Writer's Online Marketplace : How & Where to Get Published Online - Softcover

"The Internet is a writers' revolution," writes Debbie Ridpath Ohi in Writer's Online Marketplace. Definitely. But "finding the Web sites of publications that care to act professional, pay money, edit with heart, and stick around," warns Christopher Reynaga (creator of the Web zine The Write Market), "is like a mad crap-shoot." Once you do find those sites, it's not enough just to show up. You still need to know how to write a winning query and follow through with good content. As editor and Webmaster of Inkspot.com, an online Web site for writers, Ohi is perhaps uniquely qualified--and connected--to write about the brave new world of online writing. Her book is a solid generalist's introduction, covering everything from e-queries to e-rights and e-publishing. Ohi has called upon her e-colleagues to contribute pieces on such subjects as e-courses, e-networking, e-promoting, and "the chunk" ("the basic unit of discourse," explains Crawford Kilian, author of Writing for the Web, "for a great many Web users"). Ohi enlightens her readers about the hidden benefits of listservs (particularly the invitation-only ones), describes the five types of e-publishing for authors, and interviews 12 industry insiders. But the most enticing aspect of this book is its listings: 161 paying online publications, 10 potentially lucrative alternative markets, and 26 commercial e-publishers. Writing for the Internet can be great. It can also be unbelievably frustrating. You very well might find yourself dealing with, as one writer puts it here, "clueless kids with $9 million in venture capital." --Jane Steinberg