Getting Feedback On My Book

So, for the first time in my life I have let other people read what I have written. I have finally worked up enough courage to send my book to people and ask them to comment and provide feedback on what I have written. Why is sharing writing such a scary thing to do? Most of us are writing to be read, but then those initial first steps of actually sharing our creations is one that I never feel confident about. Yet, I want people to give me feedback, I want them to tell me what they liked and didn’t like, I want to know how my book might possibly be received, any plot holes I may have missed, I want to know how to make it better. It isn’t that I am scared of being criticised. That is something that has never really bothered me in any aspect of my life. I am reflective, I actually like learning how I could improve on things. I think it may more be an issue of self-doubt. I have written something that I think works, but what if I am completely delusional and another person reads it and doesn’t get it at all- or thinks it foolish or worse, uses it to make a judgment upon me. All irrational insecurities, I know. But now I have actually taken the leap and shared my writing, I am not sure what all that fear and insecurity was really about. Ok, I admit, I have mostly only sent it to family and friends- baby steps-and I know their feedback is going to be much more gentle than someone who doesn’t know me. But I have started to branch out a little and started sending it to the actual audience my book is intended for. It is a YA, and I had initially only sent it to adults. My original plan was that I was going to share it in the school I work at once I felt ready to, amongst my English classes and in the library (anonymously) so I could get some feedback from the YA readers who would be reading the YA book, however with the school closing, I was unable to follow through with the plan. I also haven’t felt that the sharing of what I have written would be appropriate (or anonymous) through our home-learning systems. Despite this, I have managed to find a couple of willing volunteers in the targeted age group who are not close family or friends and I am currently awaiting feedback from them.

It would be interesting to know what processes other writers go through in obtaining feedback for their books, so if anyone reading this has a particular way they work through their feedback process, I would love to know.