Product Description

Fully revised and updated, The Writer's Handbook 2008 is an indispensible companion for everyone in the writing profession. Packed with provocative articles, useful advice, key contacts, hints and discussion, this practical and straightforward guide provides full details on the key markets. Here you will find all you need to know about book publishing in the UK and US, agents, newspapers and magazines, screenwriting, TV and radio, film and video, theatre, PR consultancies, poetry, writing courses and circles, festivals, grants and prizes, alongside up-to-date information on taxation, copyright, contracts and much, much more. With two easy-to-use indexes that allow you to search by company or subject, this is a book no established or aspiring writer can afford to be without.

New features for this edition:

A guide to the publishing industry and how to get your work published

Chris Hamilton-Emery on the globalization of poetry

An expert's guide to good English

Macmillan New Writing: a bold venture in discovering new talent

The future of publishing as seen by the top agents

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #213123 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 810 pages

Review
'This is the book no writer should be without' --The Times

'The Writer's Handbook' is an essential directory for new and established writers alike' --Mary Clemmey, Literary Agent

'A wise and witty book, packed with useful information' --The Society of Authors

About the Author
Barry Turner has worked on both sides of publishing, as an editor and marketing director and as an author. This is his twentieth year as editor of The Writer's Handbook. He lives in north London.

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive listings guide - but the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook is better
There are two books on the market which are widely touted as 'must-haves' for any writer looking to get into publication. One is this book, "The Writer's Handbook" (TWH), published by Macmillan. Its rival, the "Writers' and Artists' Yearbook" (W&AY), is published by A&C Black. Both contain roughly the same extensive listings of publishers, agents, print media, TV/radio producers, festivals, writing courses etc. You only really need one of them - but which one?

In truth there's little to choose between them. Much will come down to personal preference regarding the layout of the two books, and so if you can get the chance to compare them before you buy, all the better. However, to me the W&AY appears the more polished product, with a clearer table of contents and a more easily navigable structure.

What the TWH really lacks compared to the W&AY is the latter's many detailed and informative articles written by publishers, agents and successful writers (J.K. Rowling, Terry Pratchett, Bernard Cornwell, Joanna Trollope, to name a few). The W&AY has about 170 pages' worth of these in total (100 on books alone), discussing different genres and aspects of the writing process, as well as covering diverse issues such as self-publishing, marketing, writing for TV, radio and theatre, and e-publishing. TWH, by comparison, has only about 30 pages of such articles. This in my opinion sets the W&AY apart and makes it far more than simply a listings book - it is, in effect, an introduction to the entire world of writing.

This is not to say that there is anything particularly wrong with TWH - it is perfectly adequate for what it is. To be certain, buyers interested mainly in the listings (perhaps those already looking for an agent or publisher) will not be disappointed. All in all, however, my recommendation has to go to the "Writer's & Artist's Yearbook", for the added value of the sheer wealth of information and advice it contains.

The Writer's Handbook v. Writers' & Artists' Yearbook: Best to get both
I have used both The Writer's Handbook AND Writers' and Artists' Yearbook for 15 years and have used them to sell 7 books including British editions of US titles I've written. Which one is better? It depends on the year. In fact, in the 1990s, The Writer's Handbook was the first to make detailed listings of book editors, the key to getting your query letter or proposal read. The Writers' & Artists' Yearbook, however, fought back and greatly improved the detail of its listings, surpassing The Writer's Handbook for a year or two. Now it's a see-saw battle to provide ever more information and keep up to date: The writer is the beneficiary of this competition. For my money, buying both books is worthwhile, just to compare the listings and to get the fullest picture. You only have one chance per idea with a publishing house. Once an editor turns down your idea, you can't resubmit, so you want to make your best shot the first time.
-- Erich Hoyt (author, The Earth Dwellers, Creatures of the Deep, Insect Lives, Orca: The Whale Called Killer, and other books)

Would recommend
I bought the 2001 version when I was a student and purchased this one because I wanted to get back into writing again. It has definately improved with age and still contains every contact an aspiring writing could ever need. There's a very in-depth article in this addition on the UK tax implications for the writer which I found interesting (perhaps, that says more about the reviewer than the book!).

Would highly recommend and best to read with a notepad, pen and highlighter handy.