Life Of E's

Lynne Klippel was gracious enough to let me share this with you:

Writing a book can be a solitary endeavor. You work away at your book outline and wonder if you are on the right track. The further you progress into your book, the more curious you can become about how readers will react to your material. Doubts start to creep into you mind, sounding like, “Is this thing any good? Does it may sense to anyone be me?”

Asking for feedback can be a great way to silence those doubts. However, you can also expose your book and your ego to harsh feedback that can make you give up on your writing and publishing dreams.

If you decide that you’d like to ask for feedback on your book, follow these steps to make sure that you reap the most benefit from the experience:

1. Don’t ask for feedback too early in the writing process. It is often best to wait until your manuscript is fully written before you share it with others. Readers will be able to see the full scope of your book instead of just a bit of it. Your book is your dream. It is important that you give that dream enough time to develop before you share it with others.
2. Select early readers carefully. It is wise to ask a small group of people to review your book so that you hear a variety of opinions. Target people who fit the profile of your ideal reader, a trusted colleague who is familiar with your work and with the book’s topic, or other published authors.
3. Avoid requesting spouses or family members to give you feedback unless you know they are familiar with your topic and will be honest with you. For example, my brother John is a brilliant man. However, he is an engineer. If I asked him to read a book on women in mid-life, he would not have any expertise in that area and thus, be unable to give me anything other than general feedback. My Father is very supportive and would tell me he enjoyed my book, even if he did not like it, just to encourage me.
4. Make sure your selected readers love to read books. If you have two equally qualified candidates but one never has time to read books, select the one who loves to read. People who read lots of books are very aware of how a good book should feel, including the rhythm, pacing, and content. They may not be able to articulate those things to you, but bookworms know a good book when they read one.
5. Set clear boundaries. Tell your early readers what kind of feedback you want and how you want it. Do you want them to be brutally honest and look closely at your grammar? Are you seeking feedback on the flow of the information and if it makes sense? Do you want supportive comments, corrections only, or a combination of both? The more direct and clear you can be with the reviewers, the more useful their feedback will be to you and your book.
6. Finally, resolve to take all feedback with a grain of salt. Accept the praise without ego and the criticism without giving up. Find the useful information and disregard the rest. When you follow these steps, you and your book will benefit from reader feedback.

Note:  I have benefited from Lynne Klippel’s materials and counsel.  You may want to check out what she has to offer, too.

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Tags: book, feedback, Lynne Klippel, writing