This is a thread for Newbies only, defined as those who’ve been members for less than three months. So I’d respectfully suggest to more senior members that they keep any comment but ‘Welcome’ and “Yes, I liked that book,’ for other threads. (Yes, I know I’m posting on it, but I’m an exception.)
The screed below has been around a long time, and is very useful. (I am not the author.)
A Gentle Guide for the new Authonomite
1. Don’t be afraid. Nobody here knows where you live. You are pretty much free to state your opinion on any known (or unknown) topic.
2. Make yourself known. Don’t sit back and wait to be discovered. The Forum is the place to be seen. If other people like what they see there, they may click on your avatar to see your books. Put yourself out there; everybody else is.
3. Promote your book(s) in the Shameless Plugs forum. Everybody (almost) is here to get their stuff read. You are no better. Abandon all shame. Find new creative ways to promote your book to potential readers. (see bottom of this page for an example).
4. Trade reads. Although trading shelf space is frowned upon. Trading reads is not. It is the barter system here. Everybody wants to be read, and trading reads is something that works. It is a win/win proposition. Look for people on the forums who are asking to trade reads, and then take them up on it. Start your own thread to trade reads. When you agree to read someone else’s work, this means you put their work on your watch list(WL), and, with luck, actually read some of it in a reasonable amount of time. They, in turn will do likewise. You are in no way obligated to like what you read, or to back it by putting it on your book shelf. You are free to comment on the book, or not comment on it, although some people will understandably call you out in the forums if you do not make some comment within a reasonable amount of time.
5. Give good critique. If you gain a reputation as a giver of good critique, people will want you to read their books. This gives you an opportunity to suggest they might enjoy reading yours as well. What constitutes good crit can vary from person to person, but it seems that the consensus is that good critique is honest, constructive, and helpful. It may point out what is good about the book, as well as what may need fixing, if anything. It can be long or short, depending on how much you have to say. Most people do not find critiques helpful if they are destructive, demoralizing, or of a personal nature. However, I have seen crits that just say “not my cup of tea”, so this appears to be at least borderline acceptable. Even if you think you are not a good critic, you can provide a reader’s perspective into what works for you and what does not. Most people will appreciate this. If they do not, phooey on them.
6. Determine some reasonable method to shelve some books. This is up to you as to what constitutes reasonableness. However, for most people, it would seem that reading the entire book is not reasonable. It takes too long. It appears that most people will back (shelve) a book based on their feeling that they would buy that book in a book store. However much you have to read before you make that decision is up to you. Also, if you have faith that certain problems with the writing will be fixed before the book goes to HC (Harper Collins), it is perfectly reasonable to shelve it. If you think that a book will be immediately rejected by HC, then you are not doing anybody any favors by shelving the book. The ultimate goal is not just to make it to the HC editor’s desk, but to be selected for publication. If you like a book, shelve it regardless of what you think other people may think of your selection. Everybody doesn’t like the same things.
7. Accept criticism. The goal here is to be published. If that is not your goal, then you are wasting your own time and everybody else’s (unless you are just here to read—in which case, please continue). Most of the people I have encountered here want to help you get published, if at all possible. Many will give you extensive amounts of invaluable advice on how to fix problems with your manuscript. This advice, especially from fellow writers, is difficult to find outside of this site. However, it is, by nature, subjective, and sometimes contradictory, and should not be immediately implemented without some thought as to your own goals and purposes. IMHO (in my humble opinion) should go without saying. However, this advice is also likely to be much more objective than you can ever be about your own work. Like any endeavor in life, there are people who are more experienced at it, and better at it than you are. If they are kind enough to give advice, then you should listen thankfully. At the very least, they can give you a reader’s perspective, which you, as the writer, will probably never have. Look for consensus in the critiques. You probably would not paint your house red just because some stranger told you it would look better that way. But if everybody told you that, including your real estate agent, then maybe you should start pricing some paint.
8. Don’t take offense. If someone says something rude to you on a forum, it is quite possibly intended as humor. Sometimes we forget to include the little smiley face that indicates our silly moods, and humor misfires as insult. If you fire back, a brawl may break out, feelings could be hurt, writing careers damaged, even. If the person is actually being rude on purpose, that is his or her problem, not yours. Let it go. Eventually people will figure him or her out and things will not go well for that person’s reputation. Maintain a good sense of humor and a charitable attitude, and do not feel compelled to respond to everything without thinking through the consequences.
9. Make friends. This is entirely up to you, and is not what you may think it is. I thought that accepting an offer of friendship meant entailing some obligation. This is apparently not so. If you are friends with someone, it means that you will get a notification every time that person backs a book, makes a comment about a book, or has either one of those things occur with his or her own book(s). Some people find this helpful and interesting; some don’t. It does not appear that anyone takes offense if you turn down an offer of friendship simply because you do not care to see all the comments. Many people probably see it as an honor to be invited for friendship. I know I do.
10. Bet on the dark horses. If you can get your Talent Spotter score to rise, then you may one day sit among the demi-gods of the authonoverse. (The true gods sit outside of the authonoverse at the HC editor’s desk.) One of the best ways to make your score improve, is to spot talent that hasn’t moved up in the ranks much. This means looking at the books with big numbers beside them. If you like them, shelve them, and then promote them. As those books rise through the ranks, your score as a talent spotter will rise dramatically as well. Once you become one of the demi-gods, everybody will want to read your book(s) so that you will read their book(s) so that everyone else will want to read their book(s) as well. Got that?
11. Don’t take it too seriously. Just take it a little seriously. Most writers today never get published. That is just the harsh reality. Most books do not even make it to an editor’s desk, because the first step from being un-published to being read by an editor is a huge one. HC has leaned a ladder up against that first step so that we can at least have a chance to get a book up there. If you think there is a book that needs to be up on that step, don’t be a stumbling block; help the author get it there. You may find that once someone gets up there, a hand will come back down to help you up as well.
12. Remember that everyone may not be here for the same reason. Try not to judge others for their behavior, as they may have a different perspective than you. Just act according to how you would wish others to act.
Posted: 29/03/2011 07:40:02
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