Writer's Market 2009 is now available in my local bookstore, and I probably won't buy it. I've been a loyal purchaser of this annual for round-about 30 years, but the publishing world has changed and so have I. I didn't purchase the 2008 edition and didn't miss it.
I can remember the days when I covered each annual with Post-It Notes and yellow highlighter marks. Alas, the 2007 edition remains on the shelf next to my desk without a single crack in the spine, reminding me why I didn't bother purchasing the 2008 edition and why I won't purchase the 2009 edition.
There was a time when Writer's Market was my lifeline to publishing, where I learned about markets I had no other access to, and where I constantly trolled for editorial guidelines, editors' names, and editorial addresses. Many times in the past I've sold manuscripts to magazines I had never seen, based solely on information in Writer's Market.
All of that information is now available on the Internet. Between on-line market reports and frequent use of search engines, I can do everything I once did with my annual copy of Writer's Market.
Even though I no longer need my annual Writer's Market, I do remember it fondly and know that my career might not have progressed the way it has without it.
Farewell, old friend.
3 comments:
I usually buy both teh print and online access and then don't write or submit.
It's tough to sell what you don't write, and tougher still if you don't submit what you do write.
Michael-
I agree with your Writer's Market thoughts. I used to buy it, but was tired of how expensive and outdated it quickly became. My partner and I started a writing website called WordHustler.com that has over 3,500 free literary markets. Not only that, we're the first website to take care of the whole process of writing, more than just giving you market listings. We love what the Writer's Market has done for writers so far, we just want to take it to the next level.
With WordHustler, you upload your projects, search markets you want to submit to, and voila. We print and ship everything for you. It's easy to track all of your submissions using WordHustler's organized tracking system and we cost less than doing it yourself. Most importantly, WordHustler saves you time so you can do what you're supposed to be doing: WRITING.
Please take a look and good luck writing! http://www.WordHustler.com
Best,
Anne Walls
WordHustler Co-Founder
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