Book Review - Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2013

I only have one question about this book: why has nobody told me about it before????

If you are a writer, screenwriter or freelance journalist, this is your bible. Especially, if you’re late to the whole writing circle like I am.

The Writers and Artists Yearbook is published annually and it basically has the contact details for publishers, editors and commissioning editors of UK newspapers, magazines, book publishers, film, TV and radio producers. It also holds some valuable information about who belongs to what newspaper or publishing group; how to market your writing; how to approach different editors; how to present your ideas and what standard they would expect from you.

Now, apart from my degree in Creative Writing, I have been to a lot of writing courses and, as far as I can remember, nobody mentioned this book to me. It would have saved me a lot of time, hence why I decided to share it with you.

Like any other handbook, this is a reference guide that will point you in the right direction, but you still need to do the hard work. So of course, as a writer, you still need to read the publications you intend to break into and understand the dynamic of each one, how they like it written and who is their target market. However, knowing who to contact, how they are all connected, what genre they specialize in or what they might be looking for always helps.

There is also a Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook for those targeting children's literature in particular. They are not cheap books, but definitely worth the money.

And here is where I must thank our friend Tara for mentioning it to me. Without her I would probably never come across it. Thanks girlie. Much appreciated.

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