It’s not really part of my “job description”, but I review unpublished manuscripts on occasion.
We (and by “we” I mean “Destiny Image”) get far more books every year than we are possibly going to publish. But we have to review all of them, because that is how you find the diamonds in the rough.
But when I review something, I always try to give constructive feedback. Even if the feedback is something along the lines of “light a match, toss in your book, and start over”. But that’s not the most constructive thing I could say, so I try to be more realistic when dashing the hopes and dreams of the aspiring writer.
I guess you could say I’m a bit cynical.
I’ve come by my cynicism honestly, though. I have spent a lot of time trying to help authors become better writers. Unfortunately, not all authors want to become better writers.
Invariably, my advice usually ends up being one or more of the following:
1. Read books that are similar to what you want to write.
You’re writing a romance? Then read some romance novels! Writing an action/adventure story? Read some action/adventure stories! Have a business book inside screaming to get out? You better have read at least a couple of the best-sellers out there. I don’t want you to copy what other writers are doing, but it will help your writing if you read and develop a good understanding of how to organize and develop the kind of book you want to write.
2. Know who you are writing for.
Or, know your market. In other words, who is realistically going to want to read your book? And why? What is it about the content that sets it apart from the 100,000 other books being released this year? Be able to intelligently discuss exactly who your book is for, and what makes it special.
3. Don’t bet the farm on being a New York Times best-selling author.
If you think writing books is hard, you should try selling them. Don’t plan on living off the royalties of your books. It’s not likely going to happen. The JK Rowling’s, William Young’s, and Stephenie Meyers’ are aberrations, oddities, one-in-a-million occurrences. It could happen to you, but don’t expect it on your first time out. And don’t trust any publisher who tells you otherwise.
4. Be honest about what you’ve written.
Of course your book seems perfect to you. You have been living it, breathing it, being it, for months (and possibly years). Something that makes obvious sense to you might be nigh impregnable to somebody else. You either need to be able to read what you’ve written objectively, or have someone you can trust to tell you the truth about what you wrote.
Don’t get me wrong, here. I like to give people advice about how to improve their writing. I just wish that more people took the advice seriously. I’ve been doing this for a long time. 
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