WritersMarket.com Website Design Review

ARTICLE SNIPPET - WritersMarket.com is a Pay-For-Access, Online Database of Incalculable Value to Freelance Writers that Cross-Sells Print Publications and other Products Owned by its Publisher as it Helps Build a Priceless Customer List

Online databases sold by subscription are big business for LexisNexis, R.R. Bowker, Thomson and other traditional publishers of directories.

The idea makes a lot of sense. An online directory is easier to update and keep current, and the costs for manufacturing and delivery are minuscule compared to those of a printed volume. Major directory publishers generally offer both print and online versions and these can be very pricey.

For example, the Co-op Advertising Programs Sourcebook and its online companion are the links between manufacturers who subsidize advertising programs, retailers who need to stretch their advertising dollars and media sales representatives looking to sell more advertising. This extensive directory lists thousands of available co-op programs in 52 product classifications. $625 buys you the two-volume, hard cover set; an online subscription is $795.

But a database need not be huge in order to be desirable and profitable. For instance, access to a directory and database of hard-to-find antique automobile parts is the basis for the free online subscription newsletter ShoeboxFord.com. The business model here profits from online advertisements and auto parts sales.

An online subscription (access to the database) to WritersMarket.com is $29.99 annually or $3.99 monthly on a till-forbid basis (they bill your credit card monthly until you tell them to stop). That compares with buying the 2006 Writer's Market paperback book (1,178 pages, 2.8 pounds) for $29.99 ($18.89 on Amazon). The deluxe edition is $49.99.

• Published since 1921, Writer's Market offers freelance writers complete, updated contact information and submission guidelines for more than 4,000 markets.
• The deluxe book version comes with a CD-ROM that will connect you instantly to WritersMarket.com.
• The website includes 1,500 more listings that wouldn't fit into the book, including exclusive online sections regarding greeting cards, syndicates, newspapers and online publications.
• Writer's Market is produced by F+W Publications of Cincinnati. The company publishes almost 60 magazine titles, has nearly 3,000 books in print under various imprints and owns and operates numerous book clubs.
• In addition, F+W offers educational programs, conferences and competitions, and maintains free and pay-for-access websites.

Here's how WritersMarket.com stacks up when measured up against the 14 Mequoda Website Design Guidelines. *Note: No trees were destroyed to bring you the online version of this report.

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