Dear Geist,

I have been working on a BC coast-set eco-mystery novel for nearly three years now, and I’m working through my fourth rewrite. I have three other novels sitting in boxes around the house somewhere too so this is my fourth unpublished work of fiction. I’ve been a full-time journalist since 1990 so I’m not totally green at writing but inexperienced at fiction.

I belong to no writers’ groups or clubs or anything, and I’d like to find someone to do a first read of the thing to provide some advice. I have a good friend who’s in the same boat as me but except for sitting around occasionally talking about our books, we don't share our writing. How can I find someone to read my book?

Also, I have another ex-fisherman friend who has had two BC coast-based adventure mysteries published by a small Vancouver press, but I know of no other publishers in Canada who handle this type of work. Do you have any suggestions?

Dear Michel,

We agree—it’s important to get a fresh read of a manuscript by someone who knows a thing or two about stories, and who has not lived and breathed that particular story for months or years. Until you have a published book, at which time your agent and/or editor will expect to assess your manuscripts, you can seek an opinion from a peer, or from a professional.

Peer critique: We recommend that writers participate in some sort of ongoing reference group, even if it is online. Writers’ groups, guilds and associations welcome new members, most of whom have joined for collegial support. It’s simply the best way to meet colleagues who are experienced at exchanging critiques, and who share invaluable anecdotal information about publishers, agents, editors, grants and other writers. The same goes for short courses and workshops: we know writers who have started their own groups, with suggestions from a library or an experienced group. Writers’ conferences are another great place to meet writing and publishing people, and they often host short meetings with editors and/or agents—a lot can happen in a fifteen-minute blue-pencil session! Or attend readings, writers’ festival sessions and other public events for people in the writing life.

Professional critique: An editor charges a reading fee based on what you need—notes on the overall shape and impact of the story, for instance, and/or recommendations for structural or detail edits. There is no standard charge because manuscripts and services vary so much, but the scope of the work and the fees are negotiated in advance, in a conversation that would also give you a sense of whether this editor “gets” you and your work. One caution about this option: you are the client, so the editor will work on the manuscript based on your vision for the book—voice, tone, pacing, emphasis and so on. If an agent or publisher later expresses interest, they may require a different editorial “shape”—in other words, a fresh round of rewrites.

As for finding appropriate publishers for your manuscript, you can do some good groundwork on your own. Basically you are trying to find out what companies are publishing books that are similar to yours in content, tone, setting, intended audience and so on. Publishers tend to concentrate on certain genres and subject areas because the marketing channels are similar, so you’re looking for companies with compatible recent titles.

Here are a few ideas:



If you read in the category in which you write (which is a good idea anyway), start by looking to see who published the books on your own bookshelf.



Browse your book category on library shelves and bookstore shelves.



Browse your book category in online databases such as public and university libraries, Chapters/Indigo and Amazon.



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of subject headings and subheadings—some 200 categories for fiction alone—worked out by a book industry group responsible for standards, research and best practices. Most North American publishing companies assign a BISAC code to each new book, pinpointing its subject so that the information on that book pops up where it should in searches, and the book is shelved in the appropriate section in bookstores, and so on. Actual BISAC code selection is best left to an expert, such as your agent or publisher. But until then, it’s an interesting list to peruse on your own, and when you spot a code that seems to fit your book, you can search that code and see what other books come up, who published them and how they’re being received.



A bonus of any of these efforts is that publishers and agents appreciate an author who understands the importance of market position and audience, and who has done some homework on it before submitting the manuscript.

as a good source of reliable information on getting an agent, getting published and self-publishing.