A Good Start
Written: Jan 18 '01 (Updated Jan 18 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Some useful articles; few ads
Cons: A little thin on useful articles for the price
The Bottom Line: ByLine is best for beginning writers; it may not be worth it for experienced writers.
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| owling's Full Review: ByLine Magazine |
At a cover price of $4 an issue ($22 for subscription), ByLine is thin. The issue in front of me is fairly typical. It's 35 pages, with a fairly large type-face. There are three feature articles, one piece of fiction, four columns, and a smattering of "departments." ByLine comes out once a month, with a combined July/August issue.
The features pass on useful information for writers, of both the "here's how you can improve your writing" variety, and of the "here's information on writing as a business" variety. For instance, this issue (The January 2001 issue, No. 240) has an article on why it's important to catch your own errors in your writing rather than relying on your editors - a very good point, but I'm uncertain that it's deserving of a feature. The next feature is on dressing your characters. Again, mildly interesting, but a feature article? The third is on promoting your books on radio and TV. Although that one isn't particularly interesting to me right now, I can at least acknowledge it as a useful feature article.
Columns include a few market listings (there are cheaper magazines and even free websites and email newsletters that will give you more), and a few one-page articles on various small aspects of writing. I find these articles useful and well-written.
Departments are little bits, like announcements of upcoming writers' conferences, poetry by readers, announcements of readers' first sales, and results of ByLine's constant contests.
Don't get me wrong. It's useful. There are nice bits in here. But it feels like it could be better. ByLine is probably best for the beginning writer, who needs that extra encouragement to get published. Someone who will get a kick out of seeing other people's first publication tales, who can enter the contests and maybe get their first writing check that way. Someone who needs to be reminded that their characters wear clothes, who doesn't mind paying $4 for a few pages of articles.
There are always a few articles in here that are useful for more experienced writers (such as that one on radio & TV promotion), but unless you have some money to throw around, I'm not convinced that it's enough.
On the plus side (and this is, admittedly, a major plus), there are very few ads. This alone bumps this magazine up from a 3 to a 4.
(Note on the "opinion details:" the answers to "if not a subscriber, how often do you buy this magazine" and "what is the magazine's subject matter" are incorrect, but at this time there is no "none of the above" option, and all opinion details are required.)
Recommended:
Yes
Primary Reason for Buying: Articles
Accepts Freelance Submissions: Not Sure
Subject Matter: Poetry
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Epinions.com ID:
owling
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Member: Heather Grove
Location: Maryland, USA
Reviews written: 708
Trusted by: 263 members
About Me:
Too many boxes to unpack, too few shelves...
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