Customer Rating:  
Summary: Not rating Poet & Writers, just Amazon's subscription scheme
Comment: To be absolutely clear, I am a fan of P&W and if I were only rating them here, I'd give them 4 or 5 stars. My beef is with Amazon's advertising "up to 75% off" for subscriptions. I've checked the rates for VQR, Poetry, Writer's Digest, and Poets & writers, and I'm four for four: Amazon's rates are either exactly the same as those posted on these journals' websites, or (in the case of Writer's Digest and P&W) more expensive. It's nice, I guess, that Amazon is providing more exposure for these journals; nonetheless, for them to claim they're offering a discount, while not exactly a lie (since they're offering a discount over the per-copy price), is deceiving, as they don't seem to be offering a cheaper rate than that already offered by the journals. Caveat, as always, emptor.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good Resources
Comment: This magazine has an excellent section of up to date listing of grants and awards for writers. The only disadvantage, is that it is very focussed on the American writer - a bit more international content would be of interest.
Customer Rating:
Summary: MAGAZINE
Comment: The convenience of being able to renew a subscription through Amazon is great. The first issue hasn't been delivered yet because it's not due yet, but I will assume that it will come as expected.
Customer Rating:
Summary: An Honest Voice
Comment: There's an inescapeable feeling when reading most writing
publications that you're about to be fleeced. There are ads
that offer instant publication, or expensive editorial and
design services. There is also a tone of phony upbeat optimism
about success in what is admittedly one of the most competitive
arenas in the world.
So Poets & Writers is a relief and a blessing. It offers realistic,
unfawning stories about the experience of real writers. It
also has listings of real prize competitions (not the phony
ones that are about collecting entry fees), winners of
competitions and notices of grants and awards.
Perhaps the best endorsement of all comes from my discarded
copies. I bring them to the magazine rack at my gym. As I
walk past the ranks of people doing their dutiful cardio,
I almost always see one copy being read.
Next to the magazine of the Author's Guild, there's no
better periodical for the committed writer.
--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the forthcoming novel bang BANG from Kunati Books.ISBN 9781601640005
Customer Rating:
Summary: Indispensable Tool and Inspiration
Comment: I've been a P&W subscriber and reader (even when not a subscriber) for years. I've also tried various other writers' magazines, such as The Writer and Writer's Digest. The latter two were fine when I was just beginning to dip into the freelance market, just beginning to look at publishers for first manuscripts, but when I gained more experience, I soon realized those just didn't make the cut anymore. The articles were too often repetitive and geared towards such elementary basics that I was no longer gaining new insights. P&W was the next step up.
P&W provides advice, inspiration, informative interviews, current resources for the more experienced and discriminating writer. The bimonthly issues include articles, detailed listings of markets, contests, grants, and helpful, relevant ads. For the price, this is the best magazine available today for the writer who has a portfolio already underway and keeping an ear to the ground for more, staying up to date with what's rumbling in the literary world. With its up-to-date information, I've been able to leave the others aside, including that old bible, Writer's Market, which was, unfortunately, obsolete the moment it was off the presses.
Highly recommended for the writer wanting more.
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