Welcome, Geithreke.
I'm one of the other writers on the site and do a little volunteer user support to help get new members up to speed quickly, so you can get the most out of the site during your trial.
Since you're evaluating multiple writers' sites (from reading your profile), here's a quick lowdown on this one:
- this is a small site at present in terms of active writers; we lost a lot of people in 2023 due to a major server crash, and then more trickled out until the site's operator decided to make a few important changes to simplify how the site works and encourage more new members to join
- one of the major simplifications was to reduce the number of reviews we have to give in order to gather enough points to post our own work; it used to be that you had to do about five reviews to gather enough points to post one of your own chapters, short stories, etc.; it's now three to one, which is the easiest ratio of any writer's site I'm aware of that uses points
- it means you only need to regularly trade reviews with 3 or 4 other writers to earn enough points to keep posting, although most people try to trade reviews with more members than that to get as much feedback as possible; the numbers above are averages since each posted work is a different length
- important: you only pay once to post your work here regardless of how many people review it; and you can leave your work up indefinitely (as long as you continue as a premium member) without having to worry about it locking, or the points it pays going down with time, or having to repay down the road for the same post; also, you can make minor edits to your work along the way (to keep up with ongoing minor feedback) and then put them back up without having to pay again
- the only time you would republish something using points is if you have something substantially different that you want re-reviewed; in that case, paying again ensures that your readers will be paid again for another review and that your work will end up on the home pages of other members again, so that it attracts the maximum number of eyeballs
- since most people here would reciprocate even if the site didn't use points, the reason the points system still exists is to keep out potential members who aren't serious about using a site like this; they may want feedback, but then not recip; if they're not willing to trade reviews with 3 or 4 (preferably more) other members, then there's no point in them being here
- be sure to read an article I posted in the Premium forum with tips on how to maximize the number of reviews you'll get; it's pinned near the top of the forum, so you can't miss it
- some members here have been around for a very long time (me, 13 years, some much longer than that), including quite a few published authors; since everyone needs feedback for their own work, you will hopefully get at least a few published authors and/or experienced writers as reviewers of your work in return; generally, the most experienced writers tend to also be the most experienced reviewers
- I strongly encourage you to consider reading/reviewing outside of your own genres on this site since many of the best reviewers here don't write fantasy/sci-fi; I can probably suggest potential reviewers once I see your first posted chapter
- key points for getting many reviews: always post to Premium along with any other groups you may consider relevant; Premium ensures everyone will see your post and be incentivized to do a review (it costs points to post there but also pays points to your reviewers); review as much as time permits especially when you're first coming up to speed on the site since no one knows you yet; generally, the more you review, the more you'll get reviewed; keep your posted chapters/short stories to a reasonable length (1000 to 2500 words is common); shorter posts allow more people to review it quickly (e.g., on a lunch break or while commuting); if it's longer, break it into multiple posted chapters (something I do a lot); many more tips in the Premium article I mentioned above
- since we get a lot of trial members, you need to take the initiative and start reviewing the work of others; if they're currently active on the site and not swamped with real life, you will usually get a review back in a few days to a few weeks; until you get to know more members and figure out who's active and reciprocating, choose the works you review from your home page (or from works that just disappeared off the home page, accessible via a button under each section of the home page); those folks are guaranteed to be active; you can also check their public profile; if they haven't been online for about two months, they may not be active at present, although we have quite a few people who come and go as life warrants; you'd still get points for reviewing their work, although they may not reply or reciprocate until they return
- once you start trading reviews with someone regularly, send them a connection request; you'll be able to trade private messages with them and be notified via email (unless you turn it off) whenever they post something new
- most members prefer giving/receiving inline reviews since you can get into the weeds with an inline, whereas a regular review might be for someone who may have high-level feedback to give that doesn't require the ability to select individual words, sentences, or paragraphs
- I'll send you a connection request; once you accept, we can exchange private messages; I myself have been rather inactive for the past six months due to demands on my time elsewhere; however, I've just resumed posting my apocalyptic thriller, "The Emissary", albeit at a sluggish pace; although it contains a lot of Catholic characters and settings, I did that to make the story more realistic, not because I'm trying to promote a particular religion
- the forums are rather quiet on this site at present; this group was one of the most active, and there are other members who would gladly weigh in if someone has questions or wants to do a little brainstorming; I use this group extensively (two of the longest threads in this group are mine), although there are only two or three people currently who may reply, time permitting; the more the merrier
- if you need support in a hurry, post your question or concern in the Premium forum; that's one of its main uses, so don't be shy; it will ensure you get the maximum number of eyeballs on your question/concern; my turnaround time to answer is usually 24 hours or less, although someone else may respond to a posted note in Premium (eg from a different time zone) before I even see it
- formal support is available from our site operator, Sol, at contact@thenextbigwriter.com or through the private message system with member SolN; his turnaround time for urgent stuff (site's down or your account has gone haywire) is usually good, especially if you light a fire by contacting me and/or posting about it in Premium too
- non-urgent stuff is best handled through a post to Premium or messaging me
- there is a known bug that bites us from time to time, which is that the site may log you out if you take too long to post in the forums; if you're simply responding in an existing thread, your response will get posted, but you may have to log in again after that; if you take too long creating/writing a new thread, the site may kick you out and NOT create the thread, which would cause your post to be lost; to avoid the latter until this bug is found/fixed (no ETA yet), the easiest thing to do is to either write the post offline first and then paste it here into a new thread, or create the thread here first, then respond to that thread with a follow-up post (even if you take too long, the follow-up post will be saved, although you may need to log in again after that)
That's all I can think of right now. Hope it helps. Don't forget to check out those posting tips pinned near the top of the Premium forum. Some are very important and may keep you from wasting points or time doing something that won't get you the feedback you're looking for.
Welcome aboard.
Dirk
