THE INTERNET WRITER'S HANDBOOK 2001/2

Karen Scott
Allison & Busby
paperback, £8:99
ISBN 07490 04915

Review by Jean Currie

The introduction states that this handbook "offers a comprehensive guide to some of the best paying markets for writers on the Internet", but it does more than that. It has an index that provides easy location of topics, a glossary of terms for the less knowledgeable and sections that include "What are e-zines?" and "What is an e-book?"

A lot of the tips in "How to Assess a Website" are common sense or heard-it-all-before type of advice, but some may not have occurred to those new to browsing. Technical terms explained are handy because this is a foreign language and those of us who are not using it all the time are likely to forget or confuse one with another. I may never use gif or jpeg, but here is an interpretation in easy-to-understand language should I need it.

There is lots more that I found invaluable - examples of Search Engines and useful tips to save time (and frustration) when using them, for instance.

I have looked upon e-books in the same way as I did electrically powered cars - a good idea but unlikely to catch on. Karen Scott does not share my view and lists the benefits of e-publishing, including the saving of trees! She did, however, warn that there are vanity publishers in this field just as there are in print, and she offers a checklist to help the choosing of the right one.

The stated aim of the book is to give details of some of the best paying markets and these are listed alphabetically, but due to the time lag between compiling such a handbook and its appearance in the shops, it is inevitable that some of the markets listed will have changed or even ceased to exist.

The analysis of both e-zines and e-books is comprehensive, including category, contact, payment, rights, submission guidelines etc.

There is so much information that whatever you want from the Internet, to write for e-zines, have a novel published as an e-book, research or make use of this medium in any other way, you are bound to find this book useful.

A big book but not a big price.