THE MAGAZINE WRITER'S HANDBOOK

Gordon Wells & Chriss McCallum
Published by Writers' Bookshop,
8th edition, £7.99
ISBN 1 902713 07 9

Review by Jean Currie

Are you a beginner not knowing where to send your short story? Do you fancy yourself as a poet or even a letter-writer? Are you a published freelance who wants to extend your market? Whichever category you fall into, you will find help in the latest edition of The Magazine Writer's Handbook.

Earlier editions (the first in 1985) have been compiled by Gordon Wells and published by Allison & Busby. With Chriss McCallum's collaboration in this new one, study reports have been revised, some magazines dropped and newer ones or better freelance markets have been included. It is inevitable that due to the time lag between preparation and publication, a book of this kind may have some items that are out of date, but every effort has been made to ensure accuracy including having reports checked by the current magazine editor.

The first section is in alphabetical order, 73 magazines, a page per magazine, and there is so much information that a code has been introduced to save space. There is guidance on the readership, types and lengths of material, illustrations and even how much is paid for letters.

Besides these commercial magazines there are 56 'independent' (often called small press) publications listed that offer the opportunity for getting into print, though because circulation is relatively small, payment is also small, sometimes no more than a free copy. Nevertheless they offer a good training ground and there is often a mix of well-established and less experienced writers.

The market study pages are interspersed with useful sections. Who Uses What - a general idea of which magazine is likely to be interested in articles on which subject and the length of short stories. Submissions to Editors - guidelines on presentation of scripts, followed by checklists on writing style, articles and short stories. Writing Picture-Story Scripts - different techniques required. There are tips on Getting Together, Competitions, Useful addresses and books and much else as well as a number of checklists.

This handbook covers British magazines only, but that does not mean that it is limited to writers aiming at the British market. The breakdown of each publication gives frequency, price, circulation, readership type, lowest pay, likely number of short stories, method of submission of features, whether or not these can be sent by email, disk and even what is paid for letters where applicable. The contents of a typical issue are described in detail: number of pages, house style, percentage and type of advertisements, editorial, staff written and freelance contributions, use of photographs and so on.

Quite apart from the valuable insight to the magazines reviewed, these pages give an excellent lesson on how periodicals should be analysed in order to ensure that the writer sends suitable material and consequently has more acceptances than rejections.

If your aim is to write for magazines, or increase your sales to them, you need this book. It does not dispense with the need for personal market research, but it does provide a starting point.

Enquiries within the UK should be sent to ChrissMac3@aol.com the rest of the world from Writers' Bookshop, Remus House, Coltsfoot Drive, Woodston, Peterborough UK PE2 9JX or from Amazon.com or Bol.com