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Mutual Reading Circle?
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In my experience, there are a few places like that here on Goodreads but Good Luck. The problem is actually getting people to come through on their end of the bargain. Two other authors and myself were upset with the lack of effort from others that had agreed to read our work in exchange for us reading their work. We were looking for critique partners. Most, we never heard back from and some might leave a review saying it was good, couldn't put it down. Obviously, not having read it. I'm not sure if you're just looking for someone to read it and leave a review or critique it on a serious level, but either way it's harder to find people that have the time. When we got together at first we were doing nothing more than messaging each other introducing ourselves and telling each other what we were looking for. We set up ground rules and goals so that we could have a set time frame we would be able to swap MS and ideas. We write mostly in the same genre and so far I wouldn't trade them for anything. It's faster to get feedback and it works. We were looking for someone to take out the bad, boring, or doesn't make sense. We feed off the negative because that's what makes it better. Of course we are under no obligation to change our story and we only send chapters at a time. Not a full manuscript. We don't edit each other's work, but focus only on the story itself. We all work and have families. We have had no issues what so ever. I suggest you try it, but it's not going to be easy. Good Luck. Hope this helps.
I agree with writing in the same sort of genre, or at least in the genre the other people read, if not write. Its difficult to keep focus if you find the subject matter boring, uninteresting or just plain offensive.
I see a lot of forums and topics where people offer excerpts or entire books in exchange for a review, but I suspect that they're for people who see themselves primarily as writers promoting a particular book. I'm thinking of something broader in scope and more ongoing.
I'm imagining a reading circle where everyone commits to reading someone else's work in exchange for having theirs read. They can negotiate time/word count/whatever to make it seem equitable if one writes poetry and the other does epics, but the idea is that everyone involved would always be reading some other person's creative work. In exchange, someone would also be reading something of theirs (though not necessarily the same person).
The understanding would be that no money should change hands and no financial obligation is ever implied. The point would be to share works, try out ideas, give encouragement, and connect with readers outside official publishing and reviewing.
There are plenty of other places where writers can learn marketing tips, I imagine. But some of us don't write for that reason. Sometimes there's just something that came from our heads that we'd like to share with someone else. And because we know what that feels like, we want to read something that was in someone else's head. It would simply be a matter of connections and encouragement, particularly for those who have day jobs other than writing and don't plan to change professions.
Additionally, emerging and even experienced writers might like a place to list something still in the evolving phase, to try out story concepts or revisions.
Do you know of places like that on Goodreads? Have I just overlooked them? So far, I've only come across one-sided review requests, mutual excerpt (rather than full novel reads), or some limited to genre. I'm hoping for something broader. Would anyone be interested in creating a group where anyone would be welcome as long as they committed to always be reading someone else in exchange for having others read theirs?