Amazon.co.uk Review
Judging by the number of writing courses advertised in daily newspapers, the desire to be published and gain either immortality, notoriety or--let's not beat about the bush--cash, remains as strong as ever. And money to be made from writing there is. On a rough estimate, high street magazine publishers pay out an astonishing £250,000 a month to contributors--and that's not counting the thousands of other trade, technical and hobby magazines and newspapers that flood from the presses daily.
Gordon Wells has written The Magazine Writer's Handbookto help able writers interested in selling articles, stories and letters to these magazines. This is a brilliantly researched handbook packed with inside information and helpful tips and checklists. The writer displays an intimate knowledge of his subject as a freelance writer who has lived off his writing skill and knowledge for many years. To the apprentice writer, this book will act as the guiding hand of the master craftsman, not only in writing technique, but in the mechanics of shaping a piece in the right way for the intended audience, and selling it to the editor.
The bulk of the book comprises 73 page-long descriptions of the "best" magazines to sell to, with information on the content, target readership, the right way to approach the editor--and what they pay. Additional chapters cover other types of magazines, practical techniques on writing, competitions and letters, and a brief guide to computers and word processing. There is also a great bibliography. This is what all handbooks should be like: concise, densely packed with quality information, easy to read and well indexed. --Tim Thornborough
Product Description
For all writers of magazine articles and short stories, this guide provides detailed information about 70 British magazines and comments on many more. For each magazine, the author examines a typical issue and offers clear and concise information on many aspects, including: the target readership; editorial policy; regular columns and features; type and length of material; when and how to approach the editor; and likely payment. For this edition, Wells has revised the magazine reports, included a pre-submission checklist and an expanded chapter listing the 'small press' magazines.