Topic: Content for review versus 'the book'

Two parts;
1) It seems to me that there is a discrepancy between the generally rather short chapters and heavily paragraph spaced content for review and what the actual book would look like - longer chapters with bigger end hooks and longer story arcs, probably less paragraph separation. I agree to an extent that the way it works now makes reviewing easier and I can see that long chapters may put some reviewers off. SO:-
2) Would it be possible to do one of the following; put an external link to a webpage (for instance an In Progress page) on an Authors website where the whole work can be read in a more 'e-reader' style and presentation?  OR could we have on site a location for the 'whole work' just for reading? I know one can go through chapter by chapter to get to the last one needing reviewing, but its a pain. Do other writers find like I do that a high chapter number does not attract as many reviews? I know I tend to always start at 1 and then may or may not get round to doing anymore, an easy way to read through to Chapter 10 to review 11 would I think work.
2a) Failing any of the above, is it possible to de-activate for review some chapters but leave them for reading?
Thanks in advance for consideration and any thoughts on this. Dunecan

Quote Post 1

Re: Content for review versus 'the book'

Hi Dunecan. I don't understand item 1. Are you saying that longer chapters aren't broken up into as many paragraphs as short ones? I must be interpreting that wrong, since the way you break up a story into paragraphs shouldn't really be related to chapter length.

Long chapters do make for a more difficult read. It requires setting aside larger chunks of time to do a single review, whereas short chapters can usually be reviewed in perhaps fifteen minutes. I like short breaks from other parts of my life, so I'm glad the site encourages short chapters. I would think that's true for eventual readers of the complete book as well.

For item 2, are you talking about putting the whole book up on the site for beta readers? I've seen other published authors here take down their content once the book is published, leaving only a few chapters behind to whet someone's appetite. If you don't want to review all of the chapters of someone's book starting with chapter 1, you could simply read 1-10 without leaving reviews, then start reviewing chapter 11.

For 2a, why would you want to deactivate chapters from receiving reviews. It gives you more feedback and encourages readers to review your stuff so they can get points to publish their own work.

My biggest problem with the second draft of my book is that I consider the first half of that draft to be of very poor quality, and I'm getting repetitive feedback about those chapters while I work on finishing the second draft. However, I keep it up, because I occasionally pick up a new long-term reviewer, which I couldn't get if I made them read ten chapters before they could start earning points.

Apologies if I'm misunderstanding your questions.

Dirk

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Re: Content for review versus 'the book'

Sure. 2) e.g. I am looking to review a Chapter 11 in a book, I have not read the first 10, going through them one by one in the review pane is tedious.  I would like to be able to go somewhere the whole 10 chapters are continuous and easy to read through before reviewing Chapter 11. An added plus could be that the layout would be more like the finished product. If you care to go to http://dunecangough.wix.com/back-roads- … gress/c1pz you can see what I mean by clicking on 'Fire in the Blood'.
2a) Currently on site can I make the first 4 chapters not reviewable but still available to read thus promoting reviews of Chapter 5?
Thanks D

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Re: Content for review versus 'the book'

Thanks for that Dirk.  'Paragraph spacing' - I just mean that in book form the layout would be different in my view, not spaced out not broken up so much and I certainly will have longer chapters. (I figured there were others who also don't want to spend a big slot of time on long chapters so I artificially broke my first two up).
I find going through all the review pages to get through ten chapters a bit of a drag and again doesn't really read like the book.
I tend to do revisions as I go and as a lead in to writing time so for me after a certain point reviews of early chapters when I need the later ones done is a problem, which is where having the early ones available to read but not review would be handy.
But my best wish would be to read the work through perhaps from a .mobi file on my E-reader simulator or whatever or .pdf ss in the link I put in the earlier message. Then choose the Chapters to revue.  Hope that makes my complicated thoughts clearer. D

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Re: Content for review versus 'the book'

Making chapters not reviewable makes little sense to me. If somebody wants to read, but no to review, a bunch of chapters, she simply does it and starts reviewing wherever she prefers. Preventing chapters from being reviewed seems a bad strategy to ma in a site where we publish exactly for the purpose of being reviewed. I can't find a reason why I'd publish here looking forward to NOT being reviewed.

Kiss

Gacela

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Re: Content for review versus 'the book'

My point is that I have got my first 4 chapters pretty much as good as I want them, when the book is complete it will all go to professional proof/editing anyway. What I need now is reviews of Chapter 5 rather than has happened yet more reviews of the first four.

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Re: Content for review versus 'the book'

I don't think you'll get many volunteers to read ten chapters for no points, before they review the 11th. They can already do that now: read each chapter, skip reviewing, and then finally start reviewing from chapter 11 on. If you want to try that, you could put a request in the Chapter Notes of what you really would like. Since I read more than I write (I need to reverse that), I have plenty of points whenever I want to publish. Other authors are far more prolific and are usually pressed for time, mostly reading chapters for points.

Although I no longer want reviews of my earliest chapters because they're so stale, I nevertheless reciprocate as my latest reviewers work through the book to catch up to where I want them to be. I picked up a great reviewer that way only recently. I look forward to her getting to the better chapters.

As for an offline e-reader version of your book, you could create the appropriate file(s) as you would if it was your finished work. I believe that starts with a Word document. You can then distribute the files to potential readers. Again, the chapter notes could be used to direct people accordingly. By the time you get to the final draft of your book, you would be an expert at the publishing steps.

Dirk

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Re: Content for review versus 'the book'

Thanks for your thoughts Dirk.
I guess I'll just do a FIX of my own in the pre chapter blurb to say please review Chapter x if you would like to read up to it then here it all is in one continuous document at 'LINK.' Maybe others will do the same particularly those wanting reviews of a high chapter number. As you say one has limited time often and I'm afraid the thought of ploughing through chapters  I am not reviewing in the site format is very off-putting, it is fine for reviewing but not for a good continuous book read.
I have published a full-colour glossy paperback travel book 'BackRoads of Spain' then converted it for Kindle (and the rest through Smashwords) and last month a Travel Short in full colour for Kindle Select and Print On Demand through Create Space so if anyone has any questions about the process I'll be pleased to answer.

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Re: Content for review versus 'the book'

Dunecan, I think your focusing on the wrong target. I take it you want what we all do - more reviews. To shamelessly butcher the line from the movie - Field of Dreams - if you build a more aesthetically pleasing baseball field they still won't come. However you want to package the chapters or link them, it still will never be as effective as building up your own circle of reciprocal reviewers based on mutual gratitude.

You've been on this site longer than I have so maybe I am just wasting your time on this post with what you already know - I'll say it anyways just in case it turns out to help even as a reminder. I looked at your review activity and as I suspected it sort of jumps around not really focusing on several authors for a steady source of reviews. This makes it difficult to give them a reason to come play ball in your baseball field on a regular basis. Quid pro quo anyone?

Now contrast that with KHippolite. When I first started out trying to build up reciprocal reviewers I couldn't go to any chapters in my fantasy genre where I didn't already see a review from him. At one point, I began to think he had figured out how to clone himself and had become a review factory churning them out at a maddening pace. Even with the large quantity they are insightful and helpful so he gets in return what he gives.

Long term reviewers that have been with your work from chapter 1 all the way through are also able to provide more in the way of reviews since they can tie in past concepts from memory that someone jumping in on a chapter wouldn't be able to. This is where I feel you should focus your energy, get going on doing more reviews and keep hitting the same authors to generate the goodwill needed for a reciprocation.

I'll probably be called naive, but I feel at this point in time what I've come to realize is a good group of 5-8 reciprocal reviewers here can find ANYTHING a professional editor can. The reciprocal reviewers I've worked hard to earn goodwill from don't miss a damn thing. Lack or too much prose, information dumping, too much backstory, you name it - they catch it all.

The last thing I'll offer in the way of help (finally he's going to stop his long winded post!) is this question - are you really so sure your first 4 chapters are good to go with that many reviews? I had 20+ reviews on my first chapter and reviewers still found nits to improve. I took a quick peek at your chapter 1 and noticed in a few seconds it opens with a reference to the weather conditions. Greenhorn writers like myself love to fall into that safety net of opening with how the sun is shining, the clouds are overhead, etc. etc. As I've learned from my reciprocal reviewers - pros open with action even if it's not significant versus weather or lighting. Now if I could spot that in 10-15 seconds what else in those 4 set chapters is there to find for a good group of reciprocal reviewers? I think the trick is finding a good writer/reviewer who has room for another versus the ones that are already maxed out. You can only review so many given the time you have, right? To borrow Leonard Nimoy's (R.I.P.) line - LLAP

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Re: Content for review versus 'the book'

Well I guess I got told. Cheers guys.

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