The Writers Handbook.

Correction "was not cheap either"

It is a book of closed doors.

It's quite a good list of contacts and provides lots of sensible suggestions. I don't think the authors can really take any responsibility for whether or not these contacts want to publish your writing, though.

All I ask for is solid leads, i.e. people that would respond to my queries, and would at least look at, and consider my work. Don't give me dud information under false pretexts, and don't get my hopes up for nothing, and then ask me to pay good money for it. I am very unhappy at the purchase and use of this book. (I have tried to make use of it extensively - what a disappointment!)

I think it's quite a good resource. You can't expect it all to fall into your lap Jacques. Don't blame the book, blame me.

But there isn't anyone in the publishing business who's being paid to respond to your queries and take an interest in your work. Publishing is a service to readers not writers. In what way is the information in The Writers Handbook false?

How many writers do you think have been published through the help of this book? I am fairly confident that it can not be many. This is what it claims to do, if I am not mistaken. I re-iterate; it is a book full of closed doors. I am disapointed in it, and that is all I have to say. You may discuss the subject at any length you wish. Please show me someone, anyone, who has had work published due to this book. It is a crime against humanity!!!

In my opinion the contact details inside the book infer that a writer would be able to contact and submit work to the publishers therein, with the aim of maybe getting their work published. If the above is not the case they should print in large, red, bold letters on the cover; THIS BOOK WILL NOT AID YOU IN YOUR QUEST TO GET PUBLISHED- SO DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY! It won't do much for your sales, but at least the consumer would know what he/she is buying.

Jees - if purchasing a copy of the writer's handbook was a guarantee of getting published, I would have bought one years ago. I know it's expensive, but it does stop you wasting money sending unsolicited manuscripts to agents/publishers who either don't accept them at all or don't deal in your genre. All the agents' and publishers' details are in there - I'm not sure what more you expected them to do. It's just a resource. [%sig%]

"How many writers do you think have been published through the help of this book? I am fairly confident that it can not be many." Still not really following your line of argument here. If you've written something a publisher or editor might want to publish then having a list of the right places to send it is quite useful. If you haven't, then this kind of information will be less useful. How can the publishers of a listings directory be held responsible either for the quality of a writer's work or an editor or publishers reaction to it?

Blah-blah-blah.

ffs. I could tell you stories about how JK Rowling and Tolkein etc. had to tout around millions of agents and publishers before they got anything published. However, I suspect it would be altogether kinder to say that if you can't get anywhere with the Writers Handbook then it's more likely that it is your work that is crap rather than the book.

Someone wake up that dormouse!!!

I read your lengthy post Casey. It makes sense to me (sort of). Thanks.

Haven't learned a thing have you Casey?

I got published through the Writer's Handbook - but only because the 2003 edition was a good year, nothing to do with my writing. The 2004 edition was corked and the 2005 edition smelt of vaguely of ink. You should get your money back.

'Its publishers and editors should be put before a firing squad and shot to death.' To death?! I agreed with you up to that last word. To stardom, maybe. Jacques... my very, very tentative initial prognosis, based on your failure with the Handbook, is that you are utterly shite at writing, and a nutter to boot. Or possibly a master of irony. In which case, I doff my hat. Sike! There was a machine gun nest underneath! Daka-daka-daka! You just got ventilated, gayboy! Woot! Woot!

Do you seriously expect me to dignify your verbal diahorea with an intelligent answer?

Go on, have a go.

Ok. Tampon Tim, My madness is boderline, I am definetily not gay, and I myself think I am actually quite a good writer. Good enough ?

I don't think it's the fault of the Writers' Handbook if you haven't been published. But it's not a reflection on your work either. Most publishers are looking for writing which they believe is 'marketable', and rarely look at manuscripts not submitted by an agent. If you really want to get published, keep trying, or else publish yourself. [%sig%]

Finally, some sensible advice.

I think the point is that if anyone believe that there was direct connection between owning the copy of any handbook for writers and publication, that handbook would not be retailing for c£15. It would be selling for at least £10,000 a copy. Jacques' stated position on this is utterly insane but not uncommon amongst wannabe writers (which is why I keep returning to this thread). I get very worried when writers fail to understand the natural starting point in the publishing process is that no one cares that you've written book (or a short story) and there's no reason why they should. Attracting interest in your writing is a battle that involves large measures of skill, luck, knowledge and persistence, less the 1% of which will be provided by any writer's guide, however good or bad it is.

David, I did not even read your shitty comment above, but I can tell you this much, you just proved again that opinions are like arseholes; everybody's got one. [%sig%]

David, I fear you may have made a formidable enemy.

'you just proved again that opinions are like arseholes; everybody's got one.' Liar. Didn't you hear about the guy with no arsehole? They gave him a bum transplant but he died of a fart attack.

I understand Jacques' frustration, but the reason there's a vast literature on getting published is because it's damned hard. My novel didn't fit into an established genre. I gave up on finding a conventional publisher and signed with a p.o.d. one. I think things are going the right way now. You may read about my experience here: [%sig%]

"David, I fear you may have made a formidable enemy." Yes, the bruised egos of struggling writers generally jump up and attack me when I try to get them to understand unpleasant realities. I have to keep doing it, though. It's part of my job.

Fight the fight David. You know it makes sense.

Your job is to bruise the egos of struggling writers??? How did you come by this? Is there an Ego-Bruisers' Handbook I can pick up? Look though. Let's be generous with Jacques. Maybe what he's saying is that all of the people in the book he's contacted are refusing to respond to queries, or telling him they don't accept unsolicited manuscripts. In other words, it's not sorting the wheat from the chafe, like it promises. Maybe this year's *is* badly researched - who knows? But then, he did say "I can't get published, no matter who I contact in this book". Um. Anyway, it isn't hard to be published - it's just hard to get someone else to pay for publication, distribution, editing, design etc. Which is fair enough, seeing as they're unlikely to get all that money back. What's also hard (very, very hard,) is to be published in a manner which affords you respect, and that's what people are *really* after.

'In other words, it's not sorting the wheat from the chafe, like it promises.' No it doesn't. It's a directory of publishers, agents, and resources. It's like calling someone at random for a chat, and when they tell you to eff off, blaming the phone book.

Um... it's called 'The Writer's Handbook'. Which would suggest it considers itself a service to writers. Why would writers want a handbook of publishers, except to make some headway in getting published? If the phonebook was called 'The Random Friendly Chatty Person's Handbook' you'd have a point.

"Your job is to bruise the egos of struggling writers??? How did you come by this? Is there an Ego-Bruisers' Handbook I can pick up?" Working on it but might struggle find a publisher. "In other words, it's not sorting the wheat from the chafe, like it promises." Do you mean chaff or was chafe a clever link to ego bruising? "What's also hard (very, very hard,) is to be published in a manner which affords you respect, and that's what people are *really* after." Depends how much respect you want and who you want if from. I was well pleased that I got a poetry pamphlet published by a small independent publisher (who paid for the stuff you mention, on a very small scale) but I understand the difference between this and getting my collected works published by Faber and Faber (which is still some way away and is obviously what I really, really want).

I have just acquired the latest issue. The Society of Authors (of which I am a member) offered to help me find an agent if I could whittle potential agents down to three or four, which I have now done, with the help of the book. Fingers crossed.

Its kind of like saying you should be able to speak fluent Russian just cos you've bought a Russian dictionary.

"Depends how much respect you want and who you want if from." Well, I think Jacques, and numerous others, want to be regarded by all and sundry as a master of their craft.