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How to Get Feedback on Your Manuscript
September 9, 2010
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by Shennandoah Diaz
Writing a book can be a lonely experience, and you don’t want to completely isolate yourself during the writing process. It’s important to get feedback, especially while you’re developing an idea. Not only does this help motivate you, it also helps you catch issues and address concerns on the front end rather than trying to overhaul a manuscript after it’s already complete.
It’s not difficult to find people to provide regular feedback. Here are a few ways of locating people willing to give you critiques:
- Start by asking fellow authors. Though it’s nice to get a variety of opinions, authors within your genre are best. Not only do they know who the competitors are, they also have a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t within your genre.
- Put out an all-call on social media. Put out a post asking for people to read your work. You’ll be surprised at how many will respond!
- Ask colleagues. Ask people at work or others in your industry. This is especially good for nonfiction authors, as people in your industry represent your reader.
- Locate a formal writers’ group. There are many writers’ groups already established by genre and location. Check with local groups such as the Writers’ League of Texas or with genre-specific groups such as Sisters in Crime—or go to Writer’s Digest and other forums to find groups in your area.
But getting someone to read your work is only the beginning. In order for the feedback to be useful, you need to keep the following in mind:
- Distance yourself. It's not a critique of you. It’s an honest opinion about your work, so don’t take it as a personal affront to you or your abilities as a writer.
- Maintain veto power. You don't have to accept every suggestion or change made. It is ultimately your work, and it should reflect you and be something you are proud of. If you truly want to keep something, then keep it, but do consider the reader’s reasons for suggesting changes.
- Recognize patterns. If more than one person says the same thing about your work, take notice. If on every critique you hear that your characters are flat, you may have to accept that your characters are flat and strive to correct it. If several people say a passage is confusing, you may want to consider rewriting it. The point here is to improve as a writer.
- Respect their opinions. Show the one who critiqued you the same respect you expect by acknowledging and thanking them for their time and feedback.
- Have them focus on the big picture. Most readers are apprehensive about critiquing because they feel you want a complete copyedit. Unless they’re an editor, ease your readers by instructing them to focus on feedback related to the overall feel and goal of the book. Have them point out what works and what doesn’t work in relation to plot, narrative arc, usefulness of information, and style rather than addressing issues such as misplaced commas and word usage.
Remember, you don’t want to write in a vacuum. Despite all of your genius, in order to truly understand what your readers want and how to give it to them, you need to engage them from the beginning. Not only will it make you a better writer, your advance readers will have a vested interest in the final project and will do everything they can to help you succeed.
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Book Writing and Editing: 6 Signs That Your Writing Isn't Finished Yet
November 29, 2007
by GreenleafBookGroup
Forget all that business about checking a publisher's submission guidelines before you send your manuscript in. The most important consideration when you're preparing to take a project to the next level is whether your work itself is ready, fully conceptualized and mature. Who cares about typeface and font size if the content is half-baked? There's no setting for "masterpiece" on my egg timer, but these guidelines will help you know when to call it done.
1. First of all, how long is it? If your manuscript is ninety-seven pages double-spaced, you're not done yet. If it's a thousand pages single-spaced, you likewise have some work before you. Most trade books have between 160 and 400 pages, but the right number of page depends on the genre you're trying to enter and the purpose of your book. Do a little "market research" at the bookstore and figure out where you stand---you don't have to match the other guys, but they are your competition. If your book is too fat or too thin, it will suffer.
2. Have you covered everything relevant? Here's a test: When you tell people what you're writing about and explain the concept to them, do they ask questions you don't cover in the book? If so, you will probably want to add treatment of these common points before sending your manuscript out into the world. There's no excuse for neglecting aspects of your topic readers want to hear about.
3. Of course, asking what readers want to hear about raises another question: who are your readers? Who is the target audience for your book? If you don't know, you need to. Make sure that your focus isn't too narrow or too wide. For instance, for a business book, "everyone with a job" is too broad an audience; "CEOs of Fortune 500 companies" is too narrow. Once you know who your audience is, list out what they want---and read through the manuscript to make sure you're giving it to them.
4. Is your book really about something---something you can explain? This is the time to make sure you can describe in thirty seconds why your book is different from all the rest, practically helpful, and, of course, a must-read literary tour de force. Seriously, if you can't say what it's about and what it can do for the reader in thirty seconds or in the first page of the introduction, you probably need to refine your focus.
5. Have you gotten a second opinion? Don't ask your mother. Instead, make your most tactless friend read through it, then nag her incessantly until she tells you she quit reading on page 34. Go to page 32 and figure out how to keep her reading. Repeat this process until you have no friends or someone finishes the book and likes it. If you already have no friends, a real live member of your target audience would be even better. You don't have to take any advice you get, but you do have to listen and seriously consider it.
6. Is it neatly typed and formatted with minimal errors? I know I told you to forget the technicalities, but if you've made it this far, you're ready to send it in. Congratulations!
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When Stylistic Devices Attack!: How to Inject Your Manuscript With Style Without Bogging it Down
June 7, 2007
by GreenleafBookGroup
Sometimes, when I read a manuscript, one particular stylistic element seems poised to bring down the whole book—impossible-to-read dialect; verbose, long-winded exposition; trite or “symbolic” imagery; scenes so mysterious you don’t quite know what’s going on; or some other literary device that simply doesn’t fit. But when I tactfully mention the offending device to the author, the response is “I meant to do that.” Uh-oh.
The impulse toward unconventional techniques is easy to understand. To write memorable, stylish prose, great authors often break the rules and incorporate uncomfortable elements into their writing. When a nontraditional method works, it garners attention for the book and adds to a writer’s reputation for creativity, judgment, observation, and skill.
It’s most noticeable in fiction, but it’s true of nonfiction too. Think of Jeffrey Gitomer’s books—no paragraph too short, no punctuation too exciting, and over a million copies sold to date. A signature style or signature stylistic device can make an author a legend in his own time.
But that’s when it works. More often than not, a brazen stylistic device will detract from the work in question. By “detract,” I mean “make to appear amateurish and overwrought, annoy the reader, and increase the chances the reader will abandon the book somewhere around page 89.” Self-conscious stylistic devices jolt the reader out of the world the writer is building, or make it hard to settle in to begin with. It’s the in-print version of breaking the fourth wall. If you’re going to do it, you’d better do it right.
With that in mind, here are three handy tests to help you decide whether a device works or not. (If you’ve got better ones, I’d love to see them.)
1. Less is more. Like loud fabrics, loud literary devices are hard to mix and match. If you’re going to narrate in stream-of-consciousness, do not also use screenplay-style stage directions and scene breaks. Pick the device that means the most to you. Once you’ve chosen your gimmick, don’t overdo it. Think of that guy you saw last weekend wearing all hot pink plaid. Did you say, “Wow, I admire his consistency to his theme”?
2. Make sure someone gets it. Kurt Vonnegut recommended writing with an audience of one in mind. Whoever you’re writing for, test it out. If your audience doesn’t like your device, you may want to consider toning it down. Even if you’re not thinking of a specific person as you compose, a suitably sympathetic, unbiased reader ought to be able to get through the device without trouble. I’m thinking your editor here.
3. Most important, make sure it’s crucial and authentic to the work, not just something you’re doing to show off. Christopher Bachelder’s Bear v. Shark uses stream-of-consciousness narration with two-page chapters and commercial breaks as its main style—a highly disruptive format. But the book is a satire about a near future in which television screens have taken over all four walls of the room and no longer turn off, where advertising invades our thoughts and the attention span is a thing of the past. The method is the message—so Bachelder’s outré style doesn’t distract from his point. (Also, the book is short—the author doesn’t expect us to get through three hundred pages of this bizarre prose.) If your device isn’t integral to your work, you’re probably better off without it.
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Does This Book Make Me Look Fat?: How Authors Can Handle Criticisms for their Book
March 14, 2007
by Justin Branch
After spending years carefully crafting your manuscript, it’s tough to subject it to the judging eyes of others. Typically, the first round of reviews brings mostly positive feedback: Family and friends will read your work and be impressed by your tenacity and hard work. You'll probably enjoy an ego-stroke or two when they ask for autographed copies, looking forward to having a published author as a friend or relative.
The next round may be a little tougher. Industry people won't candy-coat their opinions, and you may receive feedback that's less than rosy. Take the good with the bad when it comes to criticism of your book, remembering to appreciate fresh perspectives that may illuminate problems you couldn't see before. No matter how it may feel at times, most people don't enjoy raking you over the coals--they just want to know if this is a book they can sell.
So what matters to these book people as they evaluate your work with an objective critical eye? Here are six factors they'll always look at:
- Platform: How many people already know you and want the information you are selling? Do you have a preexisting base of consumers for your book?
- Content: Fancy design work and a big publicity push will sell books for a few months, but continued sales rely on word-of-mouth advertising. Word-of-mouth advertising, in turn, relies on quality content that readers will find interesting over a span of time.
- Marketing: How will you persuade people to run to the bookstore and buy your book?
- Genre: Is the material appropriate for current trends in the genre? Will it stand out among other books of its type?
- Design: Books are always judged by their cover. Check out the Design & Production category for all kinds of great info.
- Price point: Price the item appropriately for its genre, length, and trim size. You may think a consumer will not mind paying an extra buck for your book, but bookstore buyers purchasing large quantities of the book will mind that extra dollar very much.
At the end of the day, no one can predict how a book will do. The unknowns are scary but inevitable. Make sure the variables you can control are all working for you so you're in the best position to face the unforeseen. Don’t be discouraged if someone says "no," and don't be offended by criticism. Learn what you can and keep pushing forward. This is the entertainment industry after all, and for its author, a book is a bit like a lottery ticket.
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