I've put up the 2nd draft of Danielsford for review. The major change is removal of the prologue. The story begins at Chapter One and, personally, I like it better. I've also made small changes here and there in the story, but nothing major. Serious editing will come when I finish the manuscript. This draft also has a few thousand more words.

http://www.bookcountry.com/book/tools/mydashboard.aspx

I've also noticed that I've screwed up the linespacing. Parts are single spaced, as I like them but for some reason other areas came out at one and a half spaces. 

Hey Chuck--thanks for posting here!

The linespacing likely has something to do with inherited formatting from Word--Word has a lot of coding that follows the text around when you upload and copy and paste it into other areas on the web. One thing you can do for this is to save as plain text before you upload to Book Country, but if you don't want to lose all your formatting (italics, etc.) you can also strip the doc of certain settings.

If it's bugging you a lot just let me know and I can help. Email me at support@BookCountry.com whenever you'd like!

Lucy

I am brand new to the site. I have the first few chapters of my novel posted. I am looking for readers to review what I have thus far. I would love any feedback you have to offer. 

Thank you in advance. 

Here is a synopsis for you to preview:

Set in ancient Ireland, Father Kernahan finds himself infected by a werewolf bite. He must find his inner strength and fully rely upon the Lord or face losing his soul to the monster within. Aided by a local pagan woman named Nessa, he must find his way from the pages of the Bible to the heart of his own faith. - See more at: http://www.bookcountry.com/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=7244#sthash.7tVJm5mp.dpuf

Hi! I've just uploaded Destiny's Bond for peer review. I had taken it down a couple times before because 1(. I was having nightmares about having my WIP plagiarized. But after reviewing other people's work and flipping through the discussions forums, I realized how nice and helpful the writers and readers on this site are. Now I'm not so scared. And 2) I had epiphany moments and didn't want readers getting their hands on the manuscript until I'd finished making those changes. Now, after four months, I'm ready for reviews again. Though my book's not publish ready. And I have no idea when it will be . . .

Anyway, here's the description:

Born into a time when war ravages the land and captured at a young age for her previously-unheard-of magick abilities, Destiny has exhausted fourteen years of her life training and serving as a remorseless assassin for the ruthless Four Nations. Now twenty years old, she seeks to escape and mete revenge on those who have wronged her and many of her fellow nythpaths. By utilizing her magickal and physical strengths, she manages the first of these tasks. But before she can even begin working on the second, unforeseen circumstances alter her fate forever, placing her in a situation where the balance of the world rests on her shoulders. With the help of a surly stigmaton and a cast of other characters she meets on her journey to restore peace, will she be able to save Drugara from ruin? Or will a hidden evil consume her and destroy everything she comes to hold dear?

 And here's the link: http://www.bookcountry.com/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=7289

 Should anyone give me honest reviews, I'd be glad to return the favor! Thanks!

Thanks Lucy, but no problem. I'm stuck on my other script (again) so went and looked at the 2nd draft of Thomas Moody. It only took me a couple of months to discover there's an edit function. I'm not totally computer challenged, but close.

--edited by ChuckB on 10/14/2014, 3:20 PM--

Haha, Chuck, glad to hear you've figured it out! It took me a minute to get the swing of things on Book Country but you're already starting to be such a pro!

Just holler if you need me!

Lucy

@Amber--glad to see you back on Book Country. Send me an email if you want to chat more about the site or any issues you might be having! Lucy@BookCountry.com

Furthermore, congrats on revising your book and putting up a new draft! Sounds like a magical book--perfect for fantasy fans on the site!

@M.K.: Welcome to Book Country! Thanks for posting about your book on the site. Please let me know if you have any questions or need help!

Thanks and happy weekend writing or reading!

Lucy

Might it help to upload the file as a Rich Text file? That removes a lot of the crap Word leaves in there.

Another thing to check is that any headers and page numbering has been removed. And some systems don't like it if you use tabs as indenting.

--edited by Jay Greenstein on 10/17/2014, 10:50 PM--

Hey all! Amber here. Just wanted to say I've uploaded a short story for review--it's around 1,700 words and titled Scarlet Crimson. This story came off the top of my head. Any thoughts on any aspect of the story are welcome.

Here's the link: http://www.bookcountry.com/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=7362

Happy Writing!

Hi, all. Amber here. Just thought I'd mention that I've uploaded a drastic revision of Destiny's Bond. The chapters I've posted--the first ten--are completely different from my previous version, and I like to think I've improved the story.

Anyway, here's the link: http://www.bookcountry.com/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=7289

Should anyone take a look at it, I'll be glad to reciprocate.

Happy Writing!

Thanks, Lucy. When you don't have anything better to do with your day other than writing, you write.

Although, I guess I should  thank inspiration the most. My main heroine, Destiny, has commandeered the show so far, and I pray by listening to her I've improved the story. Though I've hit a snag with chapter twelve . . .

So after working for more than an hour to critique Destiny's Bond, and successfully posting it, I dropped in today to find no trace of it and no message saying why it wasn't there.

A new site bug?

Jay, what do you mean by it's not there? Do you mean the review itself is gone? Because I checked my Book Detail's page again and it's still there. (You were helpful, by the way).

This might be the problem: Your review is under 'First Draft' in my Book Details. Try checking that spot.

Hope that helps.

Amber

Definitely a site bug, like the one that inserts a return after you type the first letter of a post.

I started that critique when your first draft was up, but had to set it aside for a time. When I came back to it, I accessed the new version of the story, and that incomplete critique popped up next to the new text, so I modified it to fit the changes, finished it and posted it, then bookmarked the book's review page it took me to. But it posted the critique to the old review page, which isn't available via a search for the book title.

And of course I never inserted those three big blue title names in my post, either, though I did use them in a search for the book's page while composing the post. And I'm willing to bet that the critique you saw had no paragraphing because the site doesn't like the Mac version of Firefox and strips them out.

I'm glad I could be of help, but this site is the single most frustrating site I know of. I liked the old site software a lot better. It was a bit crude, but worked.

Wow. That definitely sounds like a bug to me. And yes, your review did come out as a big block of text. But I've found a way to get around that. What I do is insert a period between paragraphs to keep them from disappearing. So far it's worked. Like this:

Write something

(insert period)

Write something

Maybe that could work for you, too.

I posted the 3rd draft of my story. The title is 'Danielsford 3rd Draft' and is available here

http://www.bookcountry.com/book/tools/Editor.aspx

Lots of changes in this one, and it's shorter than I had hoped, only 40K words. The final few chapters (all short) have been totally rewritten with a twist that might please or upset some people. I like the way it turned out.

In a nutshell, Frank Jackson drives into a town that shouldn't exist. He discovers a home made coffin in a church, opens it and unleashes the spirit of a witch who was hanged in 1693. She had cursed the town from the gallows and now hunts him. The story concerns his attempts to resolve the problem and save his life. But, roughly halfway through the story begins to twist and takes an unexpected turn.

Hey. I've been a little MIA for a while. Been doing a lot of writing and plotting/school. I've uploaded a new version of The First Nine. Well, the prologue and chapters 1-3. After getting rejected by a few agents, I've decided to try changing the prologue and chapter one up a bit. See what happens. 

http://www.bookcountry.com/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=6146

As of right now, I'm not going to post more unless someone actually gets to the end of chapter three. That way I don't have to deal with all 24 chapters on here at once. 

Ciao~

Hey, Linnea, great to see you on Book Country! So cool that you are making such awesome progress on THE FIRST NINE.

Did you see the Gift of Feedback Review Challenge? You might get involved in that this month, and see if other folks pay it forward by reviewing THE FIRST NINE.

Jay, I'm not sure why you had those 3 instances of the text showing up in your post like that. Were you trying to copy and paste something?

And yes, your review is always going to be connected to the draft that you read the book in., to keep the quoted text and notes organized according to draft. Let me know if you have more questions.

Hi, Ria. I'm not a struggling author (I'm still learning and working on my own first epic fantasy Destiny's Bond) but I can understand how you're feeling. It must be horrible to get good reviews, then have a story you've worked so hard on get little to no attention once published. You said you self-published, right? How'd you go about promoting this story? And I'm assuming the genre's Fantasy, since you posted on the Fantasy Page. How long is this manuscript? What's it about? Depending on the quality of the work and its length, your price might be too high.

On another note, maybe you need to have it looked over by someone on Book Country. I've found people on this site to be pretty intuitive and helpful. Try putting it up for Peer Review (Unless that's not possible now).

Anyway, all I can say is don't give up. Keep writing. Maybe post a manuscript you're working on now for peer review. I'll be glad to take a look at it (So far, people have said my reviews are really helpful.)

Good luck in all your writing endeavors, Ria. And remember that every writer has some stories that soar and those that don't.

Amber

I know the feeling of having something you've sweated blood over only to publish and see it go nowhere. I've got three novels out, with Amazon and one other internet publisher. So far I've seen a total of ten sales from one, 5 from another one and one has sold nothing. Combined sales won't pay for the electricity I used creating them. And I've talked to people, put out the information online on more than a dozen forums, Facebook, Twitter, spoken to friends and continue to spread the word every way I can think of, and ways I'd never thought of before.

I don't have an answer. My two Amazon novels, which are also available on other sites or so I'm led to believe, sit in the 1,500,000 range. I'm frankly surprised anyone found them. 

The Internet might be the future of publishing, but it still cannot match walking into a bookstore and scanning the racks.  

All the above said, I will continue to publish on the net in the belief that a publisher might, during a moment of boredom or something, find one and become interested. It's a dream, but I like dreaming it.

I'm going to be a bit brutal here, I'm sorry. But I have noticed a widespread tendency (no thanks to Disney's "if you have a dream and pursue it, you can't fail!") for some people to think something along these lines: "If I've written something and toiled over it, then it will definitely get read by many people and everyone will appreciate me for the work I've done." Well, what about if what I've written is just plain bad, no matter how long I've worked on it? What if I did no preliminary promotional work online, not bothering to get an audience anxious to read my work WAY before I published? What if I didn't bother getting a real editor to look it over? 

The reality is that there is so much crap out there, that most people will not bother with books they've never heard of. It's that simple. You could have written the greatest novel since Dickens, and no one would care. There are ways of maximizing potential success. They're not hard, but they take a whole lot of sweat and money. Because let's be honest, when you're self-publishing, you're actually become a small business owner that isn't selling a book, but a brand. No one wants to be told: "Buy my book," but if an author's brand is interesting, unexpected, attractive, that could go a long way to selling books. An unassuming presence on social media is absolutely necessary, but you can't say "buy my book" on facebook either. It annoys people to no end. I know, I've done it!

Everyone will tell you that you need a brand, a professional website, social media presence, etc etc. But even all that is often not good enough, because our writing isn't up to the level people expect. There are rules for how fiction should be written. Are we following them? Are we even finding out about them?

If you're serious about selling books online, check out Sandra Beckwith and D'vorah Lansky. They give out free advice, much of which I have found useful. Check out Story Cartel. Sign up for webinars and boot camps with Writers Digest or other such companies. Join a writers group. Read Deborah Dix and Dwight Swain.

And even if you do all that, it still might not be enough. It's important that we know that, because expecting people to buy our stuff just because we've written it is just silly. 

All good points, Voran. I mention Amazon because until I found Book Country that's where I was. All the writers they publicize are recognized authors, which makes sense. They have a track record, have published in print and people know them. The rest of us swim near the bottom of the pool. I'll also agree that many deserve to be there. 

I don't blame Amazon, although a lot do. It's business and they're in it to make a few dollars. Established writers sell more books. I've made the suggestion that they should have a section on their page for new writers, or books from currently unknown writers or something. That would be similar to the shelf in a book store where a book from an unknown could sit right next to one from Stephen King. Our books still might not sell, but at least we'd have a shot.

--edited by ChuckB on 12/20/2014, 3:01 PM--

Hey Voran--you make a lot of really excellent points.

ChuckB--I liked what you had to say about a bookstore and browsing. This is, of course, an enormous recent shift in bookselling--less browsing and more "finding" and "discovering." Finding=knowing what book you want, landing on it, and buying it. Discovering=a reader is on a platform where they get trusted reading recommendations (social media, newsletters, and communities like Book Country) and landing on something new that sounds good to them.

Many of our Book Country blog posts are written to help members contend with this shift in how readers can find their books.

My biggest recommendation to Voran and ChuckB is to change your Book Country display names to the names that you publish under. If I'm a Book Country member who wants to check out your work after interacting with you or reading your comments on the site, and I go to an online retailer and search these display names, I don't think I am going to find your work, right? At least not right away. The longer I spend having to weed through retailer search results, the more inclined I get to click on something else . . .

I have more tips for how to optimize your Book Country profile here. Having a well-maintained Book Country profile is an excellent starting point to an awesome online platform for your work.

Secondly, is everyone paying close attention to their keywords? Keywords are now playing a really important part in "discoverability." If I know I want to read about a certain subject or setting, or if I can remember some elements of a book I heard about (the character's first name, for example), and I search for those keywords (on Book Country or elsewhere), I'll stumble across your book if you've set up the keywords right.

Writers of the past didn't have to worry about this stuff--but we absolutely do!

Curtis, good points. Writing is a tough business. Publishing is tougher, especially these days. For your question, "if an agent doesn't want (your book), is it good enough..."  Agents are fallible. I've read comments from a number of best selling authors the difficulty they had getting their first book published. John Grisham was turned down by 17 agents and publishers before selling his first book, A Time to Kill. It was finally accepted by a small publisher in 1984. Another whose name I don't recall had five books rejected before finally making a sale. 

Maybe on the day my manuscript hits an agent's desk he/she has an upset stomach, the battery in their car was dead and they were late getting to work, or they had a bad night's sleep. They might toss every script aside that day as punishment for their trouble. 

Being turned down by one agent or publisher, although annoying and upsetting, doesn't stop me. The next may like the story, or the one after that. At some point, too, if the rejections continue I must accept the fact that my story stinks. That 'point' is one we each have to decide on our own. Do we send it out five times, or ten, or do we shoot for twenty? When I reach my limit, I stop. Then I have a decision. If I feel strong enough about the story, I'll try to rewrite it. Otherwise I file it in the cardboard box I have that contains the corpses of other manuscripts that nobody wanted, and I go on to another.

As for self publishing, absolutely not. They're called vanity publishers for a reason. Too many writers end up with a garage full of books and no place to market them. Many bookstores won't accept a self published work. I've read that going the vanity route can be a deterrent to getting a traditional publisher, though I'm not sure why that would be. 

A big thanks to Curtis Bausse and Jay Greenstein for the reviews of the 3rd draft of Danielsford. I've printed both out. I'm particularly pleased that each has pointed out, in different words, a problem that runs throughout the script beginning to end. The story is told in a very dry 'laid back' fashion. I'm an extremely laid back person. My wife says if I were any more laid back, I'd be dead. LOL

*edit* And thanks for catching the character name swap toward the back. I read the script several times and never noticed I had changed her name.

Fixing the script promises to be a challenge. I'll be writing from a new and unfamiliar perspective, but I intend to try. 

--edited by Charles J. Barone on 12/22/2014, 3:27 PM--

Just posted another 4 chapters of The First Nine. It's up to chapter 7 now. 

http://www.bookcountry.com/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=6146

I've uploaded the second half of Destiny's Bond again. The chapters have been revised, though are wholly the same--Jay Greenstien, don't read it, as my manuscript isn't up to snuff for you

Here's the description:

Born into a time when war ravages the land and captured at a young age for her previously-unheard-of magick abilities, Destiny has exhausted fourteen years of her life training and serving as a remorseless assassin for the Four Nations. Now, at twenty years of age, she seeks to escape and mete revenge on those who have wronged her and many of her fellow nythpaths. Except wretched Fates and the needs of others alter this path before it can flourish. Because of one horrible act by a twisted soul, memories are fragmented. Three hundred years slip by. And Destiny is thrust into a situation where the balance of the word rests on her shoulders. With the help of a surly stigmaton and a cast of other characters she meets on her journey to restore peace, will she be able to save Drugara from ruin? Or will a hidden evil consume her and destroy everything she comes to hold dear?

This is the link: http://www.bookcountry.com/Bookdetail.aspx?BookId=7289

--edited by Amber Wolfe on 1/10/2015, 11:41 AM--

Hi, again. I've uploaded another draft of Destiny's Bond, my Epic Fantasy WIP (Which I hope is better than the last), and could use some reviews. Here's the blurb:

To be both mortal and predator is a curse, some would say. To Destiny, it's a blessing. Captured at a young age for her unique gift in the magick arts, she's exhausted fourteen years of her life training and serving as a remorseless assassin for the Four Nations--a gory occupation made bearable only by the ferality of her inner predator and the emotional detachment that shields her. At twenty, death and exploitation are the words that define her existence. Every day is an endless cycle of bloodletting, agony, and manipulation. When the senseless slaughterings of the Black-Blood War become too much, she seeks to escape, to finally gain freedom . . . Yet she soon discovers that such yearnings come at a lofty price. Because of the intervention of unknown entities, manipulations gains new meaning. Three hundred years slip by. And Destiny is thrust into a situation where the balance of the world rests on her shoulders. With the aid of a surly wolf-stigmaton and a cast of other characters she meets on her journey to restore peace, will she be able to save Drugara from ruin? Or will a hidden evil consume her and destroy everything she comes to hold dear?

And here's the link: http://www.bookcountry.com/Bookdetail.aspx?BookId=7289

Would really appreciate some reviews. And I'm more than willing to reciprocate.

Hi, Everyone: I didn't place the book link in the previous post. Here it is for Rise of The Nephilim: Fire And Blood, up for peer review:  http://www.bookcountry.com/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=7828

Thank You

Hi, Bluesage

I'll take a look at that WIP of yours--but please be patient. It might take me a month or more to finish the review because of the length of the manuscript.

If you'd check out Destiny's Bond, my own Epic Fantasy, as reciprocation, that'd be great--though you don't have to. I'll still review whether you review mine or not.

Amber

Hi, again

I've gotten some great feedback on the first ten to thirteen chapters of Destiny's Bond. All reviews have been constructive and helpful. And I most appreciate those who took the time out of their days to read that far.

Now I'd like to request feedback on the seven new chapters I've uploaded. So far one person has read through to chapter Eighteen--Lots of thanks to Vanessa Silva for her wonderful review. But having some more outside opinions would be nice--Specifically, I'd like critique on Entertainment Value, Plot, Characterization, Voice, etc.

Here's my pretty link: Destiny's Bond

Thanks in advance to those who review! And I'll be more than happy to reciprocate!

Amber

Hmm . . . Seems like I'm the only one inhabiting this thread lately.

Oh, well.

A couple days ago, I uploaded a new version of what used to be a short Traditional Fantasy story titled Scarlet Crimson. I'd gotten great feedback on the story, and most reviewers said it could--and should--be expanded into a longer work. So, I'm giving it a try.

I've uploaded what is now considered the 'First Chapter' of Scarlet Crimson. There's close to 3,000 words right now. I'd really appreciate some opinions on it.

Here's the Blurb (still in revision):

Crimson never thought that Scarlet could get her into more trouble than exploring the hazardous dungeons, caves, and crypts of Drugara in search of her favorite baubles--Light Orbs. Well, she's wrong. Being a magick-touting treasure hunter for hire, Crimson's used to danger. She's also used to running away from it. However, running away becomes impossible when a cult of necromantic mages target her after one of her jaunts into the belly of Drugara. Unwittingly, she's stolen a treasured artifact, and with it in her possession, unbeknownst to her she's a threat. Ridding herself of the artifact proves impossible, since it's stuck around her neck. When the mages hire an assassin to retrieve the artifact, will she be able to convince him to spare her? Or will this treasure hunt turn out to be her last?

Crimson's a spunky heroine with a foul mouth. She curses a lot and I find her way of coming across on paper to be a tad amusing.

Any thoughts on any aspect of the story are welcome! I'll be more than glad to reciprocate reviews!

Amber

All your heroines have foul mouths, and I love that. I'll read it tonight.

I am new to writing and new to this place. Although it is scary, I have made the jump to post my work on here to get some constructive feedback. My goal in writing is to make a close to publishable quality book to gift to my daughter when she turns fourteen. I humbly ask for your help and critique, it will mean a lot. 

Also, English is my second language, so please be kind on the grammar mistakes. I am meaning to fix it and my friend is helping me immensely, but I can't see some things sometimes. 

Thanks for even reading my post! I am looking forward to getting to know many of you!

M Shimoji

I've just uploaded another new draft of Destiny's Bond. Or, technically, I guess I'd call it a complete rewrite . . .

Anyway, here's the blurb:

Ever since she was a young girl, Destiny has been viewed with scorn and hate, torn from her home and trained to be a Bloodletter in the Green Court's army. Being of elven blood, she receives much prejudice from the mortals she serves. In the Realm of Drugara, elves are treated as little more than animals, despised for their part in the Rectrium Crisis two centuries ago. Tensions between Races are high, and though elves are allowed to walk freely in human cities, they are typically not welcome.

When two Fae show up in Ravenswood, pretending to be human, Destiny senses their deceit right away. On a fateful meeting between the trio, Destiny's future takes a sharp turn.

Now she who was despised holds the key to saving Drugara from ruin. The question is: Will she stand against the evil threatening all Races, or will she forsake them?

I have the first six chapters up for peer review, and I'd love your opinions on my drastic changes!

Here's the link: Destiny's Bond

Thanks to all who give it a chance!

--edited by Amber J. Wolfe on 12/8/2015, 11:05 AM--

Hi guys! Just started a new YA Fantasy novel (my fourth) and need reviews for my first chapter! I will happily return read.

http://www.bookcountry.com/Bookdetail.aspx?BookId=9080