Customer Reviews
The Work At Home Freelancer's Must Have - By: InspiredWritingResearch, 03 Apr 2008 
Every year I grumble at the thought of shelling out for the latest copy of this, but every year, realising it's a must-have for my freelance writer's toolkit, I buy it.
I might start buying it every second year though, as I don't have time to read the pro articles & if I wanted to read these, there are plentyin the Sunday press & literary mags.
The 'writing short stories for radio' piece was useful though - however, less pleasing was the fact that these submissions take up to a year to even get read.
For a beginning writer determined to make a business or career out of writing, this book can be used as a textbook or course to study! Hard work though!
Usefull... Probably yes, if you happend to be a writer.... - By: E. N. Raitanen, 26 Mar 2008 
I bought this book to help me making a mailing list for a forthcoming photography exhibition. I thought that from this book I could have found contact addresses for art curators, art critics etc... as it is named writers & artists yearbook.
Photography chapterin this book is really narrow & only concentrating to picture agencies & libraries, which is just a tiny sector of the whole field of photography & really far from the fine art photography. This chapter is too narrow for the book to be called: "a directory for photographers".
Art isin the same chapter with illustration & this chapter mainly concentrates getting illustration commission. This doesn't make much sense to me as I consider myself an Artist, but I don't do illustrations. Art & Illustrations doesn't have that much do with each other. Of course illustrations can be seen art, but to advertise a book as artists yearbook & then only concentrate on illustrations is misleading marketing.
I have to say that listings of magazines & newspapers are useful, but at the same time it is missing quite a big & seminal photography magazines i.e Portfolio & Photoworks magazines.
Buy this book, if you are a writer. If you are an artist, you have to consider is the little information you can find from this book really worth the money. I would say no.
The WAYB is always such a boast! - By: JESS, 02 Jan 2008 
I love reading the latest WAYB. It's all the tips & notes from those successfulin all the many fields of interest & work open to a writer that satisfies me the most. AGAIN, of course, the contributions are first class - informative, inspirational & an overall boast to self confidence & a heightened sense of belonging.
All things feel possible once you have, as Fay Weldon says of the WAYB, "...an entrance ticket to the world you long for".
You can now (using the password inside your WAYB copy) get free access to 1000s of searchable listings, more expert advice, book & writing news & competition entry via the new website.
There is true meat on this book's bones!
Missing? - By: HM Baggott, 19 Nov 2007 Like the other reviewer, it's difficult decide which year book to buy. This year I chose this one & was disappointed to spot that a well-known magazine wasn't listed.
How reliable is the rest of the content?
Excellent guide - informative and comprehensive - By: J. Aitcheson, 16 Oct 2007 [Note: the 2009 edition of the "Writers' & Artists' Yearbook" has now been published.]
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 "Writers' & Artists' Yearbook" (W&AY), published by A&C Black. Its rival, "The Writer's Handbook" (TWH), is published by Macmillan. Both contain roughly the same extensive listings of publishers, agents, print media, producers etc - you only really need one of them. But which one?
In truth there's little to choose between them. At the time of writing this review, they are both being offered at the same price by Amazon. Much will come down to personal preference regarding the layout of the two books, & 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 structure that is easier to find your way through.
The W&AY gains extra points for the many different articles it contains by professionals covering all aspects of the writing industry. Famous authors such as Joanna Trollope, Terry Pratchett, Bernard Cornwell & J.K. Rowling address various aspects of the writing process & discuss different genres. Many other highly informative articles cover diverse issues such as self-publishing, marketing your book, writing for TV, radio & theatre, the electronic world of websites & e-publishing, & financial aspects such as tax. This makes the W&AY more than simply a listings book - it is,in effect, an introduction to the entire world of writing. Much overlooked is of course the fact that this is a yearbook for artists too. Correspondingly there are sections for the budding illustrator & photographerin the W&AY which are not to be foundin TWH.
What's new for the 2008 edition? In truth not much has changed since last year. A handful of articles have gone; 9 new ones have been added, covering a range of topics including audio publishing, writing short stories for radio & starting a blog. There are also new pieces by two successful writers (of romantic fiction & of biographies), by a literary editor & by a literary scout. Is it worth upgrading to the 2008 edition, then? For the articles themselves - fascinating though they are - probably not. On the other hand, the advantage of having fully up-to-date listings counts for a great deal, especially if you are already looking for an agent or publisher. And at the price it is currently being offered by Amazon, it is surely a worthwhile investment.
Allin all, this is an excellent & comprehensive guide. Definitely recommended for the aspiring writer or artist.
