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Book Country Open Beta
Apr. 25th, 2011 10:45 pmSo, ages ago, Danielle Poiesz, whom I met over at Pocket After Dark, invited me into a sooper sekrit project. Never one to turn down something sooper sekrit, I was eager for more information -- and what I discovered was Book Country. The idea behind the site is creating a community of writers -- from aspiring to published to bestselling -- and other publishing professionals, where these folks could interact, particularly by reviewing each other's work. The launch for the closed beta hit shortly before I got extremely busy with doing work for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards and reading the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award nominees, and I've not devoted as much time to reading other people's work there as I've wanted to. I'm hoping that this week will be the week I get back to the site and give my own critiques back, as I've received a *number* of critiques on the excerpts I've posted. (The rough versions of the first three chapters of Blackstone Academy are posted there, as is the first chapter of East Wind.)
The critiques have largely been helpful, though some have been more based on particular taste of the reader than a general sense of help, all of which is valid. Danielle actually gave me one of my most important critiques on East Wind, which was that it's not an urban fantasy -- it's more of a paranormal mystery. Splitting hairs? Well, not really -- Book Country has a brilliant genre map that shows where subgenres fall on the spectrum. Getting feedback on where your book actually fits best helps when, eventually, you want to write a pitch letter. I may not be gritty and/or snarky enough in my style to write UF, but paranormal mystery? It's got a different tone, and readers go in knowing to expect something a little different.
At any rate, the beta is now open, and Book Country is on twitter as @Book_Country as well as on facebook. Thus far, it's been a great experience, and I highly recommend writers checking it out, especially if you're a writer in search of a critique group. There are lots of great folks there willing to share their advice!
The critiques have largely been helpful, though some have been more based on particular taste of the reader than a general sense of help, all of which is valid. Danielle actually gave me one of my most important critiques on East Wind, which was that it's not an urban fantasy -- it's more of a paranormal mystery. Splitting hairs? Well, not really -- Book Country has a brilliant genre map that shows where subgenres fall on the spectrum. Getting feedback on where your book actually fits best helps when, eventually, you want to write a pitch letter. I may not be gritty and/or snarky enough in my style to write UF, but paranormal mystery? It's got a different tone, and readers go in knowing to expect something a little different.
At any rate, the beta is now open, and Book Country is on twitter as @Book_Country as well as on facebook. Thus far, it's been a great experience, and I highly recommend writers checking it out, especially if you're a writer in search of a critique group. There are lots of great folks there willing to share their advice!
