I have to admit that I've always had mixed feelings about the various market guides put out by Writer's Digest. While the information and market listings within were (and are) indispensable, it always annoyed me how the editors broke down their listings into so many seperate -- and at times rather costly books. (Or at least at the time, when I was first trying to survive on occasionally selling a short story for five cents a word, they seemed overpriced for a set of books targeted exclusively at aspiring writers.) However, all that aside, these annual books are probably the most valuable tools that any writer -- especially one who is just starting to send his work out -- can purchase. Not only are the listings remarkably varied and thorough but the advise within is usually very helpful, realistic, and straight forward. It was the Writer's Market that taught me how to write a convincing cover letter and it was also in the Writer's Market that I found the first magazine to ever accept one of my short stories. Plus, this year, with the online edition, the book offers the most up-to-date listings possible which cuts down on my least favorite occupational risk, waiting five months for a reply that simply reads, "We're sorry but The Monthly Quarterly Review Of Words, Comma, and Stuff has temporarily suspended publication." One warning, however. Most of the information in the listings is provided by the magazines themselves and often, they will be deliberately vague when describing the type of writing they're looking for. Though the writer's market is an excellent way to find potential leads, most writers will still save themselves a lot of time and frustration by mailing off a few bucks and getting a sample issue. That may sound like a given but its still good advice to hear. (And I say that as the former fresh-faced young writer who once had six short stories rejected by a magazine before finally spending a few bucks for a sample copy and discovering that I'd been trying to get my nostalgic tales of growing up in Texas published in a hardcore porno mag.)