So I'm writing a book.

EmperorCoconut

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I was hoping to get some people's opinions on the world and characters. I mean the world is our world but... edits?

Equally important, I have no idea how to give my book to people, so the point may be moot.
 

Maggie Maxwell

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What you want is a beta reader. When you've been around a little longer and gotten yourself up to 50 posts, you can make a thread in the Beta Reader subforum seeking interested parties.

The best way to get a beta, though, is to make friends with other writers. Meet people around here whose ideas mesh with yours, who you get along with and can talk with easily, who read and write your genre, who are in the same place with their novel and publishing journey as you are, and when you feel comfortable with them, ask if they want to do a swap. Doing beta reading yourself is a great way to learn how to edit and see things that you might need to look for in your own work. You can earn your 50 posts, meet people, and get some critique practice in in the Share Your Work subforum.

As for how to actually get your book to people, email. When you get a beta reader, ask their preference. Some people like .doc or .rtf, some people like to use Google Docs, and I've even seen people want PDFs. All beta readers have their own style. Just ask which one yours is.
 

BethS

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When you reach 50 posts here, you can post some scenes or chapters in the Share Your Work section. That may help you identify any issues with the writing mechanics, which you might want to address before looking for a beta reader.

One excellent way to reach 50 posts is to spend time in Share Your Work doing critiques for others. This will not only build up credit with the other writers there, who will be more inclined to comment on your own work when you post it, but it will also help sharpen your critical eye in regards to your own work. You don't have to be an expert to critique. Just give your reactions as a reader: what you liked, what confused you, what you thought was boring/fascinating, etc.
 

EmperorCoconut

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Okay there is some formality to this. So... I have to be friendly to people on the internet. A great challenge, but one that I will undertake!
 

indianroads

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I was hoping to get some people's opinions on the world and characters. I mean the world is our world but... edits?

Equally important, I have no idea how to give my book to people, so the point may be moot.

There are a lot of books on Amazon about how to write and edit, if you're floundering I suggest looking there. I've heard it said that the people really pulling in the $$$ are the authors writing books about how to write, edit, and self publish - I have no data on this, but through observation it does seem true.

Classes at a local Community College might help as well. Creating a blog and writing short stories is good practice.
 

quicklime

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Okay there is some formality to this. So... I have to be friendly to people on the internet. A great challenge, but one that I will undertake!


I assume you're joking, but in these particular times, not a terrible theory in general....and off the internet as well. That said, there's another sort of very general bit of tit-for-tat here, in that if you come asking for help, being nice is one of the very least things you might offer in return.
 

EmperorCoconut

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I mean, my grandiose goal is to meet people to overenthuse about our characters and plots. I've been dropping stuff on friends for some time, so I'm down for that.
 

Cairo Amani

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National Novel Writing Month is coming up in November. Which means the Nanowrimo forums are open. There's no post counts or anything like that so you could try to connect with writing buddies on that forum as well. :)

I'll be there!
 

SwallowFeather

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One excellent way to reach 50 posts is to spend time in Share Your Work doing critiques for others. This will not only build up credit with the other writers there, who will be more inclined to comment on your own work when you post it, but it will also help sharpen your critical eye in regards to your own work. You don't have to be an expert to critique. Just give your reactions as a reader: what you liked, what confused you, what you thought was boring/fascinating, etc.

Just want to signal-boost this. Giving other people good, useful critiques that include some positivity (I assume that's what you want! It's what I want) is the best way to motivate them to give the same back to you. It's a moderate but still significant investment of time to give a crit, and it's only fair to give as good as you get. Critting will also help hone your own skills. And you really don't have to be an expert--it's very useful to give real reader reactions such as how well you connect/don't connect with a character, whether & where you got confused or bored/less hooked, etc, because those comments actually go to the heart of the story. (Which is more more useful than, say, grammar corrections. Those won't tell you if you need one more rewrite or not!)

And good luck!