Thursday, September 26, 2013

iUniverse on the Value of Seeking Feedback for Self-Published Authors

Great iUniverse self-published authors rely on feedback at every stage of the book production process. Perhaps the proverbial wisdom of the many applies to this situation; constructive external feedback helps refine a book and informs the author's creative vision. Feedback also aids the author in coming up with distinctive work with a fresh perspective. To be sure, no author will find it easy to receive negative feedback on his or her work. But being open and objective about feedback can truly help an author transform his or her book into a masterpiece.

One problem that authors experience is that they grow too familiar with their work. Writing is a solitary pursuit. It takes hours of work to churn out the necessary pages to create a book. After creating the first draft, an author must struggle through many rewrites. This repeated exposure can keep authors from seeing the flaws in their books. Feedback from others teachers, editors, peers and readers will help authors gain new perspective. The language may be stilted. The description may drag on too long. The story may seem incomplete with missing necessary details. Feedback can open an author’s eyes.

Authors may also struggle with both content and structure if they lack the technical aptitude or the clarity of vision their work requires. Sometimes they may find their book plagued with repetitive terms, passive verbs and vague nouns creative. They may end up turning readers away instead of drawing them in. Perhaps, an author's compulsive tendency for creating characters may end up muddling things up the narrative. Settings may come across as nondescript and indistinctive. Hence, authors' receptiveness to editorial feedback will help them sharpen their prose.

Being receptive to feedback also add credibility to your work. Listening to the comments and constructive remarks of publishing experts allows you to connect and engage with industry professionals and widen your professional network. Further, working with book publishing pros may lead to future endorsements and reviews from other book industry professionals. Your work may benefit from the positive association readers confer on their favorite editors and their associates. So do your best to create this association and leverage this on your book.

There is little doubt as to how feedback can enhance your writing. Like any product, your book can benefit from a "focus group" of creative peers and from your audience. Feedback can help expand your book's appeal to a wider audience, across various markets. If you keep an adversarial position towards feedback, you might end up publishing a book with little popular appeal, much less any literary significance. When you keep an open mind towards feedback, constructive or otherwise, you may yet achieve the acclaim and the book royalties you have always wanted.

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