Writers' and Artists' Yearbook 1979 Book

Now in its 96th year, Writers and Artists Yearbook is a trustworthy old friend to anyone trying to sell creative work commercially and needing a one-volume all-purpose reference book. It may not be quite as up to date (several of the newspaper section editors named are no longer current) as younger rival The Writer's Handbook but it's much fuller because it serves professional and amateur artists, designers, illustrators and photographers as well as writers. The magazine listing is impressive because it includes so many trade, membership, in-house and limited issue titles alongside the news-stand ones. Another strength is the number of publishers listed both in the UK and elsewhere. The directories of Societies, Associations and Clubs, Prizes and Awards and Festivals are eclectic too. If you want to contact the Scattered Authors Society, The Caine Prize for African Writing or the Manchester Poetry Festival then all the details are here. This year there's a thoughtful and encouraging foreword by veteran novelist Doris Lessing who says that for success "the recipe is hard work" plus many other blocks of advice from practitioners. Jane Dorner's "Setting up a Web site" and David Askam's "Digital Imaging for writers" are especially helpful and how useful it is, for most of the world which is not fluent in proofreader-speak to have a glossary of symbols. There are few things more galling than selling a piece of work, being offered a proof to correct before publication, but not knowing how to do it--Susan ElkinRead More