An author finishes the final draft of his/her novel, sent it to twenty or more publishers and hears back with the standard ‘thanks, but no thanks’ letters. So what’s gone wrong? They may have had friends and family tell them how wonderful their work is, or even a friend of a friend who’s had a book published say it was good. But there is the main problem with finding objectivity.
Getting Honest Feedback
New authors often fail to find an objective reader for their work. Friends and family want to be supportive and enthusiastic, so getting a good critique from them can be difficult.
Companies that offer professional feedback can be very good (such as Frog Prince Editing and Cornerstones). These companies have built up a good reputation for giving useful critiques and helping authors forward.
However, there are conmen (and women) posing as professional editing and critiquing services that are nothing short of frauds. They tell authors how wonderful their work is and give false promises of publishing contacts. Some ask for money up front and deliver little.
As always, when looking for a service, authors should carefully do their research before handing any money over. If a company makes promises, back away. These companies often have testimonials and pay big bucks to appear on the top of internet searches, so if at any time the service seems dubious; drop it and look for another.
Publishers and Agents
The same goes with reading fees for publishers and agents. If a publisher or editor charges a reading fee, don’t send. There are plenty of others that will look over fiction and non-fiction writing for free.
Many novelists will say they don’t ‘do’ other markets. This is an unfortunate setback for most of them as other markets will help hone their skill and also get their name spread quicker. Short story markets are excellent for a quick sale and publication, but flash fiction is even better as it pays more per word count.
Often, if an author’s work is good, but not yet publishable for the market they’ve submitted to, the publisher or editor will give good feedback on what needed changing. This is free, objective, and of course, very, very helpful.
If an author is submitting and getting no feedback, it may be because his or her work is being sent to the wrong market, or simply because the editor didn’t have the time. For a sure and objective feedback for very little money, a critique with a short story competition is a good option.
Some small publishers and e-zines (as well as a host of others) have short story competitions that offer a critique service with it. Not only does the author have a chance at wining the top prize, but they can also pay a little extra for detailed feedback which can be as useful as a writing course, but more cost effective.
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