Y – Yearbook

Sometimes known as an annual it’s a book that is published once a year, and there’s one in particular that I am thinking of. Relevant to writers, of all genres, not just fantasy. Red and yellow cover. Lots of information that is really, really useful? I am of course talking about the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook.

This yearbook is a “comprehensive, up-to-date directory of media contacts and contains a wealth of practical advice and information” – taken from the back cover of the book itself. And the about section tells me that it has been published every year since 1906, making 2015 the 108th edition of the book.

In it are a lot of articles and content that actually give lots of helpful advice on stuff about dos and don’ts, how to find agents and publishers, and other such interesting and relevant articles, often from successful writer’s giving back to the community.

But what it is most useful, and famed, for is the comprehensive and up to date list of publishers, both UK and abroad. Each entry tells you the name, web and emails address, addresses, and what type of books they publish, fiction, non-fiction, subjects, genres, ect. It really is very useful. And it does magazines as well. There’s also a section for poetry, one for television, theatre, and even art/illustration.

After that it moves onto agents, again with contacts details, what type of literature they work with, and if they are good, authors they have worked with as well. So again, the famed references that this books is golden for come into play.

Some I didn’t realise was that it has a section on societies and competitions that run throughout the year, whether that’s for writers or artists of all varieties. And flicking through one of the old copies my library has, I can also see it’s got sections on copyright laws and finance to help writers with the nuts and bolts type of stuff that comes with writing.

I’ll admit, I’ve never bought a copy myself, I just browse through library ones. This is mainly because I’ve never got a book to the place where I thought it was good enough to find an agent/publisher to send it to. But hopefully that will change in the near future. Fingers crossed 2015 will be the first year I buy a copy for myself in!