A Writer’s Gold Mine – with no commitments!
Written: May 07 '05
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As a writer, I keep an ever growing reference library of writing books. Good reference books are important ... and a must to any serious writer. That is why I have once again joined The Writer’s Digest Book Club.
About the Club
The Writer’s Digest Book Club was founded in 1979. As you may know, Writer’s Digest specializes in publishing books and magazines for writers. They have been publishing the Writer’s Digest magazine since 1920.
The club offers the full catalog of Writer’s Digest Books in one handy location. They also sell a limited selection of books that are not published by Writer’s Digest. The book club website boasts that they offer over 300 selections.
How Does the Club Work?
Easy! The current book club promotion is to select four books: receive three books free and pay $11.99 for the fourth book (plus shipping and handling). There is no commitment to buy more books. However, Writer’s Digest does stipulate that you have to remain a club member for nine months even if you don’t purchase anything.
Fourteen times a year, the club sends out bulletins that showcase their books. They give ten days to browse through the bulletin. Each issue features a Main Selection. If you do nothing, this Main Selection will automatically be sent to you. However, it is easy to say “no”. Either return the postcard that is enclosed in the bulletin packet, or log onto the Writer’s Digest Book Club website and let them know you are not interested in the Main Selection. The website is great since it saves the cost of a postage stamp. (Also, if you tend to procrastinate, the website is a great time saver.)
If you receive a book you did not order, do not open the package. Write on the box “Return to Sender”. Writer’s Digest even pays the return postage. Also, if you are not happy with a book you ordered, you have fifteen days to return it for a refund or credit.
Club Benefits
One of my favorite perks of belonging to the Writer’s Digest Book Club is that you never have to pay postage and handling for books after your first shipment. Once you receive your introductory shipment of four books, orders after that are shipped free. All you have to do is pay for your order with a check, money order or a credit card.
The books in the bulletin are discounted. You save 15-25% on each book, plus the club sometimes offers special sales, which further discounts books.
After you buy four books (not counting the introductory membership offer), then you start earning free books. For every four books purchased, you earn one free book. The four books you buy cannot be from special offers or specially discounted books. This free book feature is great for a writer who is just building their writing library.
The book club also offers a referral plan. If you refer someone to the Writer’s Digest Book Club, you can earn a free book. Just make sure you use the special “Invite a Friend to Join” form that is sent periodically with the bulletin – and make sure you fill in your club membership number on the form as well as the number of the free book you would like sent to you. The only problem with this method of joining, is that your friend is limited to certain books he/she can select to join. For instance, if a person joins from the Writer’s Digest Book Club website, there is a huge array of book choices.
How to Join
There are three ways to join the Writer’s Digest Book Club.
1. Many writing magazines feature advertisements for this book club (including Writer’s Digest magazine). The ad is usually two to four pages and features a good selection of books. Fill out the form, and mail it to Writer’s Digest. I am currently looking at a book club ad in the Writer’s Digest magazine, and it features 35 books to choose from.
2. Have a friend refer you. As I mentioned above, a friend who is already a member of the club can refer you. The friend gains a free book of their choice, and you can select from a limited number of books from the flyer that came with the “Invite a Friend to Join” card. (The card I have in front of me lists 29 book selections.) The good thing about this option is that you can do something nice for a friend by allowing them to earn a free book. The downside is that the book selection is not as broad as the website.
3. The website offers the widest assortment of books. Hundreds of books are available, and it’s a tough decision picking four books out of hundreds! One thing about signing up on the website is that you need to use a credit card.
Joining via the Website
http://www.writersdigestbookclub.com
The Writer’s Digest Book Club website is very intuitive. It offers step-by-step instructions on how to join. The Home page lists some features of the website. Beneath these is a link that says “Join Now”. Click the link to learn more about the club.
At the top of the next screen it shows that there are three steps to joining the club:
1. Learn More About the Club.
2. Choose Books from the Online Catalog
3. Complete the Order Form
It’s simple. Click the #1 at the top of the screen to advance to the page that describes club membership in detail. After reading the benefits and how the club works, click the #2 at the top of the screen. Now you have the opportunity to choose four books.
You can view the books several ways. 1) Browse the books by category. 2) You can also view an A-Z listing of the books. If you know the title of the book you want, or want to search via Keyword, there is a search box to help locate the book you are interested in finding.
Click on the title of a book to read more about it. Each book has its own web page with a photo of the book, its title, whether it is paperback or hardcover, how many pages are in the book, the retail cost, the publication date, and a synopsis of the book with the Writer’s Digest book number. There are also links at the bottom of the page to list other books that might interest you.
To select a book, click the button that says “Add to Cart”. At any time there is a button at the right of each web page that says “Show Cart Detail” so that you can double-check what is in the cart. If you are finished adding books to the cart, there is also a button on each page for “Checkout”.
When you are done selecting books, click either the “Checkout” button or the #3 at the top of the page. The #3 shows a screen summarizing the books in the cart. At this point, you can delete books and make different choices if you wish. If satisfied with the selection, click the “Checkout” button.
The Checkout page consists of an online form that requests address and payment information. You also have to provide your telephone number and e-mail address. At this time you also choose a user name and password to create an online account. (You will need these later if you wish to manage your book club selections via the Writer’s Digest website.)
On this same page, is an area to fill out credit card information. They accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express. To finish the checkout process click the button that says “Finish Checkout”.
Books, Books and More Books!
The Writer’s Digest Book Club offers an phenomenal amount of books to choose from. Here is a list of the categories:
* Nonfiction, * Fiction, * Creativity, * General, * Market Books, * Get Published, * Children’s, * Crime & Mystery, * Everyday Life / Historical, * Poetry, * Romance, * Sci-Fi, Supernatural & Fantasy, * Short Stories, * Songwriting, * Spiritual, * Stage & Screen, * Travel
It was a difficult decision to choose which books I wished to order. I own many Writer’s Digest Books, so I immediately skipped the books already in my library. What I really wanted was to update my Writer’s Markets. Since I have a book published, I also liked the idea of learning more about promoting my work. Before finally selecting books, I zipped to the Epinions book section to check reviews of what people thought of the books. If Epinions did not list the book, then I checked Amazon.com’s review section. I’m a firm believer in research before buying!
Ultimately I chose these four books:
Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market
Writer’s Market Deluxe Edition
Guerrilla Marketing for Writers
Snoopy’s Guide to the Writing Life
The above book was a whimsical choice. I enjoy the Peanuts cartoons by Charles Schulz, and all the cartoons in this book feature Snoopy that intrepid writing beagle. There are also essays about the writing life written by best-selling authors such as Sue Grafton and Ray Bradbury. And a forward by Monte Schulz, son of Charles Schulz.
You are probably wondering what these books retail for and what I paid. The burning question I wondered was: Would the book club soak me for shipping and handling costs? I’m pleased to say the shipping & handling fee was very reasonable ... and I received a terrific deal.
The four books I chose retail for $109.96. If I were to buy them at Amazon.com, they would have cost me $73.26. The Writer’s Digest Book Club charged me a total of $20.98. What a deal!! ($11.99 for the fourth book with the other three free, $1.00 sales tax, and $11.99 shipping & handling)
A Little Story – It Pays to be Persistent
When I tried to order online, the website would not process my order. Not one to be deterred, I telephoned the Writer’s Digest Book Club and spoke with one of their customer service agents. She told me the problem was the “Writer’s Market Deluxe Edition”. She said that book was not a membership selection. I asked her why it was listed on the website as a choice. She kept insisting that the book retailed for $49.99 and that it was too expensive to be a selection. When I persisted in asking why it was listed on the website as a selection if I couldn’t order it, the agent told me if I wanted that book, it would count as two book choices. I didn’t like that answer and politely ended the phone call.
I wrote a letter to the Writer’s Digest Book Club and explained the website would not process my order and what the customer service agent had told me. In my letter I said, “No where [on the website] do I see any limitations on this offer.”
A few weeks later, I received a form letter from Writer’s Digest. The letter simply said I had not included payment with my order. So I phoned Writer’s Digest Book Club again. I mentioned the situation and that I had a letter from them saying I had not included payment. I asked that since I did not know the total would they like to tell me the total or take my credit card over the phone. They took my credit card and placed the order for the four books I wanted.
The Introductory Membership Package
My box of books arrived about 2 1/2 weeks after I gave my credit card information to Writer’s Digest Book Club. The cardboard box arrived in excellent condition with the books neatly packed inside it. On top of the books was a sheet of white paper that summarized my order. It included instructions to return the package if I wished (I did not!). There was also a memo on the paper explaining that I would receive my first book club bulletin within the next few weeks.
Also in the box was a white envelope that contained a Writer’s Digest Book Club Membership Guide. The 12-page guide welcomed me to the club, listed the benefits of belonging to the club, explained how to access their website, and how to read their Selection Card that comes with the bulletin, how to earn a free book with the purchase of four books, how to receive free shipping and handling if paying via check, money order or credit card, and a Frequently Asked Questions section with contact information. The back of the guide included two coupons: One coupon for $5.00 off the first club order, and another coupon good for $5.00 off the second club order. The coupons are valid only on mail-in orders (not internet orders). There are no expiration dates on the coupons.
The envelope also included some Writer’s Digest propaganda regarding their magazine, online writing workshops and Writer’s Digest annual writing competitions. Included was also a 4-page pamphlet of “Take Any Book Free (plus shipping and handling) when your friend joins Writer’s Digest Book Club”.
Managing Your Account Online
It couldn’t be easier. Go to the Writer’s Digest website. On the Home page is an area to enter your User Name and Password. From here you can manage your account: choose whether to receive or not receive the Main Selection, browse the book catalog and place online orders.
Why I Keep Returning to this Book Club
Yes, I am a past member of the Writer’s Digest Book Club. I have joined and quit numerous times throughout my 30-year writing career. I first joined the book club to start my writing library. As a novice, I devoured books about how to better my writing, and Writer’s Digest publishes excellent books.
I periodically take advantage of the great membership offer and usually purchase four more books to gain one for free. By then, I have added what I wish to my library. I quit the club until enough new selections come along to entice me to join again. A big attraction for me are the Writer’s Market guides that are updated every year. This year I happened to need two of the marketing guides and determined that joining the club was the most cost-effective way of ordering them.
One time a book arrived damaged. I phoned Writer’s Digest customer service. They told me to keep the damaged book and they sent a replacement. They were polite and exceeded my expectations.
Summary
I highly recommend the Writer’s Digest Book Club to anyone interested in writing. Whether you are a beginner or someone with many published books to their credit, the book club offers an abundance of books to choose from. You can’t beat the terrific membership deal. Even if you choose the three free books and pay for the fourth, it only costs about $20.00. Just one of the Writer’s Markets guides would have cost more than that at my local bookstore.
This is a great book club!
I hope you have found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Additional Information
Writer’s Digest Book Club
P.O. Box 9274
Central Islip, NY 11722-9274
Phone: 386-447-6354
Monday - Friday 9 am - 7 pm, EST
Saturday 9 am - 6 pm, EST
http://www.writersdigestbookclub.com
Please read my other reviews:
Ampad 100% Recycled Lined Writing Pads
Pendaflex Hanging File Folders
Quality Clasp Envelopes 9"x12"
Avery Blank Business Cards
Avery File Folder Labels using Ink Jet or Laser Printers
Oxford Deco Magazine Files
Bic e.3 – Pen, Pencil, Stylus all in one instrument
Pilot G2 Gel Pen
Sharpie Twin-Tip Permanent Marker
Tombow White Correction Tape
Cush Pillow – for comfort and stress relief
Ott True Color Desk / Bedside Lamp
Staples.com – office supplies!
Copyright 2005 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
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