Who You Should Take Criticism From


Your editor
Your agent
A professional you have hired to help you.
Critique group members who get what you’re trying to do.
Yourself. Seriously, you are your own best/worst critic. Set a book aside for a while and then take a good, close look at it. Write your own notes. You’ll find a lot of what you need to hear is in your own heart.

And remember—once the book is finished, you can’t change it anymore. There’s not a lot of point to criticism then. A book isn’t a widget where customer feedback might help you make a better one in the future. I think too much of that kind of feedback is apt to make you think of your creativity as a customer service representative, and that’s not what I think creativity is for.

Who You Shouldn’t Take Criticism From

Random goodreads/amazon critiquers.
Your mother/father/family members (good or bad, really)
Non-professionals, even if they are readers
People who work in publishing but not in a genre that you are writing in
Anyone who hasn’t actually read your work.
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on May 27, 2015 07:52
No comments have been added yet.


Mette Ivie Harrison's Blog

Mette Ivie Harrison
Mette Ivie Harrison isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but they do have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from their feed.
Follow Mette Ivie Harrison's blog with rss.