| Author |
Message |
    
Todd Hunter
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
3900
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 04:23 pm: |   |
Should a person submit a piece to a market, knowing it will likely get accepted as is...even though they have beta readers who think it needs more work...just to get it published?
Mindsight Moderator
Aston's Website
Aston's Blog |
Fred Dungan
Unity Member
Post Number:
2114
Registered: 10-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 08:38 pm: | |
No, No, No, NO, NO - a thousand times no. You have to live with yourself. No amount of rationalization could justify such a decision. Unless, of course, they were offering you a $10 million, ironclad multi-book contract with a limousine and a private jet. Then you could at least be comfortable in your misery.
http://www.dunganbooks.com |
Harry Simenon
Unity Member
Post Number:
1979
Registered: 10-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 01:11 am: | |
I would not. It would be a pity not to improve when you know that the manuscripts would benefit from some rework.
But I did submit a manuscript several years ago that still needed lots of work, I just didn't realize it at the time. |
Laurel Johnson
Unity Member
Post Number:
4544
Registered: 01-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 08:39 am: | |
Beta readers are just people, Todd. Every person has his or her own opinions on everything we read and those opinions vary widely. Except for glaring typos or sentence formation / grammar issues that outside readers often discover, trust your own judgment about the piece.
Submit it when YOU think it's right. Consider what your beta readers said, but follow your own instincts in the end.
Laurel Johnson
http://laureljohnsonblogs.blogspot.com
|
Nancy Mehl
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
2721
Registered: 08-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 09:34 am: | |
Ditto to what Laurel said. Criticism can be your best friend. It's helped me tremendously. But I haven't listened to every comment. Like the person who told me they didn't think I should be writing mysteries. <s> I wasn't the least bit moved by that advice because I knew it was wrong.
It's a thin line. Usually when the advice is right - you know it. So take what you can and toss out the rest. You're responsible for the end result.
Nancy
MINDSIGHT MODERATOR
"The Ivy Towers Mystery Series" Barbour Books - 2008
www.nancymehl.com
|
Harry Simenon
Unity Member
Post Number:
1981
Registered: 10-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 09:53 am: | |
When a few independent beta readers make the same comment I think you should listen, if it is only one single reader making the comment I would still think about it but I will simply follow my own feelings about it. |
Joyce Scarbrough
Unity Member
Post Number:
1297
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 04, 2008 - 12:48 pm: | |
If they're telling you it needs editing, then you should wait until it's error-free. But if it's something in the story they don't like, then it depends on how you feel about it yourself. Stay true to your story and your characters and you can't go wrong.
~Joyce Sterling Scarbrough
True Blue Forever
ISBN 0-9722385-9-X
Different Roads
ISBN 0-9722385-3-0
Authors Ink Books
http://www.authorsinkbooks.com
Read the first chapters: http://www.authorsden.com/joycelscarbrough1
Waste time on Joyce's Blog: http://joycescarbrough.blogspot.com
Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kztz5e3XZeo |
Harry Simenon
Unity Member
Post Number:
1983
Registered: 10-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 04, 2008 - 01:50 pm: | |
In my case there were a few remarks several beta readers agreed on: they missed a more detailed description of the places in the book. I thought they were right and fixed it. It added much to the feel of the story.
There was one single guy who thought my book contained way too much sex. I read that he talked about my manuscript to others like it was Hustler magazine. From all 270 something pages there were perhaps 2 pages all together that contained some very moderate erotic scenes. No one else complained about it; not even my son's schoolteacher (my 12 year old son read my manuscript for his assignment.)
I left it all in as I think it is even safe for a twelve year old, as much is suggestion anyway and no crude words used.
A few people made the remark that they thought that others might dislike the more philosophical parts, but said they did like it themselves. I left those parts in too as I feel it is part of the story and of what I would like to tell. Perhaps there are much more readers that like philosophical parts but assume that most people don't like it?
Only one person noticed a flaw that I had missed many times too: I had one character going somewhere, but a few scenes later on she was suddenly back for a brief moment. A very silly mistake.. when you notice it... Of-course I immediately kicked that girl back to the other scene. I hate it when characters think they can walk around wherever they like!
I have sent my manuscript to two publishers. I will await their comments, read it all again and perhaps do some more rework and off to the next two, until I hit the bottom of my list: Vanity publishing... |
Joyce Scarbrough
Unity Member
Post Number:
1304
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 04, 2008 - 05:29 pm: | |
Harry, I'll read your manuscript if you want to send it to me (and if it's in English!) I don't mind sex scenes a bit and happen to consider myself a bit of an expert on them!
~Joyce Sterling Scarbrough
True Blue Forever
ISBN 0-9722385-9-X
Different Roads
ISBN 0-9722385-3-0
Authors Ink Books
http://www.authorsinkbooks.com
Read the first chapters: http://www.authorsden.com/joycelscarbrough1
Waste time on Joyce's Blog: http://joycescarbrough.blogspot.com
Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kztz5e3XZeo |
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