No. I will not read your first chapter of your unfinished novel. Here's why.

Being an author is a lot of fun. I like talking to people who have enjoyed my book and I also like talking to those who didn't. The people I don't like talking to are those who ask if I could read their work-in-progress novel.

Seriously, I can't tell you how annoying this question is. And it's not even close to the most frequently asked.

If you're asking me to read your work in progress, you have not read anything about writing and it clearly shows that you are an ameteur. If you read any book ever written about writing, there will be 0 that tell you to ask people to read it before it's finished. In fact, most of them say to avoid this practice.

Other variations on this question are "is this a good idea", "should I keep writing this", and "PLEASE READ!!!". And none of them are marks of professionalism.

If you want to write a book or you're writing a book but you're insecure about what you're writing, you need to seriously reconsider this. If you're going to have to ask a professional author if the book is good before it's even finished, then this reveals to me that you don't have a true passion about the story you're writing. If you have the passion for your story and you're still asking me to read it, I will not read it.

Don't jump on me and say that I'm a mean old hack, a stupid windbag, an angry, mean writer whose only goal is to make you miserable. I only say this from experience. I've only written five novels in the span of two years because I wrote like heck to get the first draft done. Once you do that, you're golden. Just don't ask me to read it before it's done.

Sure, I'd be happy to give you a blurb for a finished novel. I'd also like to edit it (not for free, of course) once you're ready for an editor. But not now, not when your novel is so young and unfinished.

It's like asking someone if they'll babysit your unborn baby. You don't.

Dawson