Your thoughts on keeping your book a secret

[Briana]

Do you tell readers or authors about your book. I recently had a book plot come to me, but my husband thinks I should keep it a secret. He thinks the idea is pretty unique. I don't know, I would hate for someone to copy my idea, but I normally love blogging or talking about it with others.

[Sybil]

If you want to sell it you've got to tell people about it but not so they can copy it.

[Rinelle]

I tell people bits and pieces here and there, and post some snippets in my blog, but I tend to keep the twists and turns to myself. I do discuss it with a few close friends, to bounce ideas off, but for everyone else, I don't want to spoil the surprises that come throughout the story.

[R.F.G.]

It's one thing to discuss generalities about a plot and storyline, and another to discuss it before you've got it fleshed out enough to defend in court.

Playing devil's advocate, it's also very conceivable that two unconnected people could come up with similar lots and storylines without ever having interacted with each other.

If your potential story is that unique it might be best to get some work done on it first.

[Selena]

I talk to my friends and family (certain friends and family) about the gist of my books. One is being written by a group of friends, so we naturally have to discuss plot/characters etc. though more the former than the latter as we're creating our own characters.

[Woolie]

It's a trap. For an unfinished, unpolished writer like myself, if I keep it a secret I do not get the benefit of those wanting to read it. I miss key opportunities to gain constructive criticism.
On the other side of the same coin, if I give it to others to read before I have polished it, I will be on pins and needles, then once the criticism does finally come, I will be more focused on placating the reviewer than finishing and polishing the work.

[Jennifer]

I keep most of the main details about my books secret until they are being published, however I also have an In the Works section Meet the Anipals on my author website where I share minimal details about what I am currently working on. I basically give the books title, and/or the titles of the stories in the book for my collections. For instance I am working on a book called Heroes United which is a collection of short stories. On my website I make mention of this as well as the fact that the stories are about superheroes. Then I list the stories with short descriptions, in the order I expect them to appear. In my first one, Black Cat & Chihuahua, I simply state that it is about a young black cat and a Chihuahua puppy attempting to prove themselves as heroes. This way even if someone were to write something similar they still wouldn't have the same story as I do. Other ones, where I give more of a description about them, I give as much as I can while allowing myself to be able to revise my story as necessary. This basically means that I have chosen to tell only about the parts of the storyline I feel I can revise easily enough.
You can check out what I am talking about at www.jenniferpriester.com/available books/intheworks and www.jenniferpriester.com/meettheanipals

[Brady]

I think it's best to keep it a secret. Part of the reason I want to write, is to TELL a story, and that bottled up desire and passion for my story is what motivates me to write. If I go around talking about my story too many times to too many people, I'm afraid that the fire in my belly to get that story out will be greatly reduced and I'll lose my motivation to write.