Lazzard
Saturday 5th September 2009 5:35pm
Ludlow
8,884 posts
PersonallyI'd avoid it like the plague.
I had a book up on there for a couple of months at the beginning of the year(got to No 98 - there are about 4000 books on there now).
After a couple of months I took it off because I didn't like the ethos of the place.
The ONLY way you get to be in the top 5 (and get your stuff reviwed by HC) is to be on the site 24/7 'pimping' your book and skim reading the first chapters of literally hundreds of books ( mostly shit, it has to be said)
People have had (genuine) nervous breakdowns trying to get to the top.
I initially went on to get feedback for a major re-write but, in the main all you get back is "OMG! Brilliant book! I've backed yours - will you back mine?".
Some people even cut and paste their reviews. It really is that transparent.
There are a couple of good readers on their who'll give a proper crit but they have a waiting list a mile long.
It is said that agents pop in now and then - but the evidence is thin on the ground.
And the 'Big Prize' of a HarperCollins editor reviewing you work is often no more than a "Well done for getting to the top, but it's not the kind of thing we're looking for".
Which is what you'd probably get if you posted your MSS direct to HC.
It's a pretty depressing place, to be honest.
There are a couple of good technique forums (the ones where they're not bitching about the site or each other or the latest way people are cheating!) and the intial flattery is quite beguiling - albeit it fake.
But if you're going there to either a)improve your work or b)the HC review, you're wasting your time.
The effort you'd need to expend to get to the top would be better spent honing your novel (there are plenty of genuine peer-review sites for this)or sending out queries to agents who could get you a crit from HC by return of post.
Just my opinion of course but I was glad to be out of the place.