Critique Results and Book Exchange

So, I have entrusted my child, my novel, into the loving hands of a beta reader and was happily surprised to find that she loved the story and is anxious to read more. She did find over 600+ errors that stem from spacing, grammar, word selection, and tense. (I have a really bad habit of going from past to present tense, sometimes in the same chapter)

The next step was taken last week, when I dropped my story into the hands of three other authors. They are not looking at the technical issues of the novel, but rather they are looking at the story. They have two weeks to read the book and then put together their thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of my story which they will send to me via e-mails. After I have a chance to recover from the shock, horror, or elation, we will meet to discuss options and suggestions.

I am both anxious and nervous.

I am the first of the three novels to be read in the book exchange, so I will have to put three others through the same ringer.

In an earlier blog concerning “Critiques”, I recommended http://www.scribophile.com as a site to get a good critique of your work. One of the many alternate groups that is part of the whole is ‘Book Exchange’ and this is the forum that I am dealing with regards my story exchange.

It’s scary to put your story out there, but it is necessary. Remember, you want to be able to have the opportunity to tweak your book among a few fellow authors before the masses or an editor finds your books short comings.