Authors often reach out to me long before their manuscript is ready for an editor.
They follow me on social media and want to get a baseline for how much they can expect to spend on editing when the time comes.
Then there’s a pause in the conversation and I can feel them shifting uncomfortably through whatever messaging platform we’re using.
Finally, they come out with it. “Hey, do you know of any online critique groups? I haven’t had luck in my local area.”
“I definitely do! I’ve heard good things about CritiqueMatch.com. Give them a try.”
But that isn’t the end of the conversation. It never is.
You see, when I say “I’ve heard good things” about CritiqueMatch and other online critique forums, that’s true. But the testimonials are from people I don’t personally know.
The ones I DO know never seem to be happy with their experience.
My partner kept trying to change the point of my story
I didn’t like my partner’s writing and thus didn’t value his/her feedback
I got ghosted multiple times
Maybe some of those were excuses not to go through the discomfort of having your work critiqued. MAYBE.
But more often, I feel the author’s frustration is with not getting feedback they can trust. It feels like an internet random shouting from the peanut gallery, which is not what a critique group is designed to be.
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The difference between a good critique community and a “bad” one seems to be the element of trust and community.
Is this feedback valuable? Does this person understand my genre? Are they willing to take criticism of their own work, not just dish it out to others?
Finding that balance seems to be tough.
My Question to You
Since I’m being asked about a critique community that I can vouch for…
Should I just make one myself?
Obviously a community requires other people, so I want to pitch it to you:
Would you be willing to post your writing (up to 1500 words per post for feedback and critique from me and from the other writers in the community?
And would you find such a community to be a positive influence in your writing?
As a rough sketch, I’m considering a community that would include the following:
Free Community
Free resources (Youtube Tutorials, Youtube videos that are craft-oriented, and writing biz oriented)
Free events like community demos
Recommendations for service providers (cover artists, formatters, blurb writers, etc.)
Paid Community
Critique Hub
Fiction critiques
Nonfiction critiques
Writing discussion/questions
Blurb/Summary critiques
Promote your work
Must read/watch - member-only recommendations
Learning Hub
Social Media for Authors
How to Launch Your Indie Book
How to start a writing services business
Tutorials
Would this be worth $10-15 a month for community, feedback, and other resources?
Would you be interested?
I plan to listen to feedback for the next month or so, getting a good idea of what would work best and what authors would find most valuable. For instance, should memoir writers get their own critique space (vs. lumping them in with other nonfiction)?
Would live-streaming a critique session be fun, assuming an author would volunteer for the full nonsense-free treatment?
I’d love to hear what kind of community would work best for you.
You can comment or just reply to this email with questions or feedback. But if you know right now you want this, click the button above so I can get a head count.
ICYMI
I’m back doing weekly videos!
AND… a new chapter dropped on premium Substack