Magazine subscriptions?

[Christa M. Miller]

I got a subscription offer ("Two years for the price of one!!!") from Writer's Digest today. Made me wonder what you all subscribe to as far as professional "writerly" magazines, and if you find them useful?

I used to sub to WD and Poets & Writers, but while both were interesting enough, neither was tremendously useful. I like The Writer but never subscribed for some reason. What else?

[Gerald So]

I'm letting WD go when my subscription runs out later this year. I find it's become too commercial, with quick-fix advice. Poets & Writers is useful to me as a poet wanting to keep an eye on that scene. I like The Writer, too; it seems to offer the most practical guidance.

[Sandra Ruttan]

I'm like Kim - don't subscribe, just occasionally buy something off the rack.

Only magazine I subscribe to is Crimespree.

[Patricia Abbott]

I subscribe to Poets and Writers. It dates from earlier days when I did mostly lit fic. I seldom read it now but can;t quite let go.

[Stephen Blackmoore]

Hey, it was the least I could do.

[Naomi Hirahara]

I've subscribed to Publishers Weekly for a couple of years now, and I love it. It's not a "writerly" magazine; it's about the publishing biz, and I've found it very useful. In the April 2 issue, for example, Jim Huang of Mystery Bookstore is quoted about selling books in Indiana (PW is profiling a different state in each weekly issue); there's an article on the rising popularity of used books; Laura Lippman's head shot and comment are highlighted on the Hardcover Bestseller/Fiction section; the fantasy genre is dissected; and tons of reviews, including Connelly's Overlook, Lovesey's The Secret Hangman, Mari Akasaka's Vibrator, Mark Haskell Smith's Salty, etc. All good stuff.

It's expensive, yes. I also have a miniscule small press, so I get a discounted rate, but it's still much, much more than Poets and Writers. But it's a tax writeoff and I enjoy it. I'd recommend that you go in for a subscription with a nearby writer friend. It's worth it.

[Daniel Hatadi]

Crimespree for me too. Otherwise, I sometimes buy geeky computer modding mags like Atomic.

I've bought and read so many books on writing that any magazines on the topic would just be redundant. Now all I can do is just walk the path and learn from doing (writing) rather than reading.

[Stephen Blackmoore]

I'm not sure what else is out there, or how useful they would be. I'm not a big fan of writing magazines. After a while they all sort of blur together. The same insipid advice, the same useless articles on voice. Occasionally there are gems, but not very often.

At this point, I find it more useful to break down other people's books and stories and figure out what is and isn't working. Helps me immensely. It's time consuming, but doing critiques for other people has really made a huge difference in my writing. Much more than any WD article ever has.

[J.D. Rhoades]

I used to have a subscription to Writer's Digest, but my experience was similar to most people's here; it was getting less and less useful. Also, it was getting more and more oriented, it seemed to me, towards the self-publishing industry, which was not the path I was choosing. Now, I read writers I like and think about what makes their stuff work. Seems to be more effective as far as improving the craft.

[Steve Allan]

I let my subscription to Poets & Writers lapse. It was interesting, and I could see how it would be extremely important if all you did was literary fiction, but my focus (crime fiction) wasn't really addressed, so what's the point?

I agree with Kim that EW has a great book section, I usually flip to the back and read it first, but I wish it was bigger. The Atlantic used to have an awesome books section, until they decided to ruin the magazine. The summer fiction issue has been very good, but how long will it last? AWP Chronicle was OK, but it usually only offered one article an issue that I found even remotely interesting - the rest was usually academic crap. And as for WD, etc. I might find one or tidbits that are interesting, but nothing that would compel me to subscribe. There is a huge focus on self-publishing and it's beginning to feel more like a propaganda outlet than a serious magazine.

I wish there was a really good acedemic journal on the theory of storytelling - not a literary journal for fiction and poems, but a serious peer reviewed periodical that focused on writing.

[EDWARD C MORGAN]

Like quite a few folks, I used to subscribe to various writer's magazines. These days, I just pick them up if something looks interesting.

The closest thing I subscribe to is Editor & Publisher and American Journalism Review.

[Steven Torres]

Crimespree, Mystery News, Mystery Scene, and National Geographic. I often pick up AHMM and EQMM if writers I've heard of are listed on the front cover.

I don't think I've bought a copy of WD since I've been published. I buy the occassional Poets and Writers, but it really is geared toward Lit fic, and obscure stuff at that - not just literary poets and writers but guys I've never even heard of. Interesting to see the contests and calls for manuscripts, but I get most of my short story market info from duotrope.com