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Get Manuscript Help from Experts

by Dan Poynter

Savvy nonfiction author-publishers take each chapter of their nearly complete manuscript and send it off to at least four experts on that particular chapter’s subject. This step in book writing is called "peer review".

Some experts might get two or three chapters but most will get only one. Do not overwhelm them. If you send the whole manuscript, most experts will put it on their desk with the best of intentions and never get back to it.

An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a very narrow field.
—Niels Bohr (1885-1962), Danish physicist and Nobel Laureate.

Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One-Minute Manager Library, says “I don’t write my books, my friends write them for me.” He explains that he jots down some ideas and sends them off to friends for comment. They send back lots of good ideas that he puts into his manuscript. Ken is
being very generous, of course, and what he is describing is “peer review.”
http://www.BlanchardTraining.com

What you get back from your peer reviewers is extremely valuable: They may add two more items to your list; they sometimes delete whole paragraphs where the practice has changed; they occasionally cross out that comment you thought was cute but was potentially embarrassingly
stupid, and they sometimes even correct punctuation, grammar and style.

Also send copies of the complete manuscript off to friends, family, literate objective readers, potential buyers and even a Devil’s Advocate or two. The more feedback you get the better.

When your book comes out, you will receive far less adverse-reader reaction because the book will be bulletproof. After all, it has been reviewed and accepted by the best.

And, there is another valuable reason for peer review: You have more than two-dozen opinion molders telling everyone about your book—and how they helped you with it.

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Dan Poynter does not want you to die with a book still inside you. You have the ingredients and he has your recipe. Dan has written more than 100 books since 1969 including Writing Nonfiction and The Self-
Publishing Manual. For more help on book writing, see http://ParaPub.com.
© 2003

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Along with seeking the advice of experts, you'll need to self-edit your work before hand. For useful tips and advice on self-editing, check out: Editing Books Like a Pro. For only $3.99, it's a great deal.

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Writing a Memoir: 5 Rules
Writing Nonfiction: Using Quotes
Being a Writer: Learn the Craft of Writing

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Karen Cioffi


Find Karen’s eBooks on writing and marketi

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More winners! Congratulations to the writers who have won a manuscript critique with one of the following published authors: Sudipta Bardan-Quallen, Brenda Reeves Sturgis, Corey Rosen Schwartz, Tiffany Strelitz-Haber, Lori Degman, Lori Calabrese and Linda Bozzo:

Heather Kephart
Emma (from Australia)
Jessica Stanford
Leslie Zampetti
Peg366
Lisa Rogers
Cari Meister

Be on the lookout for an email from me with further instructions. (Please check your spam filter, as a single email was sent to all of you.)

Next up, the winners of all the glorious picture books!

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The last week of every month is time for two events for members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club.

First, it’s time to turn in the writing assignment for the month. And, second, it’s time to submit another manuscript for our monthly manuscript critique session.

If you’d like to learn how to write for children, or you just want to improve your current skills as a children’s writer, then join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club today and take part in our monthly events, which include regular instructional teleseminars, informational tele-tips audio clips, book tele-discussions, and other resource materials just for children’s writers.

Find out more about the club HERE.

Childrens Writers Coaching Club, how to write for kids, manuscript critiques, writing for children

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One of the really fun, non-homebody, parts of my job is visiting schools. This past week I embarked on a mini-tour of sorts, visiting 5 different elementary schools in three different towns -- and a public library for good measure -- in four days. All totalled, I spoke with nearly 1500 kids, shared some "festival" time with fellow author Peggy King Anderson, AND I met the newly christened National Teacher of the Year, Andrea Peterson. Kids and teachers alike were very welcoming. I've done numerous visits in the past, but this was one of the first times that schedules aligned in such a way to make such a concentrated effort a possibility. This is also the first time that I have ever remembered to bring a camera! Darrington, Enumclaw and Granite Falls all have their scenic allure - as each is tucked away near the western Cascades - but Darrington Elementary, with its jagged snow-capped peaks takes the cake. Enumclaw's Sunrise Elementary wins praise for the most creative (and flattering) "welcome author" decor, and Granite Falls was abuzz with some seriously enthususiastic readers, writers, AND illustrators!

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