Comments on authonomy Blog | authonomy writing community: How To Critique: A not-at-all definitive guide

Responses to this strand seem to fall into two are...

2008-12-06T19:42:00.000Z

Responses to this strand seem to fall into two areas: the original idea, which is how to write a critique, and the usual discussion about what Authonomy is, and what it is doing.

In answer to the second, people like Mysteron and Passiontide, is that, by definition, Authonomy is going to be a reflection of the industry as it is, and the whole competition, commercialization thing is going

Back from Thanksgiving, and am looking tonight at ...

2008-12-04T03:39:00.000Z

Back from Thanksgiving, and am looking tonight at many of these comments for the first time...

John: I'm actually one of the people who encourages the continued public ratings of titles and reviewers here; because I kind of -like- some of this competitive element, and is a legitimate part of the fun I have by being an active member here. Like you, though, I agree whole-heartedly that

Thanks for sharing a worthwhile critique format. I...

2008-12-02T22:59:00.000Z

Thanks for sharing a worthwhile critique format. It provides a solid starting point for looking at works on Authonomy, especially when one is outside a normal area of interest.

Jasonpettus salut.You seem to have acquired the re...

2008-12-02T15:14:00.000Z

Jasonpettus salut.You seem to have acquired the reputation of the Authonomy sage, possibly due to confident opinions, possibly length of diligent reviews, maybe both. Found your guidelines helpful (in terms of assisting clarity in evaluation) but I think you ignore the central stumbling block which determines almost everything both on this site and in the world of books; that is what I would call

Thanks for screwing my head back on straight. Lik...

2008-11-30T19:26:00.000Z

Thanks for screwing my head back on straight. Like Anne Lyken-Garner, I didn't know you blogged here and just earlier sent you a message thinking you were just someone who loved books and lived in Chicago, close to Barack Obama.

I'm new here and telling myself not to be caught in the game, but to improve my work and hopefully help others do the same. But I felt myself being tugged into

I like it when a thread doesn't drift off - one he...

2008-11-29T10:30:00.000Z

I like it when a thread doesn't drift off - one here says HC are a cynical bunch and then another says 'maybe, but I like being naive and why post here if you don't like it?' (It is because he too is a writer and feels the need to be heard, dear) If the IT demon tells promotional lies that there is a behind the scenes scouring of the lower ranks how do you know the truth? Like doing the lottery

I'll say it here as I've done before.

The o...

2008-11-28T06:02:00.000Z

I'll say it here as I've done before.

The only difference between the AUTHONOMY slush pile and any other is that this one is visible.

It takes a certain amount of ego for someone to decide they should be paid to tell stories but that ego has to have a certain shape as well.

You have have a healthy respect for the notion that you might actually suck, no matter what your

whoo wee, Mysteron! That could as well have been a...

2008-11-27T21:10:00.000Z

whoo wee, Mysteron! That could as well have been a personal message in response to my comment: a lesson in authonomyology! I don't feel so naive now (naivety rating around hmmm top 5 certainly).
Why have you bothered to look on the site, find the article and spend so much valuable writing time damming the thing you're commenting on? Or, excuse my grammar, upon which you are commenting?

The Mind-boggling cynicism of Harper Collins.
<...

2008-11-27T14:44:00.000Z

The Mind-boggling cynicism of Harper Collins.

The spokesperson for HC on Authonomy is some IT functionary called Rik who uses a God avatar - he ought to feature in Channel 4's "IT Crowd".

Get a load of this communication from Rik:

"no it just means that the editors desk isn't the only route to getting your book read.

Quite a few people have been contacted,

I've never really understood all this stuff about ...

2008-11-27T11:04:00.000Z

I've never really understood all this stuff about negative comments because, in my experience, it's usually the opposite problem in Authonomy. I suspect most critiquers are simply too nice to be really critical. I think everyone who has left comments on my book has said they like it, maybe with a few constructive suggestions. That's very nice and heartwarming but I sometimes wonder how many have

Maybe not definitive but between the lines the peo...

2008-11-27T08:35:00.000Z

Maybe not definitive but between the lines the people on this site are being politely told off. The 'FPS' (Friendship Ponzi etc) is the site's downfall and leads to a clique-i-ness (?) which many dislike, even setting up alternative threads to complain. Judging by the response there is almost a political divide. Very human.
Most comments are already made somewhere on the forum. Nobody in

I started out very naively on Authonomy, (and I th...

2008-11-27T00:47:00.000Z

I started out very naively on Authonomy, (and I think my naivety ranking is somewhere around 500 at the moment)and just started out by reading, reading and reading. Then critiquing, but with slight reluctance because I kept thinking to myself, "How dare I? Who do I think I am?" but soon learned, and now your article confirms, that's exactly what I'm supposed to do! Now I've moved on to the next

I suppose the design of the system is bound to mak...

2008-11-25T16:41:00.000Z

I suppose the design of the system is bound to make writers keenly watch their place in the ranks. Looking at other people's work can be huge fun as well though - just need more hours in the day!

Jason, you have put your finger on the only compla...

2008-11-25T06:08:00.000Z

Jason, you have put your finger on the only complaint I have about Authonomy: that we are all, including me, distracted by the rating system. Time is wasted with all sorts of schemes to get on a bookshelf or watchlist instead of feeling comfortable with spending the time to read another person's book carefully enough to give a conscientious critique.
I have suggested four or five times in

"Friendship ponzi scheme" = "I'll put your title o...

2008-11-25T01:39:00.000Z

"Friendship ponzi scheme" = "I'll put your title on my bookshelf/watchlist if you put mine on yours," or the act of convincing a hundred existing fans of your book to join authonomy just to vote for it, etc etc. I don't have an official opinion on it myself, but it's certainly a hot topic in the forums, of whether these kinds of technical loopholes constitute a "gaming of the system."

In

Some interesting comments, Jason.
"Friendship p...

2008-11-25T00:00:00.000Z

Some interesting comments, Jason.
"Friendship ponzi schemes" had me laughing out loud. What on Earth do you mean?
I always feel guilty if someone had posted say 25,000 words and I only read 10,000. What if what I have to say is addressed or contradicted in the part I haven't read? So I end up saying I read through Chapter Five or whatever and can imagine the author's annoyance.

I think there are those who will game the system b...

2008-11-24T20:24:00.000Z

I think there are those who will game the system but, on the whole, the authors of those works will tend to be the weakest and so the artificial inflation of their MSs will ultimately do them no good.

Personally I only write reader reviews, which I believe to be distinct from critiques. If I read the first few chapters and the book is something feel I would buy if I found it on a real

This is so helpful. As a newcomer to writing and ...

2008-11-24T16:21:00.000Z

This is so helpful. As a newcomer to writing and critiquing (is there such a verb?0 I am, no doubt, guilty of comments that are too general. I try to say something - if only to assure writers that someone has dropped by to read their work.
Now I have copied onto a separate document and have a framework to refer to when thinking about someone's work. Thanks again, jo

So now I'm putting two and two together. I've see...

2008-11-24T14:34:00.000Z

So now I'm putting two and two together. I've seen your comments here and there on Authonomy, and only this morning, left you a comment on your message page to say that I arrived there on the merit of your comments, hoping to read your masterpiece.

(Didn't find one.)

Only until I read this, did I realise that you're the same person whose blog I read before.

(It takes a