How do I get people to read my novel in progress and give me feedback?

Question

The first 7 chapters are posted on http://lovcroatia.blogspot.com and I'll be adding a new chapter every week but no one seems to reading or leaving a comment.

So far I have received some very helpful answers but I would like to email some of the people and ask for further clarifications on their comments. How do I find out the email address of the people who answered my question?

Answer 1

I'll read and leave feedback. Be VERY careful with this. People will steal your work, claim it as their own, and get everyone in a big court case. I would recommend giving it to people you trust first.

As a precaution most people recommend sending it through the regular postage to your own self. When you get it DONT open it. Keep the unopened envelope safe. If anyone says that it's theirs later you can then show them that you have the work postmarked by your local post office. Because you post office is federally run that makes the post mark a legal thing. I recommend this as a precaution just in case. Good luck.

NOTE: If you do list on Craigslist.com I ABSOLUTELY recommend sending it to yourself first. I've known people who have had things stolen from there. Again, Good Luck.

Answer 2

Hi Tammy

I read the first chapter of your novel. Your spelling and grammar are quite good (although Graphiti isn't correct spelling) and I can see you have done a lot of editing of the ms before posting it. Some phrases like 'newly minted into the physician profession and fresh from his Hippocratic oath' are cumbersome and unnecessary. My rule of thumb is to use simple language to explain extrodinary events.

The history lessons, eg 'Hapsburg had created as a bulwark against the encroaching Ottomans' are distracting. I feel you are reading a history book and typing it into the story. But what I want to see is your story. Where is it? You must focus on a single idea in this crucial first chapter, but you are trying to tell us too much, trying to impress us with your knowledge of the area. Sorry, but the reader doesn't care. We want the human story - you can introduce tidbits as you go along, not dump it all in the first two pages.

My main concern is that you don't grab the reader from line one. "It was noon" does not immediately draw me into the story. The rest of the story has a slow pace as well as being far too busy with irrelevant facts. What is Ratko doing? Why? What is compelling about him? He is a shell with nothing likeable or even interesting about him. I found my mind wandering. I wasn't compelled to go to the second chapter.

The most interesting thing to happen is the graffiti - but you don't tell us more about it. Surely this is a sign of underlying tension, but I don't feel it from you.

If you are aiming at a 'literature' market rather than a 'mass' market, this style may be appropriate. Otherwise you need to give it some "balls", if you know what I mean. Think about your main message of this chapter.

I'd start with the graffiti, something like this; 'In the 800 years his village had clung to the side of this rugged Croatian mountainside, there had never been graffiti sprayed on its walls. Until today. 'THIS IS SERBIA' it shouted in ugly, blood-like letters, the red dribbles running to the flagstones of the footpath. Ratko, seeing the puzzlement on the faces of the babooshkas, shivered involuntarily...

Employ a good editor to do a full edit (see predators and editors before signing with anyone), then submit your polished ms to literary agents and publishers. The edit will cost around $1000 or less for 100,000 words. Don't be tempted to self publish - that way you'll end up with a garage full of books and it'll cost a lot more than $1000.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Consider logging on to [e-mail]. Dr. Kelly Roberts, of Roberts Publishing, moderates the forum and her rules are strict. Nevertheless, you can find a critique buddy to exchange edits of your manuscripts.

I read part of Chapter 6 and should mention that many of your sentences are of the Shakespearian mode--excessively long for today's writing. From what I've read, it seems that your manuscript is non-fiction rather than a novel. I didn't see any characters to speak of.

I hesitate to add further suggestions here because deeper reading is required to adequately catch and report what writing errors might be in the work.

Answer 4

I'm not trying to be harsh, but I can tell you this much; there is way too much information in the first page. I think without hooking your reader, at least a little, your going to be hard pressed to find anybody that can even get through the chapter. I will give my full opinion if you'd like.

Answer 5

i did not circulate previous the prologue yet high quality creation. It felt overly wordy yet did not save me from starting to be entranced with the story. i admire the titles, the dwindled guy, the timeless King (litch?)... after all, this may be a e book that i might purchase after examining that prologue. I often %. up books study the 1st few pages or the 1st financial disaster and then make my determination to purchase. There wasn't something approximately what I study that i did not like. heavily and that i'm brutal honest. you recognize there became one ingredient, I felt like i did not get sufficient scene set-up in that tale and became a tad at a loss for words before everything attempting to visualise the putting for the time of the come across between Gai and the dwindled guy. The communicate became spectacular, not trite or "comedian-bookish". you positioned up the piece correct yet i don't pick to study greater till you're little greater finished. i desire you do not ideas yet i visit forward the piece to my fb community.

Answer 6

Advertise on a site called craigslist. its free, and lots of crazy and bored people hang out there all day long. Someone not caught up in yahoo answers will be over there, and will go check out your book. Just make sure you put some sort of copy/plagerism clause on the free viewing of your book, or someone could legally steal your idea.

Answer 7

Try doing what the professionals do - send it to a real literary appraisal service. These people know what they are talking about so their opinions are actually worth having, and you pay them for it so they do a real good job. It's safe and reliable. I would never trust the great mass of fools on the web to criticise my work. Do it properly, send it to an appraisal service.

Answer 8

Try some writing forums. A good one I like is http://wwforums.com . It's better than posting it on here to read, because you get real support from other writers.

Answer 9

I think you have to create a value proposition for why people would want to read and comment on your work. And then you have to market the value proposition. Just my two cents.

Answer 10

Be patient. I haven't gotten any comments on mine yet, either.

(Not that I'm looking for any.)

All I'm concentrating on is getting the word out about me as a person, myself as an author and writer, and my books in general.

Been like this for several years now.