Critique. Just the word alone makes many authors cringe. Why? Because it reminds us of another word that has a negative connotation: criticism. Yet, as authors we understand the need to have another pair of eyes look closely at our manuscript and give us constructive advice and direction so we can make our book the absolute best it can be. And the best person to give a critique is someone with years of experience in the publishing industry.
But Critiques Are Subjective!
Some copyeditors claim you should never get a critique because it is entirely subjective. They say you should just get your book edited by a copyeditor and fix all the grammatical mistakes.
Getting a thorough copyedit is essential. But few writers think about getting their book critiqued first. However, in my twenty-five years of experience writing novels, becoming a multipublished author, and working professionally as a copyeditor and writing coach in the publishing industry, I have come to conclude that most authors—whether a new writer or seasoned published author—need a critique and preferably in the early draft of their manuscript
I’m so convinced that most beginning writers first need to get a critique that I’ve put together an entire website dedicated to my critique services. Check out Critique My Manuscript to see the different special packages offered and use my easy order form to get all or part of your manuscript critiqued and evaluated.
If you’d like to know just what a critique involves, take a look at my fiction critique checklist and you’ll see how extensive it is. And if you’re not sure that’s what you need, you might want to consider just having the first chapter or two critiqued to get some feedback. You may be surprised at what your opening scenes are missing.
Want to know more about me, my services, and why you might need a critique? Check out this short video!
