Online Writing Books

The book was in excellent condition as stated, and arrived a day or two later than normal, but that was fine.

This is an easy reference book for writing psych-evals and residential school reports. Great for jogging your memory when you think you have run out of words...However, I bought the accompanying CD, it is not in any way helpful...

The format of this book is a little tricky, and it took me a few days to gain a comprehensive overview. However, this book does offer a lot of good information about the assessment and treatment plan writing process, including some examples. All in all, a useful book to add to your home library as a reference guide if you are a worker in the mental health field, or student.

This book has been extremely helpful, especially when I'm writing progress notes. I highly recommend it.

A friend, who is working on her LCSW clinical hours, recommended this book. I am an MSW student and while studying methods for doing psychosocial assessments this book was a very valuable resource. It has words and phrases that are clear, succinct, and convey meaning quickly and clearly.

I highly recommend it for all MSW students, social workers, and LCSW's.

I am going to see what could be made relevant to my research in English, but it was frustrating to see that it is so geared towards social scientists. The book has every right to focus on a particular type of graduate student (however it should be noted, I think), but since humanities grads are seen as fluffy, redundant and not "fact" finders, this book is not comforting for me to read. It re-emphasizes empirical evidence and thus continues to suggest (by not mentioning them)that humanities dissertations do not "prove" anything. While my dissertation will be organized around a "problem" of a certain kind, it is not something that can be tested or measured in the same ways as a social scientist's research. This makes it even more challenging to specifically define and finish. The book still looks well-written and addresses some areas that should be helpful if only mentally.

This book gives practical and reassuring advice on how to survive the thesis or dissertation process. A must have book for all students!!!

Every so often a blue book comes along that really rocks your world and makes life so much easier. Life just makes more sense...

Well, this is surely a blue book...

This book serves as an excellent resource. The style is clear and the book is well structured. Offers very helpful advice.

This book was recommended by my dissertation chair (which meant I HAD to buy it). Once I got it and read through it, I found it to be surprisingly helpful. I just got the book yesterday and I have already filled the margins with notes and post-its. It is a good resource to have and am glad I got it at the beginning stages of the dissertation writing process.

I'm not sure how to characterize this book, as a reference, as a discourse on English and how it is evolving, as a guide to research tools in language and linguistics.

It is really all of them wrapped together, a distillation of what appears to be a dedicated life-long interest in language from a well-known Atlantic Monthly editor. It is in no way pointy-headed, the way so many language guides are. It is open to new ways of doing business in speaking or writing, and Wallraff shows us how to justify our judgements and back them up with quick searches in books or on the Internet.

There is a wit and sense of giving and forgiving, that there might be a right way or several right ways, that the language is changing and we need to uphold some standards and 'get a life' to let other standards evolve.

As an academic and a writer, I find the book insightful, unstuffy and, above all, very helpful. I read it, learned new approaches and feel that I will continue to build on those lessons.

This is a gem of a book. Insightful, thoughtful, witty, fun, and, above all, sensible. But most of all it exudes good plain commonsense about language. I recommend it to anyone lost in the thicket of language usage who is looking for a machete.

I found the writing of this book quite bad. While reading the book I felt like suggesting that the author find a good editor to clean up the uneven, choppy, and repetitious writing here. She uses the word "nowadays" all too often, I even found it in a passage which is attributed to a person who wrote into her column in The Atlantic Monthly. I could get out one of my old writing books and give specific examples of the areas that are in need of a tune up, but I do not wish to put that much time into this review, nor do I think that this is what this forum is meant for. And I do not relish giving a bad review, the author seems to be well intentioned and probably a good and productive person, but this is more the reason I felt the need to add my two cents.
I came here to Amazon's review forum to find out if anyone else felt the same way I did, and was amazed that so many well educated readers found the book so good. This is quite disturbing. I now doubt that well educated readers are able to discern between good and bad writing. It also makes me wonder if the reviews are from friends, many of them sounded so similar. The ideas are refreshing, but presentation could use one or two more rounds with a good, or perhaps different, editor.

For a serious writer or editor, this is an essential book. I keep it close by my dictionary, thesaurus, Chicago Manual, Garner, and Fowler's (the 2nd edition, of course, not the awful 3rd). Your Own Words is, as another reviewer aptly noted, a meta-reference, the one that allows me to find my way around the others and answer grammar and usage questions for myself. (I never, for instance, would have thought of using Google News as a usage guide.) The many selections from Wallraff's Atlantic Monthly column are a welcome bonus.

What a terrific addition to my reference shelf! Wallraff's book supplies not only the entertaining and helpful answers about language we've all learned to expect after years of reading her Word Court column in the Atlantic, but also information I've never found elsewhere about how to find answers for ourselves when she's not around.

Your Own Words raises the value of all the other style guides, usage manuals, and dictionaries on your shelf by teaching you how to use those references (and many, many others) to best advantage, and she does it with her usual grace and good humor.

One of my favorite things about this volume: Wallraff gives both long and short explanations of her subject matter. Breaking the basics out in a distinct typeface, she gives you a choice of skimming the book for entertainment and some basics, or digging in deep for more information than you ever knew existed. As an editor, I think Wallraff's book is an essential new resource, but it's also a wonderful treat for anyone who loves language and just wants exceptionally readable insights into the craft of writing, editing, and research.

I have been a fan of Gone With the Wind and Margarett Mitchell since I was a junior in high school, the same year the book celebrated its 50th anniversary. Since then I have re-read GWTW (many times) and anything else I have been able to get my hands on pertaining to GWTW and Margaret Mitchell and I have to say this book was a great find!

The actual writings are a bit hard to follow as there are bits and pieces - and in some cases whole chapters missing, but all and all it is a very nice glimpse of her talent and love of writing even at a very early age. What I was most impressed with were the pictures and background information provided about Ms. Mitchell's life and life in Atlanta at the time. The physical quality of the book is very nice as well - the pages are a slick heavy stock paper and the deckled eges were a very nice touch. I have no complaints and can only hope that somewhere in the recesses of another old building in Atlanta there are more such treasures to be found.

I have been a fan of Gone With the Wind and Margarett Mitchell since I was a junior in high school, the same year the book celebrated its 50th anniversary. Since then I have re-read GWTW (many times) and anything else I have been able to get my hands on pertaining to GWTW and Margaret Mitchell and I have to say this book was a great find!

The actual writings are a bit hard to follow as there are bits and pieces - and in some cases whole chapters missing, but all and all it is a very nice glimpse of her talent and love of writing even at a very early age. What I was most impressed with were the pictures and background information provided about Ms. Mitchell's life and life in Atlanta at the time. The physical quality of the book is very nice as well - the pages are a slick heavy stock paper and the deckled eges were a very nice touch. I have no complaints and can only hope that somewhere in the recesses of another old building in Atlanta there are more such treasures to be found.

I have been a fan of Gone With the Wind and Margarett Mitchell since I was a junior in high school, the same year the book celebrated its 50th anniversary. Since then I have re-read GWTW (many times) and anything else I have been able to get my hands on pertaining to GWTW and Margaret Mitchell and I have to say this book was a great find!

The actual writings are a bit hard to follow as there are bits and pieces - and in some cases whole chapters missing, but all and all it is a very nice glimpse of her talent and love of writing even at a very early age. What I was most impressed with were the pictures and background information provided about Ms. Mitchell's life and life in Atlanta at the time. The physical quality of the book is very nice as well - the pages are a slick heavy stock paper and the deckled eges were a very nice touch. I have no complaints and can only hope that somewhere in the recesses of another old building in Atlanta there are more such treasures to be found.

I have been a fan of Gone With the Wind and Margarett Mitchell since I was a junior in high school, the same year the book celebrated its 50th anniversary. Since then I have re-read GWTW (many times) and anything else I have been able to get my hands on pertaining to GWTW and Margaret Mitchell and I have to say this book was a great find!

The actual writings are a bit hard to follow as there are bits and pieces - and in some cases whole chapters missing, but all and all it is a very nice glimpse of her talent and love of writing even at a very early age. What I was most impressed with were the pictures and background information provided about Ms. Mitchell's life and life in Atlanta at the time. The physical quality of the book is very nice as well - the pages are a slick heavy stock paper and the deckled eges were a very nice touch. I have no complaints and can only hope that somewhere in the recesses of another old building in Atlanta there are more such treasures to be found.

Being a collector of GWTW memorabilia, I'm always anxious to find anything about its author and to see how her incredibly creative mind worked. To find the material in the manner in which Jane Eskridge and her beau did only adds to the fascination of the book. The history and pictures included are informative, and although some of Margaret's stories are incomplete, the talent exhibited for such a very young age only makes the reader shake his/her head in amazement. She considered herself a "made writer" instead of a "born writer" but was badly mistaken. All of us who have struggled through the years with writing wish we had been so blessed. Jane Eskridge did a remarkable job in editing this latest work of Margaret Mitchell.

I like the book, but the hand drawn illustrations get a bit old about half way into the book. Great info though that I haven't seen in other books. Will be on my reference shelf for possible layout designs and tidbits of info. I would buy it again.

I use this book to teach my first year graphic design students. It has some excellent and simple illustrations. The layout of the book is very friendly and easy to follow.

First of all, if "Conflicted" found the book difficult to follow, so be it. Mileage varies from person to person. And I will agree, the cover is a disappointment.

However, the part you couldn't read was a design element, not intended as text to be read; the **title** is printed in clear letters at the top of the cover. Second, this book is intended for beginners and - since we supposedly learn 90% of everything we *ever* learn by example - it tries to teach as much by example as by assertion. Hence, the informal style and wonderful profusion of examples. White **shows** as well as tells on almost every two-page spread - that's one of the major strengths of the book, in my opinion. Instead of distracting the reader by content-specific illustrations, he chose **very carefully** hand-drawn illustrations - and, by the way, mostly black and white to keep the book affordable. And for all that concrete terminology you couldn't find - try the Glossary that begins on p. 241.

As I said, your mileage may vary. But to me, this book presents the basic concepts of page and type design for the beginner in a way that really worked for me. 30 years later, I still value it!

I have probably never learned more about any subject than I have with this book. Being the eternal student, I can be critical if a book doesn't teach me anything new, or pads itself out with extraneous rot. This book does neither of these things. It is concise, incredibly comprehensive, clear, honest and delivers much much MUCH. How I would love to get inside this man's brain and/or have him partner my business! The attention to detail and range of example is exhilarating. An exemplary work that could very well have delivered the bones of my entrepreneurial idea, or at the very least, given me the vim and knowledge to execute it. Thank you, Mr White.

The Good:
The book contains an abundance of illustrations which can be very helpful. The author uses the text of the book itself as bad examples of design.
The Bad:
As a newbie to publication design, I approached this book as a student. I probably would have never even opened the cover of it if it weren't required for a class. The design of the cover (and most of the book) is horrible. I can't read the title and it does nothing to attract me visually. The illustrations are so sloppy they are unprofessional. Although sketches in real life should be messy, the sketches in the book should at least be interpretable. The author never uses any concrete terminology, so it is difficult categorize information as you absorb it.

This book is wonderful. Fussell in opinionated and unafraid to display his own taste, but I find that a good thing (uncommon in academic writing in my experience). My favorite idea of Fussell's is that for a stanza break to be merited, something must happen in the white space _between_ the stanzas: there must be a shift of register or mood.

I can't wait to read his most famous book, The Great War and Modern Memory, on the literary impact of World War I.

Fussell's work is fantastic...the only problems are his high handed attitude towards free verse and a general snarkiness throughout the text. But overall, a good resource.

Expensive isn't it! But it's the most excellent book on writing poetry and poetic form I've read. Fussell has a masterful understanding of the material and handles it with great style and insight.

Fussell's foreword says that his book is for aspiring readers, not aspiring writers. But if you are an aspiring poet, I think Fussell has something to offer that is absent in most "handbooks".

One of the most important things Fussell addresses is how the form of a poem affects the meaning and impression of the total poem. For example, he notes how many poetic forms are inevitably coloured by their initial or most famous use. He says regarding Tennyson's In Memoriam stanza-form, that it "is now so closely associated with the sturdy, serviceable elegaic atmosphere of In Memoriam itself that...its uses now seem limited to occasions which either resemble or mock the original" (Ch 8 The English Stanzas).

Another chapter that poets will find helpful is Metrical Variations, in which Fussell examines how poets substitute variant feet to create particular effects. Or if your interest is in free verse, he devotes a chapter to examining the characteristics of successful free verse, including how line breaks create effects.

This is not a substitute for a general handbook of poetry, and assumes a minimal knowledge of poetic technique, meter, &c. But if you are serious about reading or writing poetry, I don't think you can afford to miss this book.

When I was 21 and in my first year of graduate school, Paul Fussell's "Poetic Meter and Poetic Form" was one of the first text books assigned to me. When I bought the book and saw how slim it was, I snickered, "Grad school's gonna be a walk in the park!"

Yeah, RIGHT!

This densely packed tome is not for the uninitiated and definitely not absorbed in just one reading. On and off, over the last 20 years, I have come back to this book to refresh my memory and, usually, to astonish myself. The book's real strength, besides Professor Fussell's obvious command of his subject, and his ability to convey that command, is in the sprinkling of dozens of anecdotes by and about poets about other poets and poetry. Even at this late date in my life, I can't pretend to understand the entire book but what I do understand I admire and respect. "Poetic Meter and Poetic Form" is not recommended to anyone studying poetry; it is urgently required.

Alexander Gordon Laing is the most romantic of Timbuktu's explorers. But his story is less known than those of Mungo Park or Caillie because of two reasons:
1) he didn't write a book on his travels (he died on his way back)
2) Caillie's success and description of the city destroyed the golden myth of Timbuktu and people lost interest on the city.
An excellent and complete research on Laing's story.
My only criticism goes to the edition, not the book itself. I bought the paperback edition and the tiny size of the images and maps, together with the printing quality, makes it very difficult to enjoy the excellent graphic material. If the hardcover is of a bigger size, go ahead and buy it.

The Race For Timbuktu is a fun and interesting read. It does a good job of covering the voyages of Alexander Laing and those who proceeded him. The writing is generally good and the story well told.

In short, Timbuktu was a legendary city of gold and wealth in the middle of Africa. A sort of Shangri-La that really existed, even if not in the wealth imagined. Given the importance of Africa to the European powers at the start of the 19th century, France and England raced to find the fabled city and the source of the Niger River. The book focuses on England's explorers such as Denham, Chapperton and Oudney. Followed by a solid biography of Alexander Laing, who eventually discovered Timbuktu. In the process a good glimpse of European affairs in the Sahara is provided.

So why only three stars? First this book needs maps-- desperately. I am amazed how many books I have read lately lack them. How hard is it for a publisher to get a map, draw the routes taken by multiple explorers on them and publish them in the book? Somehow it seems obvious and yet where are they? Second some pictures might be nice so one can see, or glimpse the regions described. Third, the author often repeats himself. How many times do we need to know Emma Warrington took unescorted walks with the son of the French Ambassador?

Fourth and most important, the author does little to provide African context for the events. Cities, empires, and rulers appear in the narrative, but little is said about them. This especially hurts when a people, the Taureg tribe, appear over and over with very little context. I recommend reading this book with one's internet link to Wikipedia or Encylcopedia Britannica open to answer obvious questions.

One last little thing, on P. 149 the author refers to Herodotus documenting a Roman garrison. Herodotus pre-dates roman times by a few centuries and did not write on Rome but on Greece and Persia. He also places a city in the Sudan which is clearly in Nigeria. Other mistakes may be present.

This is a tale of hardships, courage, greed, betrayal, stubbornness and determination that reveals much about the men that searched for Timbuktu and the mouth of the Niger River at the beginning of the age of European exploration in central sub-Saharan Africa.

The men who undertook the dangerous journeys came from a diverse range of backgrounds but they all shared some personality traits. Determination to fulfil their objectives and courage in the face of extreme hardships are the common threads that linked the major figures even when they were in contest with each other.

The names of most of these explorers are unfamiliar to the average reader but their adventures into Africa and their successes, in accomplishing the objectives set for them by the Foreign Offices and Societies who funded them, shaped the colonial and post-colonial world of Africa.

The writing is not the best of this genre but the material allows the reader to overlook convoluted sentences and the occasional poorly edited paragraphs and some questionable statements of facts. The men who were participants, willing and unwilling, in the early years of primarily British exploration of central and west Africa are drawn from the pages of journals, books and letters of the actors. It is interesting, and enlightening, to read of the complexities of the political dynamics of the region. The rulers and advisers of the regions into which these explorers went were well informed about affairs as far removed from them as British activities in India. Much of what was lost by the over whelming forces of colonialism is glimpsed in the descriptions of the people of the regions by the explorers.

It is in the end an account that helps the reader to understand the manner in which Africa was opened up to the rest of the world regardless of the desires and needs of its inhabitants. The overwhelming changes that would come after Laing and his contemporaries had mapped the area are for another book. These men were products of their time and must be seen as such. Kryza does a good job at doing just that. Their courage and determination were beyond question. Laing, Clapperton, Denham, among others, may have faded from public memory but they helped change Africa forever.

Early 19th century adventurers and fortune hinters were enthralled by the story of a lost city which no European had seen, which held riches galore. The wide-ranging and popular legend would foster rival attempts to reach this mysterious place: attempts chronicled in fast-paced adventure in THE RACE FOR TIMBUKTU: IN SEARCH OF AFRICA'S CITY OF GOLD. Europeans eager to exploit the resources of Africa's mysterious lands were fascinated by the legend of Timbuktu, and in 1924 the French Geographical Society offered a cash prize for the first expedition from any nation to return from Timbuktu. THE RACE FOR TIMBUKTU narrows the focus to two men whose goals fostered a heated competition to win.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

This is the story of man's perserverance beyond the borders of sanity. Though the main story is about Laing and Clapperton, it is the story of everyman who ever wondered what was on the other side of the mountain; and also to find a fabled city of gold such as El Dorado, Shangri-La or the fountain of youth.

The book itself is written in a straight forward manner and in some ways is more travelogue than historical narrative. When at his best, Kryza gives us the story behind the story and when available from the travellers own journals, their own reasons for going into 'the white mans grave yard'.

All of these 'African Travellers' were men of single mind (if not slight insanity) to find either the fabled gold city of Timbuktoo or the mouth of the Niger River. Now the last may seem easy or ridiculous (since they already were busy on this part of the river) except that the river had so many names for different parts. Europeans only knew the Niger by this name on the upper part that could be reached overland from the Gambian coast of west africa. The bottom of the river was known as the Oil River (because of what floated on top of the river naturally), but no one had followed it's full length. Mostly because of rapids and hostile tribes.

These men who walked or rode camels across some of the most desolate land in the world, never seemed to understand how the harsh climate had molded the men who lived in it. At some times they were past the level of naivete that you would expect from grown men. They complain in their journals about sand and desert and lack of water, but what were they expecting to find. A crossing of such hostile land couldn't be a walk in the park since there were no parks to walk in.

In truth none of these men was a true explorer, in the sense of Stanley or Lewis/Clark, in that they all hoped for acclaim and glory as their reward. The reward was what they hoped for first, and exploring was only a way to get there. But needless to say these were brave, if foolish men.

Kryza does a great job in keeping the action up and keeping us interested in who was doing what, and who got to where first, and who was trying to prevent some one else from getting there first and why.

This is an on line review-you are on line- that is the way people get information- and this book is the primer on how to get there. I learned a lot- you will too! Rick Frishman- Pres. Planned TV Arts.(NYC) Co-author GUERRILLA PUBLICITY and GUERRILLA MARKETING FOR WRITERS

Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of This is the Place and Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered

Writer's Online Marketplace is one of the few review copies I have that will stay on my desk within easy reach.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi has compiled a book of informative articles-sage advice from other writers--to go with a section of very complete Market Listings, all paying! It covers everything from the very basics to "Insider Views." It even has a section that addresses "Online Promotion," my favorite subject. Its strength, however, is that list of more than 300 sites that pay their authors and the advice it gives on how to trace down sites that have changed addresses.

Each entry in Online Marketplace is very complete; that is a boon to writers looking for new markets because it curtails the amount of research they must do for themselves. Because the entries are so complete, the book would benefit from some easily spotted codes or icons at the beginning of each listing. Perhaps we can look forward to that in the next edition. I'm sure there will be one. Authors will want to keep on top of this rapidly changing market in yearly editions.

(Carolyn Howard-Johnson's first novel, This is the Place, has won eight awards. Her newly released Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered has won three. Kristie Leigh Maguire, author, says "Carolyn Howard-Johnson will be one of the greats.")

I looked through this book today at a bookstore and found that there were a number of mistakes in the markets. Maybe that was the situation when Ohi wrote the book, I don't know. Also, most of the book was "filler" rather than the markets themselves. I have written a lot for the Web, and a large number of the well paying markets were not mentioned in her book either. In fact, I would say that the overwhelming majority of the sites listed in her book are the very low paying ones. I would recommend the online market guide by Anthony and Paul Tedesco over this one.

Writer's Online Marketplace edited by Debbie Ridpath Ohi does a masterful job in presenting the Web as an open marketplace where writers can have a go at promoting themselves through personal Websites, where they can publish their own literary works, where they can network and develop professional relationships with others, where they can gain wider reading audiences, and where they can generate an income. The book is packed with a wealth of essential online marketing information that will inspire every writer to proceed onward with their careers.

Readers receive concrete suggestions on how to get their name out. Advice includes using signature lines in e-mail messages, setting up informative Websites, joining mailing lists, writing press releases, publishing e-zines (or Webzines), conducting workshops, and establishing one's self as an expert - as a book reviewer perhaps?

Readers will learn how to network with others - including meeting those people they need to know to advance their writing careers. They will learn about the growing world of e-publishing - the pro's and con's of putting books into electronic format and posting them online. They will gain access to a number of online publications listed in the book that accept manuscripts for publication. They will also learn how to search for writing markets, how to submit manuscripts, negotiate contracts, and follow copyright laws that pertain to freelance work, e-books, and Websites.

The book is an essential guide to making the Web work for writers. The contributions of many seasoned writers makes this book a valuable tool for advancing writing pursuits. Writers of all walks of life and all levels of experience will benefit from its wealth of information. It will make an outstanding workshop textbook. Must reading!

In "Writer's Online Marketplace," Debbie Ridpath Ohi profiles several hundred paying online markets that accept freelance work. Only 118 pages of this 262-page are devoted to market listings, however. Ohi begins with an overview of writing for online audiences, discussing details such as Netiquette, online queries and submissions, copyright and contractual issues, networking, promotion, e-publishing, and the many types of online markets (including where one can find market info online). Only later does she profile the various markets available to aspiring and experienced freelancers alike.

To date, I've read about dozen books on writing, publishing, and promoting books and other work (I'm quickly devouring my local library's collection!). "Writer's Online Marketplace" is, by far, one of the more useful, enjoyable, thoughtful, and organized guides available. When reading a self- or e-publishing book, I oftentimes find myself wondering how in the world the author ever managed to publish and sell such an atrocious manuscript. In fact, it seems as though many writers are jumping on the "how-to" bandwagon and rushing their ill-conceived and underdeveloped manuals to print, trying to cash in on the current e-publishing trend (some excellent examples of this phenomenon include "How to Make Money Publishing from Home" by Lisa Shaw and "How to Publish and Promote Online" by M. J. Rose & Angela Adair-Hoy). "Writer's Online Marketplace," while it does have its flaws, is a welcome break from some of the other train wrecks I've encountered.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the real thing - she's an excellent writer as well as an expert veteran in the field. Her sentences and chapters flow together very well; in contrast to many how-to guides, she writes in a mature tone and doesn't "talk down" to her readers (no "Idiot's Guide" here!). She also features articles from guest essayists; again, this isn't uncommon among writing/publishing guides, but what is exceptional in this case is that she manages to integrate them seamlessly into the book. Each essay is placed into its proper context, and features an introduction and follow-up by Ohi (imagine that!).

Now for the cons. While I did find some sections to be quite informative (Chapter 2, "Online Queries & Submissions"; Chapter 5, "Contracts & Copyright"), others were noticeably lacking. For instance, Chapter 3, "Types of Online Markets," was very basic; writers who know not the difference between web portals and corporate sites, for example, should pick up a "Dummies' Guide to the `Net" before even thinking about querying an online editor! Likewise with Chapter 4, "Where to Find Market Information" (answer: on the publication's web site (you don't say!?)). The chapters on e-publishing and online promotion were disappointingly basic as well. I felt as though Chapter 9, "Insider Views" (a compilation of short, 2-3 page essays by/interviews of industry insiders) could have been omitted entirely, thus leaving more room for online promotion/networking tips and a lengthier discussion of electronic publishing (particularly eBooks).

Of course, the biggest problem I had was that a majority of the information is out of date - especially that contained in the market listings. This is understandable, as "Writer's Online Marketplace" was published in 2001 and has yet to be updated. While I won't detract any "stars" for this inevitability, I also won't be buying the book any time soon!

Although I didn't go through every market listing, I did skim through the entire section and looked up those that interested me. All told, I think I tried to visit the web sites of approximately half on the publications listed in the book. Of these, *maybe* a quarter were still online, active, and accepting queries and/or submissions (and this is a generous estimate!). Most of the links were broken, and a search for the publication's title with Google usually failed to help. The links that were still valid tended to take me to sites that had not been updated in quite some time - several years, in many cases. A few of the publications hadn't went belly-up, but were actually generating all their content in-house. In the end, I don't think I found a single new prospect at all! You see, by the time I consulted "Writer's Online Marketplace," I had already signed up for a half dozen market-database newsletters. Thus, I was already aware of the few interesting and accurate listings I found in "Writer's Online Marketplace."

To illustrate just how pervasive the problem is, consider this: Ohi points readers to her site, Inkspot, for further information in many instances (a site that she's run since 1995 and even won awards for, mind you). However, the site was bought out by Xlibris 2000 and shut down just eight months later. Thus, even the links to the author's own site are dead! Not that this is anyone's "fault," really, since this is just the nature of the beast. Nonetheless, it does render guides to the World Wide Web obsolete in a ridiculously short period of time. Which brings me to the punch line: if you can borrow "Writer's Online Marketplace" from the library, a friend, whatever, I say go for it; otherwise, save your money and wait for a revised edition to come out. In the meantime, scout the `Net for free (or even subscription-based) market listings: it's a much better use of your time and/or money. "Writer's Online Marketplace" would have been a great buy in 2001, but it's just too old to be of much use in 2005.

- Kelly Garbato

Author, ePublisher, Web Mistress
Peedee Publishing / Hot Dog!, LLC

There are several very good articles in this edition of "The Best American Crime Writing." I especially liked "The Self-Destruction of an M.D." and "Stalking Her Killer." But the main reason for me to buy this book is editor James Ellroy's heartfelt, masterful tribute to pioneering crime novelist Joseph Wambaugh in the never-before-published essay "Choirboys." Ellroy once again tells the sordid story of his early life and hard times as a street person. Only this time he recounts his reading at the time of Wambaugh's revelatory early novels, interspersed with tales from Wambaugh's police and writing careers. (Which have obviously been gleaned from conversations with Wambaugh.) Ellroy credits Wambaugh with literally saving his life and providing the spiritual resources for him to overcome his demons and make a successful life for himself. This is an excellent telling of what an author can mean to a reader and how important, even vital, literature is to our survival. They should use "Choirboys" to teach young students of literature why it really matters.

really its bit of a misnomer there are 4 or 5 stories that arent really crime in the more traditional sense . a couple stories belong in politics . yes i understand blowing up things is a crime but really were looking at a different animal here. if you want a good read inthe al queda area read steven coll's book or charlie wilsons war- more of the genesis of al queda. the bar room fight story which wasnt all that bad for what it was mostly because the writer was able to breathe a little life in to an otherwise non story. he even mentioned he was given the story as a punishment.i guess it must have been a slow crime year to have included this story which is good news. one of the better stories was the child exploitation story. it seems the reporter did alot of research however never let a liberal arts grad monkey with numbers. not a good idea. the number they throw arounf seem really extreme. if you want the staright dope go to www.stats.org. click on crime and click on child exploitaiton actually bookmark this page it ll provide a good laugh at all the bs in the media. this is not to downplay the tragedy of the story however fear mongering and reporting are a little too common these days. if the stories are even true anymore (shattered glass). however one shining moment was the skip hollandsworth story. sorry but this a fairly poor collection and the writitng is banal and i guess that is the true crime here. the highest commendation i can give it is that it does make good toilet reading and im not being all that facetious. i think otto penzler et al need to listen for the pop. go re read a willeford or a thompson may not be real but at least theyre enagaging writers. if you want an example of some good writing and true crime mixed in with some chicago history read 'the devil in white city'

This is quite a good anthology, although the selections are heavily tilted toward New York publications. The New Yorker and New York Times magazines are certainly not the only venues for crime reporters, though you might think so if you relied only on the editor's choices.

The best part of the book is James Ellroy's contributed essay "Choirboys" in which he recounts his misspent youth before finally being motivated to writing by the publication of Wambaugh's novels. Ellroy's power as a writer is fully on display in this intensely personal tale.

Of the 15 stories, I would judge only one as weak. The selection covers crime, not just those with gore. There's the story of a burglar who stole nothing but sterling silver. Another accompanies a businessman who is about to start a five year prison sentence for financial misdeeds that cost investors about a billion dollars. The decades old murder of a Peace Corps volunteer is given attention as the author tracks down a woman's killer who literally got away with murder thanks to political maneuvering by the State Department and Peace Corps.

Overall it's a solid anthology and choosing James Ellroy to write the introduction and finagling his own contribution was genius. My only reservation, as noted, is that the editors seem to have chosen only from publications mostly on the east coast where the view of things can be skewed.

Jerry

Crime writers are thankful that Otto Penzler and Thomas H. Cook have found a new home for The Best American Crime Writing 2005. This anthology, previously published by the Vintage label of Random House, has just jumped ship to the Harper Perennial label of Harper Collins. The collection, priced at $10.17, gathers sixteen primo stories that were carefully selected by two authentic crime aficionados. The yarns reprinted here were initially published in oddball places ranging from big city newspapers, to little magazines, to men's magazines, or regional magazines in-between, all of which saw print in the calendar year 2004. I add this series anthology to my mounting book collection every year. Big-name writers like James Ellroy happen to appear in this issue, but I do prefer the tales by the "lesser known writers."

Readers will enjoy the introduction by James Ellroy, ditto his bonus contribution. The original essay Choirboys, featured here, reading like a beat poem about the author's misspent youth -- details his criminal fascinations -- and it's a fine tribute to his most valued teacher; the legendary crime writer Joseph Wambaugh. It isn't hard imagining Ellroy being arrested for disorderly conduct, guzzling booze, reading in libraries, shoplifting crime books, snarfing dope, sneaking into movies, sparring with cops and stealing food, after reading this. But that's ignoring his good qualities. You'll probably recognize Ellroy's name from a quartet of books he's written about L.A. -- The Big Nowhere, The Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential and White Jazz -- one of which became an Oscar winning movie starring Kim Basinger, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and Kevin Spacey.

I'm ambivalent about the potency of this anthology, so here are some suggestions. For continuity, Mr. Penzler, go back to the glossy covers and don't use black on the spine either as it shows wear too easily. Keep the contributor notes in the back, Mr. Cook, since they deserve their own section. List the article source on the Contents page, so I can jump immediately to a preferred story. Also, consider that your series (much like Best American Short Stories) might benefit from having a rotating Guest Editor each year; it'll keep that whiff of stagnation at bay. If a Guest Editor sounds unappealing, set up a three person Prize Jury instead. Lastly, what stories were short-listed? Were there 50 Distinguished Crime Stories from 2005 that you had to cut? Were there 100?

My favorite article was "The Virus Underground," a story by Clive Thompson that first appeared in the New York Times Magazine. Running only 21 pages in length, this story about teens in the virus writing community is a cerebral examination of a subculture that is greatly misunderstood. What motivates these malicious coders? The author does an excellent job of picking at, and pulling on the nuances of, his cyber investigation, revealing the psychological multi-threading that perks beneath all hacking. Threats to national security? Pragmatic geniuses? Both? Since writing about technology and unintended consequences (in plain English) isn't easy, Thompson proves to be skilled. His long paragraph documenting consultant Paula Scalingi and "Purple Crescent" (an exercise modeling a terrorist attack that floods New Orleans, causing national confusion) proved eerily prophetic just one year later!

Editorially, Cook and Penzler didn't do "as good a job" as in previous years. I'm not sure if this is due to the change in publishers, or if this is just the expected outcome when the page count has been significantly reduced. Overall, The Best American Crime Writing 2005 seemed bland in spots, lacking a range of subject matter exhibited in previous editions. I hope the Editors take my suggestions for improvement to heart. If you make this purchase, you should pick up last years version of Best American Crime Writing: 2004 Edition for direct comparison. The magazines I've linked to below are the source publications for these reprinted stories. Nominate articles for possible inclusion by sending your submissions to Otto Penzler, c/o The Mysterious Bookshop, 129 West 56th Street, New York, NY 10019.


The Book:
The Best American Crime Writing 2005,
Harper Perennial

ISBN:
0060815515 or
9780060815516

Pages:
367 Pages

Rating:
3 Stars

Sixteen Essays:
The Girls Next Door
The Ones That Got Away
The Family Man
Mysterious Circumstances
The Virus Underground
Punch Drunk Love
The Terror Web
Anatomy Of A Foiled Plot
To Catch An Oligarch
A Long Way Down
Fine Disturbances
The Silver Thief
Stalking Her Killer
Social Disgraces
The Self-Destruction Of An M.D.
Choirboys

If You Like 'The Best American Crime Writing 2005,' You Might Enjoy:
Atlanta Magazine
Boston Globe Magazine
GQ
Men's Journal
New York Magazine
New York Times Magazine
San Francisco Magazine
Texas Monthly
The New Yorker

Visit the Publisher's Website:
www.harperperrenial.com

Recommended
Yes


Pros: "The Family Man," "The Ones That Got Away," "The Virus Underground."

Cons: Contributor info lacks separate section. Cover finish is matte. Sources unlisted on contents page.

The Bottom Line: New York publications are overrepresented. 2005 edition is 150 pages thinner than previous year.

As fan of non-fiction with a leaning towards true life mysteries; I was thrilled to find the 2004 edition of Best American Crime Writing on my library shelves- I ate the whole book up in a few days. I was thrilled to learn that there were additional years of "Best' books, right now I am finishing the 2002 compilation ... I decided to dash off a review before I had forgotten.What is so much fun is that the articles themselves are twenty or thirty pages so it's easy to finish one or two in a sitting. Great book for commuters and travelers.As well, if there are any stories that center on a topic that one doesn't find interesting, it's a cinch to simply skip on to the next story.Other reviewers have noted what I will repeat, the writing is first rate, not sensationalised or prurient, and the topics cover such diverse subjects as Insurance fraud in the high stakes world of Horse racing, a Capra-esque town beset with a series of tradgedies,a wacked out super charming serial killer con-man, as well as an investigation into the Crash of Egyp Air 990.I found particularly insightful , Doug Most's Judgement Day which introduces the reader into the point of view of a contrite convict serving time for murder in Massachusetts, and his experiences with the parole board-I have never read anything quite like it.
Kudos to the editors, they've done a wonderful job pulling together the best of True crime from the magazine world, this should give exposure and acclaim to a much aligned genre and its authors...

The 90s were a golden age of television, and perhaps the last for the particular brand of scripted TV that flourished at the time. This is one man's walk though the TV business and Los Angeles in that period full of observations of the excesses and the culture of the time. Anyone who is interested in the reality of the television business or of TV history in the 90s will get a lot out of it and enjoy the book. Well-written and engaging characters throughout bring the story to life. What doesn't it have you may ask? Well, it doesn't go deep into any craft issues like what distinguishes a good story or a good TV writer from another. It's not a craft book, it's a memoir but a very engaging one.

As a TV writer who worked on staff consistently in the late 90's and early 2000's, when I came across this book I was immediately curious and interested to see what the author had to say about the TV writing business. Although our paths never crossed during that time, many of Stepakoff's anecdotes could have been my own.

Stepakoff interweaves his own experiences in the biz with the changing business as a whole and does so extremely successfully. Even though I was in the midst of the changing TV business (specifically the recent demise of scripted television), I was never fully aware of the far-reaching reasons behind it. Stepakoff has done a magnificent job of meticulously researching this book and for that, it serves not only as a fun memoir, but a legitimate historical accounting of the rise and fall of the TV writer and scripted television as a whole.

I whole-heartedly recommend this book for anyone who has any interest in what goes on behind the scenes in the life of a TV writer. It is especially relevant now given the current writer's strike as well. It should seriously be required reading for any college TV writing course. I know I'm going to make it required reading for my husband!!!

Having written and produced over 250 hours of television drama, I lived nearly every scenario in Jeffrey Stepakoff's book. Now, as a Professor of Television Writing, this is the ONLY book my students will be required to read. From process to production, history to reality, "Billion Dollar Kiss" is the most complete guide to the business of writing for television. Plus, with Stepakoff's light and humorous touch, it's a kick to read.

A tell-all insiders look into the "real" world of television from TV writing, making, producing, and all the eccentric characters that are involved along the way...Jeffrey Stepakoff describes the television industry from soup to nuts, through its glory (and not so glory) days. As a huge fan of Dawson's Creek, and an avid watcher of television, and lover of quality writing in general, this book was truly a non-stop treat. Thank you Jeffrey for opening our world to this crazy, fun, and certainly unpredictable biz!

I bought this book being a huge fan of Dawson's Creek and looking forward to the behind-the-scenes of that show. I was sorely disappointed! There are maybe 20 pages of Dawson's creek in the 300+ pages of the book. Because of this, I find that the title of the book is highly misleading.

I can definitely appreciate the TV industry scoop and insider perspective of the book. It was easy to read and entertaining, although I did spend the entire time reading waiting to get to the part where he worked on Dawson's. However, as someone who would not have read the book if it had been more appropriately billed as "An Insider's Perspective at the History and Workings of the TV Industry," I feel somewhat cheated.

Don't get me wrong, if TV history insider is what you are looking for, this book is great. But if it's Dawson's you are looking for, look somewhere else.