I've noticed that many authonomy writers post unfinished work, fishing for critiques. That's fine, but things that are unfinished should never compete with things that ARE the author's final, best effort.

I would rather not read something that's in progress. Others might want to focus on such posts. Both of us are foiled unless the author has mentioned the status of the work in the pitch, where it definitely does not belong.

So, let's add a radio list to every book :

[ ] I'm still working on this book.
[ ] This book is edited and ready to go to press.

Posted: 12/07/2012 21:48:51

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I always though that when a MS on here was stated as "unfinished" it meant, not completed and/ or not edited. My six chapters are almost as polished as they can get on here, yet my book itself is not finished. I have been editing as I go.

Posted: 16/07/2012 19:59:50

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I've noticed that many authonomy writers post unfinished work, fishing for critiques. That's fine, but things that are unfinished should never compete with things that ARE the author's final, best effort.

I would rather not read something that's in progress. Others might want to focus on such posts. Both of us are foiled unless the author has mentioned the status of the work in the pitch, where it definitely does not belong.

So, let's add a radio list to every book :

[ ] I'm still working on this book.
[ ] This book is edited and ready to go to press.

I don't know, I think I've seen a good number of unfinished or works in progress here that are lightyears better than some of the complete ones. I'd put my unfinished one up against most on here. As far as 'ready to go to press', even most published authors didn't have ready to go to press books when they finished them; their editors had to shape them up first. Even famous ones like Hemingway still needed developmental editors. What most of the talented writers on here need is some publisher to believe in them enough to take them on and begin whipping their books into shape. Sadly, publishers no longer feel they need to develop writers, which means many of the old greats would have never made it had they existed under this system.

Posted: 16/07/2012 20:02:32
Last Edit: 16/07/2012 20:25:57 by Ted Cross

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But, yes, I agree. I do think that it's a little unfair to have completed and non-completed MS together, especially on the ED. Do the editors only read the first 10k words? Or all that is uploaded? Because, that wouldn't really be too fair. I have been trying to edit my six chapters I have up as much as possible. This way, if it ever makes it to the desk, I won't be humiliated by it not being polished, even if the book in incomplete.

Posted: 16/07/2012 20:02:37

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I've noticed that many authonomy writers post unfinished work, fishing for critiques. That's fine, but things that are unfinished should never compete with things that ARE the author's final, best effort.

I would rather not read something that's in progress. Others might want to focus on such posts. Both of us are foiled unless the author has mentioned the status of the work in the pitch, where it definitely does not belong.

So, let's add a radio list to every book :

[ ] I'm still working on this book.
[ ] This book is edited and ready to go to press.

You're missing the point. If the system works, then it will sort the weed from the chaff.

This site is open to all with 10,000 or more words down on file. We don't make the rules, authonomy decided this, and it is after all their site.

Many who get to the desk start on here with an unfinished MS, that by the time it makes the desk, it is generally finished and polished with the help of others on the way.

If you have a highly polished MS, then I would suggest you continue to submit to agents in the usual way, or you will find yourself bitterly disapointed by the prize for playing this game if you are lucky enough to get to the desk.

It would be naive, or at least presumptious, for anyone to think that their work was fit for publication without it first going through the hands of a professional editor for a substantive edit, Grammar and punctuation edit and a final copy edit

Posted: 16/07/2012 20:13:02
Last Edit: 16/07/2012 20:20:06 by Declan Conner

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