One of the New Year's first big stories in the world of writing and letters is Duotrope's decision to become a subscription-based website. This is not necessarily shocking--after all, very few services in life are free, and we all had a pretty strong notion that Duotrope (an ad-free site) wasn't making much through voluntary user donations (the only other viable source of income for a website). Still, the move ruffled some feathers--plenty of folks have hit the web to voice their displeasure, and why shouldn't they? No one likes to pay for what they used to get for free.

I haven't spoken with the folks at Duotrope, so I am really in no position to talk about any of the factors that went into Duotrope's decision. (I can safely assume it costs a lot more to run Duotrope than it does to run my blog.) That said, I do wonder how many writers (most of whom make no money off their work) they expect to sign up as paying subscribers when there are still other sites on the web offering similar services at no cost. It's a question we'll have an answer to by this time next year, I imagine.

In the mean time, what I'd like to do is take a look at what Duotrope is offering to us writers and offer my opinion as someone who sends out a lot of submissions each year to journals and writing contests. For those who aren't familiar, Duotrope is an online submissions manager and a searchable database of markets. In the old days, before a subscription was required, a person could go to Duotrope's site and browse through hundreds of magazines and journals accepting work in a variety of genres ranging from literary and mainstream to sci-fi, fantasy, erotica, and so forth. Duotrope would provide information on how to submit (electronic or postal? simultaneous subs okay?) and track submission statistics, letting you know just what your odds were of getting published at the journal of your choice. You could also keep track of your own submissions--recording what pieces went where and the results. Finally, one of the more overlooked but useful features was Duotrope's listing of upcoming themed issues. (Got a piece about a zombie who falls in love with an alien? Well, the spring issue of "Zombies vs. Aliens" at Paranormal Magazine might be a good fit. Or maybe the "Romeo and Juliet Re-imagined" issue at Forbidden Love?)

Anyway, use of this website now costs $50 a year. Not a terrible price when you consider your cable bill probably runs somewhere between 2 and 3 times that amount. The big question, however, is whether it's really worth it?

So let's take a closer look at what Duotrope is offering . . . .

I recently had an enema  / bloodletting  / conversation with a fellow writer who I've known for a long time but hadn't spoken to in years (and was reminded, perhaps, why I don’t speak often with this person). In the past ten years, this writer has graduated from an MFA program, found a job, and published a book on an independent press. Not bad. That said, as is most often the case, the book (despite being well-written) hasn't made this person rich or famous, a household name. (We’d all love to sell as many books as Stephen King, right? But most writers realize quickly that it probably isn't going to happen.)

Most writers. . . .