Manuscript display sites popping up all over
It seems that manuscript display sites are popping up like daisies all over the Web these days. The sites promise to put aspiring authors in touch with agents desperately searching for the next Great American Novel.
Only problem is, agents are already drowning in a sea of unsolicited manuscripts, the vast majority unworthy of being published. How likely is it that successful agents will pay to see more amateur productions flowing over the transom?
Authors who can’t gain the attention of a reputable publisher might be better off starting with self-publishing. An author who goes to the trouble to self-publish will quickly realize their strengths and weaknesses. And nothing attracts literary agents faster than a successful self-publishing author.
Nonetheless, a new manuscript review site, Bookner, is getting a fair bit of buzz. The site features a “peer review system” in which manuscripts are reviewed by other writers belonging to the site. Their findings are averaged into a “Bookner Rating,” which will supposedly allow agents and publishers to gauge how likely a manuscript is to become a bestseller.
"[N]o other human activity on earth more riddled with criminal levels of inefficiency” than the process of authors submitting their manuscripts to agents, Bookner claims.
Critics note that other manuscript review sites have been around for years without much success. By far, the most popular are Bookpitch and 2BEntertainment.
Other well-known sites are Monkeyclap.com, WritersConnect, The Next Big Writer, and Zirdland.
New in paperback: The Home-Based Bookstore: Start Your Own Business Selling Used Books on Amazon, eBay or Your Own Web Site (by Steve Weber)
Only problem is, agents are already drowning in a sea of unsolicited manuscripts, the vast majority unworthy of being published. How likely is it that successful agents will pay to see more amateur productions flowing over the transom?
Authors who can’t gain the attention of a reputable publisher might be better off starting with self-publishing. An author who goes to the trouble to self-publish will quickly realize their strengths and weaknesses. And nothing attracts literary agents faster than a successful self-publishing author.
Nonetheless, a new manuscript review site, Bookner, is getting a fair bit of buzz. The site features a “peer review system” in which manuscripts are reviewed by other writers belonging to the site. Their findings are averaged into a “Bookner Rating,” which will supposedly allow agents and publishers to gauge how likely a manuscript is to become a bestseller.
"[N]o other human activity on earth more riddled with criminal levels of inefficiency” than the process of authors submitting their manuscripts to agents, Bookner claims.
Critics note that other manuscript review sites have been around for years without much success. By far, the most popular are Bookpitch and 2BEntertainment.
Other well-known sites are Monkeyclap.com, WritersConnect, The Next Big Writer, and Zirdland.
New in paperback: The Home-Based Bookstore: Start Your Own Business Selling Used Books on Amazon, eBay or Your Own Web Site (by Steve Weber)
posted by Steve Weber at 10/25/2005
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2 Comments:
Hi, I founded theNextBigWriter and thought I would add my two cents to this conversation.
TheNextBigWriter has often been categorized as a diplay site (whatever that means) but I want to clarify that the goal of the site is not to match writer with agent. Instead, the goal of the site is to provide writers with the tools they need to become successful, all in an accelerated timeframe. Writers can post their work, receive detailed feedback from readers, see how their work ranks against other writers, and get a feel for market acceptance. The best work comes to the top of the queu where it is eligible to receive Star Reviews from accomplished writers and reviewers. The top short stories and poetry are published by the site while the top novel every year receives $5,000. Writers who go through this process will quickly realize what audiences want and what they don't like. They can experiment with titles and see which attracts more eyeballs. If agents want to come and take a look, that's fine. But that is not the purpose of the site.
Regards,
Sol
Sol Nasisi
Director
theNextBigWriter, LLC
http://www.thenextbigwriter.com
antibookner.blogspot.com
Shows the flaws in Bookner, as well as sharing negative experiences with the site and founder
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