What is a Literary Preview or Honored Opinion?

When you are a writer it’s often challenging to gain an objective opinion that is truly, well… objective. Family and friends are quite willing to read your material, and will probably rejoice over it well enough. However, by virtue of their relationship with you and their love for you, they become partial and biased parties, unfortunately.

The process of writing is truly laborious, even when you love it. Whether you are a novice or professional in the industry, we all hit those challenging points in our creative process when we need an honored opinion. We all get stuck. We all have those moments when we encounter areas where we need some help, just that little push, or perhaps even some time-tested foolproof literary advice. A literary preview is able to serve that immediate need very well for whatever it is you’re facing.

A good objective opinion is granted from a professional in the industry, preferably in your niche or genre, who can give you sound constructive feedback or advice — regardless of where you are on the spectrum of your written work, how experienced or skilled you may be, or the development of your current project. You may have the roughest draft ever, or perhaps it’s the most polished. Regardless, what you’re looking for can only come from someone who has completely fresh eyes for your work, yet who also possesses the experience and skill that will push you over that edge.

A Literary Preview is client-driven. Needs vary widely throughout the writing process. Think about where you are in your project and ask yourself what it is you really need. Is it feedback on a particular scene? Are you trying to write about a sensitive topic? Are you questioning the entire story? Do you need help gracefully articulating a few things? Or do you need a general overview of your voice and style? Whatever it is, a literary preview can often be the simplest way, and yet the most valuable in serving your various needs as a writer, especially when you hit rough spots in processing your craft.

Navigating the Process

1.) Bilateral Contract: Your unpublished intellectual property should never exchange hands freely without a written agreement with those whom you allow to view or obtain it.  Understand the opportunity you’re granting those who serve you in reviewing your work is a solemn trust. Your creative work is incredibly valuable. Whenever you are granting someone access to your intellectual property, regardless of the manner of exchange, we strongly exhort you to do your due diligence in protecting it. Request a bilateral contractural agreement. This will issue you the opportunity to sign with terms of your choosing that fully protects your intellectual property as copyrighted content. This contract will not only provide proof of the services to you, but it will also negotiate the terms of what that party is allowed to view, the access granted, the designated purpose, and any permissions for editing or remarks, should you so choose. It should also include the terms of payment. Look for an invoice for full payment, often at the time of signing, at which time the contract should become active.

2.) Clarify Your Needs: Be sure to delineate precisely what type of helps you are needing at this stage in your writing. Consider carefully what you’re looking for and what you really require. If it’s plausible within the scope of a literary preview then move forward. If you feel you need more than what a literary preview offers, please consider looking at having a Peer Review performed instead.

3.) Exchange & Correspondence: Make sure your manuscript is submitted via encryption. I recommend a digital unlocked document transmitted via email, which is properly watermarked. Keep all correspondence within one email thread designated solely for this project. Do not mail a hard manuscript. Do not send via Google Docs, a social media platform, via cloud service, or unsecured attachment. Correspondence should follow with the confirmation of its receipt. No handwritten documents should be exchanged. If you so choose you may send a document via Docusign or other secured third-party portal which requires verification or signature via email upon receipt.

4.) Deadline: Literary previews should be timely and include a deadline. Most importantly, if you have a publisher who is needing your copy. If you have a deadline, make sure to submit your work accordingly with that date written into the contract. Terms can always be negotiated, so long as time allows. Flexibility may be important, but should be justified.

5.) Sample Chapters: Literary previews (honored opinions) usually require the respective chapter for which you are requesting help. If more chapters are requested, that needs to be judicially supported by the requestor. Please choose wisely what you grant or submit.

6.) Drafting: In contrast to a peer review, a rough draft is acceptable. Because literary previews are generally more focused, help at this stage is often needed. Therefore, any draft, up to the final draft, is usually acceptable. Please disclose which draft you are submitting so your requestor knows what stage you are in with your writing. This can make a difference in how your work is ultimately critiqued.

7.) Formatting: You will want to prepare your document with one-inch margins, double spaced. This allows for ease of reading, and any remarks or edits that would need to be made, either digitally or by hand.

8.) Pagination: Make sure all pages are numbered at the bottom in the following format: (Page 1 of ___).

9.) Watermarking: Your digital document should readily reflect three things:

(a) the manner in which it should be handled
(b) its ownership
(c) its level of security

Your name and the title of your work should be on every page header including the word: “ORIGINAL” or  “COPY”, whichever is preferred. Your watermark could be any of your choosing, but should reflect the ownership, copyright, corresponding date, and the security of the document. Terms such as “copyrighted”, “confidential”, or “original” are all appropriate examples you may want to consider. You may also use your logo, signature, or other trademark.

This is where solemn trust comes into account. We all know there are ways to compromise an author’s work. It can happen in any number of ways. It could be printed into a hard copy which the wind blew across the desk into the neighboring room, and their high-school teenager brought it to class and then shared. Who knows? Things happen — in the strangest of ways. And the longer I’ve lived, the more I’ve seen. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Therefore, when you submit your copyrighted work to a third party (irrespective of who they are), it should be understood that there is always a level of inherent risk that simply cannot be accounted for, despite the most earnest attempts and ironclad technology. So, be mindful of that moving forward.

How to Perform a Literary Preview (Honored Opinion)

1.) Read: I suggest reading the work three times. With the first read you’ll want to ponder the work carefully, letting it settle. Never make a hasty judgment on any given area. With the second read you’ll need to begin to make marks where you notice areas that require attention. With the third read I suggest writing remarks in the margins offering practical advice with respect to the areas for which there is requested help. Stay true to those areas the author has outlined. If you need more than the respective chapter, make allowances for that request within the contract at the author’s behest. Navigating a work for the sake of the author’s progress and success is crucial. Therefore, I suggest asking questions and maintaining correspondence as you move forward. That is best done via email so any remarks or questions can be easily referenced later.

2.) Remarks: Modest written remarks and editorial points can be made in the margins. Do not craft a formal written critique. Do not make actual edits to their written work. Once complete, I suggest a verbal discussion following the read where you can focus on the specific areas of concern together. Remarks are most helpful when they are actionable items. They should not be questions leaving the author empty-handed. If you have questions, make sure the author answers them, and then leave the appropriate remark in the margin for the corresponding text.

3.) Discussion: Once the literary preview (honored opinion) is completed, I suggest having a private, one-on-one, meeting with the author to fully discuss the copy. This is not a formal critique or peer review. This is a discussion that fully explores the ways and means by which the author can successfully advance in their specific area of need. They should be able to come away with actionable items or steps that give them room for growth. If that is not achieved, then your process has ultimately failed them and is not worthy of payment.

4.) Payment: Time is money. I’ve never known an experienced writer or author to perform a literary preview (honored opinion) for free. The time spent performing a literary preview can be quite tedious, depending upon the author’s needs. Payments rendered for your services can actually protect you in the future and should be fully outlined in the contract. Fees can be determined by any combination of the following: word count, page count, the number of items for which help is requested, and the cumulative time spent. That price may not easily be determined on the front end of the contract. Unless you are experienced in performing a literary preview and can accurately surmise the amount of time allotted, I suggest allowing room in the contract for an initial retainer, and then a full payment upon completion. Make sure those terms are fully disclosed with the author and that payment options are discussed prior to signing. All parties should be protected. There should also be allowances for the author to negotiate payment(s) if they are dissatisfied with your process or opinion(s), or if deadlines are breached. That would be a cost to them that should not be incurred, as again: time is money.

5.) Copy: Your editorial remarks, suggestions, or edits (sometimes these are necessary), should be clearly outlined in the copy you submit to the author in a watermarked document with your signature. Because his service is client-driven, the author will be the party who determines whether or not you are allowed to keep a copy on file for your records, as this is their copyrighted work. However, make sure they understand that if the copy is ever lost or deleted, they will have no way to retrieve it again unless they perform copies or backups of their own. Ultimately, whatever benefits the author and their copyrighted work is what should be performed. Make sure the final copy is accurate, clear, watermarked, signed, and secure. That is your responsibility, and is the solemn trust you should rightfully bestow, for which they are rendering payment.

Conclusion

When you need help as a writer it’s hard to know where to turn. Many authors and writers offer assistance in performing literary previews. But they can be expensive. Be aware that you are not only paying for their expertise, but their time, and the security of your copyrighted work. Carefully determine your needs as a writer/author. If you merely need to be dug out of the proverbial ditch in a critical area of your manuscript, then a literary preview is most appropriate. However, if you’re needing something more, such as a critique, then you’ll want a full peer review, which can be quite exhaustive.

If you are a writer or author who will be performing a literary preview, make sure to take the steps necessary to protect the requestor’s work, and yourself. Understand the time required to perform such a service, and be prepared to assume a certain amount of liability for which risk-benefit ratios cannot account. Accidents happen. “Acts of God” happen. There is a lot in this life that is outside our control. So, please cross your T’s and dot your I’s. Take every precaution necessary to reduce any risk assumed upon you when handling the copyrighted work of another individual. It’s absolutely necessary. Be prompt in your work. Meet those deadlines. And most importantly, be honest and fair, and deliver precisely that for which you are being paid. Give the author the best advice you can, providing actionable steps and critical feedback that moves them forward and prepare’s them to succeed.

I hope this post has been helpful, and I want to wish you the very best in your literary journey!

If you are a writer or aspiring author, or feel like you need more help in developing as a writer, I invite you to read my post: Mastering the Art of Writing: Six Ways to Hone Your Skills & Develop Your Craft

Cheers & Shalom,

Image Credit: MustangJoe | Pixabay

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