• Read this stickie before posting.

    • In order to reduce the number of new members requesting a Beta reader before they're really ready for one, we've instituted a 50 post requirement before you can start a thread seeking a Beta reader.
    • You can still volunteer to Beta for someone else; just please don't request someone to Beta for you until you're more familiar with the community and our members.

Before You Publish Your Book

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Karen Junker

Live a little. Write a lot.
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I just had someone ask me to beta their story. It turns out, the book has already been published.

I'd like to recommend that writers wait on publishing their books until *after* they have had the manuscript critiqued or beta'd.

Also, it is not going to help you to learn what mistakes (if any) you are making in your work if you just turn your book over to someone else and ask them to fix it. The best way to learn how to edit is to take the comments and corrections that your beta/crit partner/editor recommends in the first chapter and use them to fix the errors in the rest of the book.
 

Chase

It Takes All of Us to End Racism
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Hi, Karen. A happy and successful 2012 to you, even if it is the last year on the Mayan calendar.

Ha ha ha, it sounds as if your request was more for a review than for a helpful beta-read.

Don't keep us in suspense. Is your review of the already published work thumbs up or thumbs down?
 

Karen Junker

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Hi, Chase! Happy New Year to you too!

I didn't read the book, so I can't give a review. My chief failing is that I neglect to praise people for their writing when given a chance. It seems I have failed once again!
 

escritora

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I've seen sample chapters in SYW that are part of a self-published book. I can't wrap my head around why someone self-publishes and then seeks advice on how to improve the very said piece that's up for sale. For goodness sake, pull the book out of distribution, ask for assistance, rewrite the book, and then put it back out in the market. Everyone wins in. The critters. The writer. The readers.
 

Polenth

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I've seen sample chapters in SYW that are part of a self-published book. I can't wrap my head around why someone self-publishes and then seeks advice on how to improve the very said piece that's up for sale. For goodness sake, pull the book out of distribution, ask for assistance, rewrite the book, and then put it back out in the market. Everyone wins in. The critters. The writer. The readers.

I understand why some people do it. A few, I get the impression they just don't understand how critiquing and publishing works.

Some really need to move on to their next project, but have trouble letting go (which can also happen with those who don't self-publish, as they revise and revise the same book for twenty years).

I always live in hope people in the above categories will realise what they're doing.

But the ones who'll end up on the never-help-again list are hoping you read it and go, "Wow, this is awesome! Where is the rest?!" Then you'll rush out and buy it, leave a five star review, and rainbows and kittens will fall on the writer forever. In the real world, all that happens is a bunch of very grumpy critiquers/betas.
 

escritora

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I can see someone not understanding how publishing works. I can understand those who are overzealous. But once the writer receives feedback and realizes the book is a tired mess, the writer should take a step back and pull the book. At least that's how I see it.
 

Dani

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Yeah, I'm with y'all on this. I've had an editor and three beta readers look at my ms, not to mention how many times I self-edited (that's double digit territory there) and have done a SYW post here as well. I can't imagine putting a book out without any of my critiques. *boggle*
 

Polenth

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I can see someone not understanding how publishing works. I can understand those who are overzealous. But once the writer receives feedback and realizes the book is a tired mess, the writer should take a step back and pull the book. At least that's how I see it.

I agree they should pull the book, but it's easier to see that from the outside. When someone's on the inside, it can take a bit for them to work past the denial.

Which isn't a good thing, but it's an understandable thing.
 
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