- How much time can you realistically expect them to commit? If they're a best-selling author they're probably insanely busy with their own work / publicity etc. With the best will in the world, they may not have much time to offer.
- How good are they are *critiquing* (rather than writing)? The best performers aren't necessarily the best teachers.
- What are you going to do with their feedback? What if they say something you fundamentally disagree with? Hearing it from a fellow author - no matter how prestigious - isn't the same as hearing it from an agent or an editor (who will actually be selling / publishing your book).
I wouldn't rule it out (and I'm not really all that published, so don't really know what I'm talking about!) but I'd think hard before doing it. Yog's Law and all that. ;-)
I have had both filmscripts and manuscripts critiqued in the past and it has always proved to be an excellent and worthwhile exercise. The key to getting the most from it is to have an open mind to constructive criticism and not take things personally. If you use someone you trust and admire and listen to what they say, it can help. If more than one person tells you something is a problem, it probably is.
I'd be thinking about the following:
- How much time can you realistically expect them to commit? If they're a best-selling author they're probably insanely busy with their own work / publicity etc. With the best will in the world, they may not have much time to offer.
- How good are they are *critiquing* (rather than writing)? The best performers aren't necessarily the best teachers.
- What are you going to do with their feedback? What if they say something you fundamentally disagree with? Hearing it from a fellow author - no matter how prestigious - isn't the same as hearing it from an agent or an editor (who will actually be selling / publishing your book).
I wouldn't rule it out (and I'm not really all that published, so don't really know what I'm talking about!) but I'd think hard before doing it. Yog's Law and all that. ;-)
I have had both filmscripts and manuscripts critiqued in the past and it has always proved to be an excellent and worthwhile exercise. The key to getting the most from it is to have an open mind to constructive criticism and not take things personally. If you use someone you trust and admire and listen to what they say, it can help. If more than one person tells you something is a problem, it probably is.
I'd definitely consider it, if I can actually get my book complete (On a major re-write, and it's being difficult)