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I'm a newbie here, and baffled by all the STUFF on this website. Would love to get some feedback on my writing but I understand I must do a peer review before I can post, and I haven't found a book to review yet that is within my parameters of interest . Not really very into or qualified to review children's and teens, violence, horror or supernatural freaks etc.
I could use some guidance here. 1. Are we reviewing published books? How can we tell the status? 2. How much of my ms must I submit? (An entire book is asking a lot of the reviewer, who also may have a life and some writing to do in addition to my needs.) Also my book is unfinished, but has about 1,500 typed pages written, not yet edited via the "slash and burn" technique I use and find most effective. So can someone give me a thumbnail view of how this process works, and where to start? --edited by VC on 2/3/2014, 8:30 PM--
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What genre are you writing for? 1,500 typed pages is a lot, even for the longer genres like science fiction.
What I have to say to you is ignore what you do and do not enjoy. Just review. The more you read, and the more you critique, the more you learn. Just because you don't like a genre, or don't find interest in it, doesn't mean you can't learn from it. So go out of your comfort zone. As for posting what you have, if you know what you need to cut, do that before you post any here. That way you can post more and it won't be overwhelming.
If you don't know what to cut, post a small section, like three or four chapters and see what people say about the writing. They might be able to point out some things you can cut.
Most people don't review a whole story anyway. I've posted mine, which is about 110,000 words, and the farthest anyone has read and reviewed is through chapter 1. So don't worry. People will look at how much they want to.
~Linnea
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Joined: 4/25/2013
Posts: 17
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I agree with Linnea and suggest posting roughly four to five chapters to see if people take to your writing style. While waiting for those reviews to come in, you can work on the rest. I began with posting only four chapters, and after a few reviews, I uploaded the polished version (to the best of my ability).
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Joined: 6/7/2013
Posts: 1356
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Hi VC! I think you and I have corresponded privately, but I think this is the first time I have seen you here on the message boards, and I'm glad to have you here! Welcome.
I'll echo Linnea and Jaycee's advice to just dive into reviewing and see what happens--for me, as well, every book I read on here is a learning experience and helps me with my own writing.
When a member reviews a book, it's not a requirement that they read the entire thing. I would take an honest stab at a chunk of it--maybe about 3 chapters to start, and tell the writer how those chapters went for you. Sometimes, I find myself really swept up in the chapters, and I want to come back and read more, and in that case, I just push the "Save for Later" button, and the "follow" the book. When I have time, I go to my list of followed books, find the one I was reading, and pick up where I left off.
As for posting, you can post as much as you like, and see how far your readers get into it. That can be really good feedback for where you should start cutting.
Some more resources for you as you get started:
And I want to make sure to address your other questions: Published books are found via the Book Country Bookstore. Books to read and review (for free, and to give feedback) are found on our members' profile pages, via our Genre Map, and via search and the Books page.
Filling out your profile will help us learn more about the types of books you like to read. Here are some tips about filling yours out!
Please let me know if you have any more questions!
Lucy Silag
Book Country Community and Engagement Manager
--edited by Lucy Silag on 2/4/2014, 2:25 PM--
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Joined: 6/7/2013
Posts: 1356
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Hi again VC--we also have a pretty slick video tutorial that shows how to give feedback on Book Country. It's a nice introduction with great visuals. Check it out!
Lucy
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Joined: 1/22/2013
Posts: 17
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Thanks for posting the review video, Lucy. It cleared several things up for me.
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As for how much to post. Keep in mind that before someone turns to page two your writing must make them want to, because readers are volunteers, not conscripts. So forget the idea that you're going to get reactions on your story. No one's going to read it until you make every single page on the way to "the end" entertaining. So finding out, why the writing may not be entertaining, and how to fix that, comes before anything else.
Over 90% of rejections come on page one. Most before paragraph two. And most readers choosing a book make that decision in three pages or less (750-1000 words( So you can see how vital good writing is. Given that, 1000 words is more than enough for an initial reader reaction to your mode of presentation, POV, and "would you want to read more?"
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Joined: 6/7/2013
Posts: 1356
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@Dennis--glad to hear the video was helpful!
Lucy
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While I understand the "only post the first few chapters at a time" approach, I personally prefer to wait until I have a complete draft before posting, especially given my "don't write in order" approach and how frequently I'm revising as I go. It's only when I have a full draft that I truly feel like I'm able to make sure everything fits together.
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Thanks - That's very helpful.
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