And away we go!
The posts will appear in groups of ten on the hour, like last month. I'd like some feedback on this technique; if you think it makes a difference--or doesn't make a difference--let me know!
Entrants, please remember to critique a minimum of five other entries.
Let the fun begin!
Miss Snark's First Victim
@subs in increments of 10/hour
ReplyDelete- I like it. It's a psychological boost. I only have to comment on 10 subs this hour instead of 50. :]
That said - I think it only makes a difference early on with the early commenters (like me).
Authoress, I know you are killing yourself to put these contests together, and you are doing a fabulous job... but I wish the entries could all go up at the same time. The later entries have to wait five hours to appear...
ReplyDeleteI like this idea, Authoress!
ReplyDeleteThis format is fine with me, too. It's like Christmas Eve when the boxes keep appearing under the tree.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind them going up slowly, but I do see the point of having to wait five hours if you're one of the last to be posted. Maybe ten every half hour? But then again...that's a lot of time for you to be sitting around adding posts, hmmm...
ReplyDeletePlease don't think I sit here posting these live! I set it all up ahead of time, deciding on the time I want them to post the day before, so they post automatically.
ReplyDeleteThe decision to post them in batches of 10 has nothing to do with the authors (sorry--LOL!). It has to do with the CRITTERS. I've gotten comments over the past year from dedicated critters who have felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of entries. And the 2/5 and 4/5 positions tend to get neglected (noticeably fewer crits than the middle and both ends of the subs). So this batches-of-10 approach is an attempt to eliminate both the neglected entries and the sense of being overwhelmed on the part of the critters.
My opinion on the "oh dear we have to wait 5 hours?" Um, waiting is the BIGGEST part of an aspiring author's life, next to the writing itself. Try 5 weeks on a query, 5 months on requested material. 5 hours is NUTHIN'. Seriously, nuthin'.
I don't think the waiting matters. It gives the dedicated critters time to come back.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed the 2/5 4/5 issue and this is a neat way to avoid that. I think it works. And it's not like the Secret Agent him/herself is going to be reading them all today so there's a waiting game to be played no matter what.
ReplyDeleteI liked it, because the first entries were posted at 11pm my time, so I could read the ten and then go to bed without being tempted to stay up longer and read on :-)
ReplyDeleteIf I was in a more convenient time zone, I'd still prefer it this way. As you said, less psychological pressure than having 50 to crit at once.
Thanks so much, this is a wonderful opportunity and I'm already getting great feedback.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I'm also getting a lot of vague feedback like. "It was confusing" or "Didn't work for me." While this gives me a very general direction, I'd really love more specificity, e.g. WHAT was confusing & WHAT didn't work? Yes, it takes a bit more time to formulate, but isn't that the point?
Just a thought to keep in mind for improving all our experience.
Thanks again for what you do Authoress!
My guess is that our SA is Janet Reid. :)
ReplyDeleteWeronika,
ReplyDeleteHmmm- I've been trying to guess as well but I don't think it's Janet Reid. 1) She says she's out of the office until 9/21 2)since Fine Print does alot of thrillers etc- I would expect her to put those down on her list.
Anyone else guessing? I prowled around Agent Query but couldn't find anyone who ONLY took the listed genres- so they must have left some off ;))