1998 Writer's Market Review

1998 Writer's Market®, Ed., Kirsten C. Holm (Book), Mark Garvey (CD-ROM)

Writer's Digest Books
1084 pp. ISBN 0898798027
Book and CD ROM Version
Ordering information: Amazon.com

The 1998 Writer's Market® is a massive resource for the freelance writer. Editor Kirsten C. Holm and the Writer's Digest staff have done a superlative job of collecting great quantities of all kinds of paying markets for writers.

Cover 1998 Writer's Market by Writer's Digest Books

The book is organized into the following major categories: book publishers, consumer magazines and trade publications. Each of these main headings is also divided into sections. The 1998 version is larger, is in paperback, and has expanded information about pay rates (including royalty rates and advances), columns, departments and word lengths. There are over 4000 market listings each containing contact information (many of the listings include email and web addresses), circulation, payment information, what the publisher is looking for, how to submit and brief tips from the editors. Although the listings do not contain the individual publication's complete guidelines, they do provide information on obtaining sample copies and a way to obtain a more detailed or current copy of the publication's writers' guidelines. If you are looking for a comprehensive resource of markets with contact and payment information, then this is the book to buy.

The CD-ROM

The book can be purchased with or without the CD-ROM, or the CD-ROM may be purchased alone. A typical CD-ROM for an interactive game may cost you $50-60 U.S. The book alone has a list price of $27.99; the book & CD-ROM together as a set has a list price of $49.99, so you are getting the CD-ROM for an additional $22.00, although the CD-ROM alone retails for $39.99. Considering the fact that a typical CD- ROM interactive game may cost you $50-$60 U.S., this CD ROM is a great value when purchased with the book.

The CD-ROM allows you to search the listings by a number of criteria. For example, for book publishers search criteria include: number of books published per year, location, formats, types of rights purchased, and genres published. The Writer's Encyclopedia is also included. The electonic version also allows you to create your own custom market database and allows you to track your submissions. The only drawback is that at this time there is not a way to download upgrades online: perhaps this feature will be available in the future. With its handy search tools and comprehensive market listings, the CD-ROM is an invaluable tool for the working writer.

System Requirements for CD-ROM: Windows® 3.1 or later, 486DX/66, 8MB RAM, 640x840, 256 color display, mouse, MS-DOS 5.1 or later, 15MB available hard disk space, double speed CD-ROM drive.

Getting Hooked: Fiction's Opening Sentences 1950s-1990s, Ed., Sharon Rendell-Smock
89 pp. ISBN 0-965-4981-0-7
Paperback, 1996, $7.95 U.S.
Ordering information: Amazon.com

"We were about to give up and call it a night when somebody dropped the girl off the bridge."
--John D. MacDonald, Darker Than Amber, 1996.

Ever wonder how other people came up with that killer first line for their novel? This interesting little gem, edited by Florida author and journalist Sharon Rendell-Smock, takes a look at the best opening lines from novels from the 1950s to the 1990s, along with trends and world events that were happening at the time the novel was published.

Return to the October 1997 issue of The IWJ.

1998 Writer's Market Review

1998 Writer's Market®, Ed., Kirsten C. Holm (Book), Mark Garvey (CD-ROM)

Getting Hooked: Fiction's Opening Sentences 1950s-1990s, Ed., Sharon Rendell-Smock