Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan
For those who do not have the resources or ability to do a lot of these post-writing steps--and I think there are quite a few--these services are valuable to them, and may make the difference between writing something no one will see, and something that will actually sell and bring them a following.
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I concur.
I know some folks who are "book doctors". They are published authors who have also been editors for trade houses, and know what makes a salable book.
An old friend asked me for recommendations a while back. A friend of hers had written a historical novel set in California during the period when Spain ruled the area. It's a period on which she is a subject expert, and he passed her the manuscript for review. She said he had his
facts straight, but had no idea how to tell a readable
story. Because he
was a friend and she didn't want to damage that relationship, she didn't want to
tell him that. She knew I knew people who could help. I sent her a couple of contacts, and said "Tell him you agree he got his facts straight, but don't feel qualified to assess the literary value of the book. Refer him to these folks for a proper critique. They will charge a sliding scale depending on what he wants done, but it may be worth his while."
There are lots of folks who would benefit from such services. The first problem is admitting they need the assistance. The second is finding a reputable individual or service they can work with, and there an awful lot of snake oil salesmen peddling supposed assistance that will cost money and return no real results.
Too many aspiring authors can't get past problem one.
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Dennis