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Originally Posted by gmw
The problem I have with sites like goodreads (etc.) is that it is effectively random, and I don't see it as necessarily any better or more reliable than the feedback I can get from people here that I do know. The feedback that I have had is good, but it doesn't tell me whether it's ready for "prime time" as you put it, because such reviewers are not in the business of formal analysis. Online critique groups are certainly an option, because at least you are speaking with fellow writers, but it's not one that I feel all that comfortable with - I might feel differently if I was working my way through the start of my writing rather than trying to evaluate a completed manuscript.
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Feedback from strangers is very different then feedback from people you know. Friends don't want to offend you and may not be regular readers of the genre. Unbiased feedback from people who read voraciously in your genre will be a pretty good judge of "ready for prime time." They don't need to be able to do a "formal analysis" they need to be able to answer a few basic questions..."Did you enjoy this?" "If you had bought it for $x would you consider it a good use of your time and money?" "Would you recommend it to a friend?" "Would you buy more books that I write?" You need "focus group" information - not a literary dissection of the work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
I certainly had my reservations about a formal appraisal service, but from what research I was able to do this company seem like they are the real deal. The offer from this company is "evaluation by a senior editor, looking at such areas as style, story flow, character development, general interest and commercial viability".
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If it were me...I'd ask which editor I was going to be assigned and ask what books they have worked on. I also would be interested in knowing things like what genre they read, and who are their favorite and least favorite authors. It would make sense to have a 15 minute conversation with them to see if you are a good "fit." Both I and George R.R. Martin write fantasy set in secondary worlds. He writes dark and gritty tales populated with dubious people each trying to out manipulate one another. I write tales about unlikely heroes. They may have had "grey pasts" but they are on the road to redemption and are trying to make new starts for themselves. If they recommended I "go dark" because that is marketable, I lose my voice and what my fans are saying they identify with. Would theirs sell better? I don't know...but to be honest I don't care because for me I would rather fail with a book written "my way" than to "succeed with a book that "wasn't me." Others may not feel this way...which is fine. But you need to be very clear for what you are looking for.