A writer friend of mine set up a Facebook group to proof read his novels. I wasn’t sure how useful this would be, as most of the people in the group would inevitably be too ‘nice’. Too close. But maybe it would help iron out some of the bigger holes in the plot? Has anyone else done this?
It would definitely depend on who his followers were. The risk with friends and family is not only that they don't want to hurt your feelings, but they aren't usually experienced writers/readers in your genre--they aren't your "real world" audience. For readability/big picture, I'd hunt down beta-readers who like my genre. Lots of people will read your work for free -- the problem is inconsistency in review quality and unreliability in getting feedback. But you can weed these out with time and build relationships with the ones you trust.
This has been an insightful read for someone like me with no knowledge of publishing, especially self-publishing. Absolutely loved it!!
A writer friend of mine set up a Facebook group to proof read his novels. I wasn’t sure how useful this would be, as most of the people in the group would inevitably be too ‘nice’. Too close. But maybe it would help iron out some of the bigger holes in the plot? Has anyone else done this?
It would definitely depend on who his followers were. The risk with friends and family is not only that they don't want to hurt your feelings, but they aren't usually experienced writers/readers in your genre--they aren't your "real world" audience. For readability/big picture, I'd hunt down beta-readers who like my genre. Lots of people will read your work for free -- the problem is inconsistency in review quality and unreliability in getting feedback. But you can weed these out with time and build relationships with the ones you trust.
Thank you for taking the time to reply, this is all very new to me so it's very helpful! My steps are small, but hopefully in the right direction...
New to me too! Glad to be in good company