Ego can be a fragile thing, as easily built up as it is crushed, often with just a few words or these days a few clicks of a social media button. Being a writer and putting one’s words out there — be they fiction or fact — requires a certain amount of ego protection — a thick outer skin.
In a world where anyone who has access to a computer can publish their work, stories of feuds with critics have become all too common. In part because in this same world, the recommendation engine needs to be constantly stoked by new critics and everyone’s a critic. Moreover, critics and creators are separated only by bandwidth; there is no built-in buffer between publication of a review and a letter written to the reviewer; and with the popularity of self-publishing, there is no editor to talk a writer down before he or she says something they will regret later.
On the flip side, the easier it is to publish, the harder it becomes to find an audience. Even finding someone willing to critique works is a challenge in this flooded market. Readers have more choice than ever but writers need to fight for eyes more than ever.
This does nothing for the fragile ego of the writer. While it can be a damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-don’t predicament, it is almost always worth getting work critiqued. In the past, that was the job of the editor, now we have to brand ourselves and rely on our fans, friends & family, and hope for an honest review.
Other options? Writers’ groups (which one friend recently referred to bluntly as “public masturbation”), content-for-comment (where a free copy is given to a blogger willing to promote or review it), or hustle-hustle-hustle and hope for some starred reviews on your bookseller page.
So, if you know a writer and are willing and able to offer some feedback, talk to them. Most writers are happy to offer free reading copies and if you get into the game early enough, you may find your own name in print in the acknowledgements or even the dedication.