EDITING:
You just finished the initial draft of your manuscript. Congratulations! But if you published it right now, your readers would go screaming into the night. Here are a few websites with tips on how to get your book whipped into shape so as not to burn out the eyes of your future fans.
BETA READS
Maybe you’re a new writer and you don’t know many other writers who would like to do a manuscript exchange. Here are a few critique sites to get you started, listed in alphabetical order.
Codex Writers’ Group
Critique Circle
Critters Workshop
Forward Motion for Writers
Hatrack River Writers Workshop
Inked Voices
Kingdom Writers
Ladies Who Critique
Mibba
Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
Other Worlds Writers’ Workshop
Reddit Write
Reddit Writing
Romance Critters
Royal Road Legends
Scribophile
SF Novelist
Speculative Vision
Swirl and Swing – Poetry crit group
The Desk Drawer
The Internet Writing Workshop
The Next Big Writer
The Writing Forums
Writers Café
Writing.com
Writing to Publish
You Write On
WHAT DO I DO NOW?
Your writer’s group had a lot to say about your manuscript. Things they loved and things they… er… didn’t love. Your head is spinning. How can you sort through all their input? Some of it will be really, really helpful… and some not so much. Here are a few links from writers with both cautionary tales and success stories to help you sort the good advice from the bad.
“Can Critique Groups Do More Harm than Good?”
“Critique Groups: 6 Ways they May Hurt Your Writing…and 6 Ways they Can Help”
“How Online Writing Groups Help You Get Published”
“Online Writing Groups, Writing Communities and Critique Groups”
“Online Writing Workshops”
“Six Things To Consider Before Joining An Online Writer’s Group”
“Thinking of joining a writing group? Ask yourself these 8 questions first”
“Why critique groups MUST DIE”
“Writing Groups and Critiques”
FREELANCE EDITORS AND WHY YOU NEED THEM
You’ve self-edited the monster manuscript. All its warts are removed, all its hair is smoothed back and there’s not a claw or snaggletooth in sight. So it’s time to take the next step of querying/self-publishing, right?
Well… not quite. Since you can only query your dream agent once, it might be time to take a step back and assess what else your manuscript needs to help it see the light of day as a published book. And the way to do that is to turn to the professionals. Here are several articles about why self-editing is not the end of the road.
“How Freelance Editors Fit into Today’s Publishing Landscape”
“How to Find an Editor as a Self-Published Author”