THE ICE PICK

Writer’s Market 2006. Cincinnati : Writer’s Digest Books, 2005. ISBN 1-58297-394-6. 1178 pages. $29.99.

One of our members recently wrote me and said, "I have no idea who all is looking for stuff, or where to look to find out. I’d love to sell something, anything, to anyone."

If this sounds like you, you need to check out this market guide or one of its sister publications--Novel & Short Story Writer's Market, Poet's Market, or Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market.

Whether you are trying to sell a story, a novel, an article, a nonfiction book, a poem, or a filler, this guide has the largest list of paying magazines and book publishers.

In addition to the sixteen magazines dedicated to science fiction, fantasy, and horror, it features dozens of other magazines, as well as literary and "little" magazines, that take SF/F/H stories and pay cash for them. But there is no subject index for magazines, as there is for the book publishers, so you will have to read through the listings to find them. Of course, if you write other kinds of stories or articles on science or any other topic, you will find markets for your writing here. Also featured are many contests and awards.

In each market section, high-paying, Canadian, and online markets are clearly marked. And each section has introductory information about that market.

The magazine listings explain the kinds of material the editors want, how many manuscripts they buy each year, minimum and maximum lengths for your manuscript, and payment rates, as well as tips from the editors. Entries include how to obtain guidelines and/or sample copies, e-mail addresses, submission guidelines, response times, rights acquired, and whether payments are on acceptance or not. They tell whether the magazines accept fiction, nonfiction, poetry, fillers, photos, and reprints, and what the columns or departments accept.

Entries for book publishers and producers include the number of queries and manuscripts they receive and the number of titles they publish per year, with the percentage of those titles from first-time authors and the percentage from unagented writers. The entries give details about how to obtain guidelines or order a catalog, along with listings of various imprints, subjects published, and recent titles. They also tell the publishers’ policies on simultaneous submissions, on response time, on how long it usually takes to publish a book, and on royalties, advances, etc. The all-important contact information, including names of editors, is given, as are tips from the publishers and a summary of the kinds of things they are currently emphasizing or de-emphasizing.

Fifty literary agents who are seeking new clients are listed with bio notes, recent sales, terms of payment, the kinds of books they represent, and the writers’ conferences they attend, if you’d like to meet them in person.

In addition to the market listings is a section "For Beginning Writers," plus interviews with authors and articles covering such things as improving your odds of getting published, query letters, writing groups, and e-mail communication.

The "Business of Writing" section includes information on contracts, rights, and taxes. Each year special articles deal with topics of interest. This year they include articles on finding time to write, overcoming writer’s block, and creating online publicity.

Missing from this year’s guide, as from last year’s, are the script markets and script agents, and the list of magazines, websites, and organizations for writers, but it still has a glossary of terms like "frontlist" and "kill fee" to help you, as well as average word lengths for "novella," "short-short," etc.

In addition, if you buy the book, it includes a coupon code for ten dollars off a year’s subscription to their online service, www.writersmarket.com. I use the book and the website together, finding it easier to locate markets in the book and then check the website for recent changes or updated information.

In writing for publication, I find this market guide indispensable, and I’m always amazed when I meet writers who know nothing about it. If you want to sell your work and don’t know where to start, I highly recommend this market guide.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Oct. 2005.}