I could tell you Halloween-style horror stories about authors who had a great manuscript, and then sent it to random friends for feedback. What happens is that the friends either feel like they have to say something, so they just make random comments, or even worse, they think they know how to write because they spend all day writ- ing emails, but they don’t know anything about books, and their nonsense comments send the author into a tailspin. If you want to get feedback, there is a right way to ask, and you should only ask specific people. Those specific people should gen- erally be a person from one of these three groups: 1. People who are experienced writers/editors 2. People who are experts in your specific field 3. People who are in the exact audience you want your book to reach Let’s break down each category: 1. EXPERIENCED WRITERS OR EDITORS This is obvious. Someone who has a lot of experience in writing and editing can almost certainly help you with your manuscript and give useful feedback. Keep in mind that many people vastly overestimate their experience and ability in these areas. Many people think because they write emails all day, it qualifies them as skilled writers or editors, when in fact they are not that at all. This is why at Scribe we have a rigorous testing process before we even begin to work with editors, outliners, and publishing manag- ers—even if they are employed full time as writers or editors, we don’t assume they’re skilled. We want to see their work, and we judge their ability by the quality of their work. 176 · ThE SCriBE METhOD