1. JayClassical

    JayClassical Member

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    What do I do now?

    Discussion in 'Traditional Publishing' started by JayClassical, Dec 28, 2019.

    So I'm done my first book. I'd like to try and take a swing at going the traditional route but before I send my stuff out to literary agents I'd like to get some people to quickly read my stuff. Pay them even. Does anyone have an idea how to best do that? I've come across professional editors who want $1000-2000 but thats a bit much for me especially since I assume a publishing house would want their own editors to do it.

    Where can I find some people to give me some quick reviews?
     
  2. Naomasa298

    Naomasa298 HP: 10/190 Status: Confused Contributor

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    You could ask for beta readers in the collaboration forum.
     
    Steve Rivers and JayClassical like this.
  3. SethLoki

    SethLoki Retired Autodidact Contributor

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    First, congrats on getting to such a point, you've succeeded where most have failed!
    One road to improvement @JayClassical could be to workshop 1500 words or so here, take the best advice, and extrapolate it to the rest of your book? In doing so there's a good chance as well that any new skills picked up (by rote I'd say) will bed in.
     
    Seven Crowns and Steve Rivers like this.
  4. Steve Rivers

    Steve Rivers Contributor Contributor

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    After reading your dream chapter, I would suggest going over your book once with a SPAG checking program before posting extracts here. Sign up to the free version of Grammarly, it will remove the most basic errors.

    The aim is to give potential beta readers like me the best chance of assessing the content and structure of your work, rather than the fluff of SPAG. I didn't mind wading through it as a one-off, but would definitely make me think twice if you posted more - and I'm someone that wants to read other folks' work.
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2019
  5. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    While it is acceptable to find beta readers through writers forum.org (using the collab forum which has a minimum of 90 days/100 posts access requirements) it is not acceptable to set up, solicit, or offer paid arrangements via these boards.

    One post has been deleted where a member was asking how much the OP wanted to pay, lets have no more of that please.
     
  6. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    With my mod hat off my first suggestion for the OP would be as steve suggests to use grammarly, pro writers aid, or autocrit to go over your work - with all these applications (and others like them) be careful with their recomendations and do not blindly accept all.

    Having done that find some beta readers - you don't yet have enough posts to access our collab forum, but there are facebook groups and so on dedicated to critique

    If you want to pay a critique service (keeping in mind that they are not a qualified editor) you can find many such via upwork, fivver etc ...

    you can also find editors on these sites or via reedsy. That said I would only suggest paying for a full on edit if you are self publishing... if you intend to get a trad deal the publisher should be picking up editing as part of what they do for the bulk of your royalties...

    if you do decide to pay an editor a structural and line edit of a full length novel could easily cost a grand - i would be wary of editors charging much less as good editing is time consuming, so a bargain basement service may turn out not to be worth its lower price
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2020

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