbook" is probably the better value. Both contain page after page of addresses - UK newspapers and magazines, publishers, agents, competitions, etc., etc., etc., complete with pen portraits of these. Both books offer a number of articles on the subject of writing and publication. In general, the "Yearbook" is slightly better. The 2006 edition opens with an inspirational introduction by Terry Pratchett - it's always worth hearing from successful writers about their earliest experiences and approaches to their work, it gives you a sense of the success you'd like to achieve and an appreciation of the work you need to put in to your craft. The "Yearbook" offers short guides on getting started, how to submit a manuscript or approach an editor, the basics of copyright, libel, tax and social security, and advice on websites, e-publishing, and much, much more. There's also a handy little guide to proof reading and correcting. The basics are here - use them as your starting point. When it comes to listings of publications and publishers, the "Writers' and Artists' Yearbook" and "The Writer's Handbook" do not entirely overlap - they have a number of different listings, they offer a different perspective, and it is worth having both on your bookshelf - and if you want to break in to American markets, you should also consider "Writer's Market". In some respects, you may find the listings in "The Handbook" more informative, but that can be a matter of opinion. The "Yearbook" is well laid out. It's been going for years, so they should have got it right by now. The material is concise, easily digested, and in the last nine years I've failed to find a mistake in any of the copies I've bought. For an annual publication, its information is accurate, timely, and accessible. If you're serious about writing, it will become a good friend, to be cherished and handled with due care.
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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A vital tool for those who need to place their work., 16 Aug 2006
Firstly, I must agree with those previous reviewers who used the words "must" and essential" when discussing this book. It is certainly that. I cannot agree with their "5 Star" ratings, however, because of it's shortcomings.
I have purchased this book regularly for many years (though not every year!) and it has always been incomplete. As an example, I write magazine articles about scuba diving and shipwrecks but most of the UK's diving magazines are not listed within this book. Whilst not my bailiwick, I have also noticed there are no canoeing or surfing titles listed - although they are for sale locally. It must, therefore, follow that several other niche market publications are also not included.
Make no mistake, this is not only an excellent publication, it is also a vital tool for those who need to place their work. Quite often, however, those who are only just starting out on that road of disappointment and success, need to find those smaller publications which, sadly, may not be included here.
Perhaps the publishers might like to spend some time working on that niche publication market in order to make the necessary improvements to this, otherwise, excellent work.
NM
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