10 Rules for Working with a Sigma

A volunteer shares what it looks like from his perspective

This is an email from a gentleman who was extremely helpful in improving the DORIAN VANE AND THE VAMPIRE’S BLOOD novel, which, you may recall, is the first in a new fantasy series intended to appeal to readers who were Harry Potter fans. His suggestions obviously worked, as the book is averaging a 4.7 rating with 63 reviews. He felt his perspective might be useful information for those who find themselves working with a Sigma at some point in time.

I was an early reader for the first Dorian Vane novel and provided feedback over multiple revisions. I volunteered because of participation in several online SF critting groups over the past few decades and having read the Harry Potter novels aloud to my kids as they grew up.

The “10 Rules for Business Life” were invaluable.

1. Answer the fucking question.

The instruction in the initial call for readers was to send an email expressing interest. Replying in a SocialGalactic thread would not be a positive way to start the relationship. The email with the manuscript asked for specific feedback. Before pushing the “Send” button I reread the instructions and verified that those questions were, in fact, answered.

2. Do not explain anything to anyone unless asked for an explanation.

Vox is a Hugo-nominated writer and a professional editor. Don’t explain how to incorporate critiques into the next revision. Don’t explain parallelism, pronoun antecedents, verb tense/case mismatches, dialect inconsistencies, or Point of View faults. Don’t explain copyediting, line editing, or plot doctoring.

3. Always. Do. Your. Job.

The job is to review an early draft according to instructions. Not recommend alternatives to Kindle Unlimited, or suggest how best to expand the Bindery, or Sumo instructions to improve output, or a wall of text about why Infogalactic didn’t take off.

4. Never forget that your job is not the sole purpose of the organization.

This novel is but one of many projects Vox is working on. A minor fun side project. Do not expect immediate feedback, or any feedback at all. I was pleasantly surprised at how many of my critiques were incorporated.

5. Only give one instruction at a time, in person, on the phone, or via email.

Probably not applicable when working on a Castalia project. However, do the work of collecting multiple points that you wish addressed into a single section of the email – preferably, a numerical list.

NOTE: This was absolutely the correct interpretation and application of the rule. The fact that this volunteer would provide a single, comprehensive set of errors, inconsistencies, and suggestions for each version meant that I could sit down and go through them methodically in a single session. I found his input much more useful than the occasional drive-by emails I often get from other readers trying to help. - VD

6. Always answer the question that was actually asked, not the question you anticipated, the question you think should have been asked, or the question you suspect the answer will provoke.

In four decades of Dilbertesque cubicle living, almost never did I work for a supervisor who could manage a Gamma effectively. So my impulse was to reply “here is what I think you want me to do, am I correct?” Then I remembered the 10 Rules. And here we are.

7. Management consists of managing the schedules of those who report to you.

At one point, I asked “Do you want the feedback now or in a few days with additional critiques?” Vox responded, “Immediately,” leading to my application of Rule #3.

8. Never hide information from those with decision-making authority. If they make a fully-informed mistake, it’s on them. If they make a mistake because you hid information from them, it’s on you.

I gave a strong negative opinion on a plot point with reasons for why the target audience might find it offensive. The published revision left it in. That’s the limit of my responsibility as a reviewer.

NOTE: Volunteers, advisors, and consultants often forget that they are not in charge, it is not their call, and they do not give orders, they give suggestions. This gentleman understands the difference. While I read his suggestion and took it seriously, I simply wasn’t concerned about the target audience’s feelings in this particular regard. - VD

9. No one cares about your opinion.

Not strictly true with early reader input. But the request was for specific types of opinion, which ties into Rule #1. When giving opinions on other manuscript issues, it was after answering. the. fucking. question – allowing Vox to decide when and whether to read it.

10. Don’t expect pats on the back or praise, and remember that your main reason for being there because they give you money for it.

Early readers are unpaid and so must find another reason for volunteering besides money. But don’t expect to be recognized as “Vox’s Biggest Fan!” and rewarded with constant attention and emotional support. This is a parasocial relationship: we’ve been reading and watching him for years and feel we know about his upbringing, his lifestyle, his hobbies. But to him we’re just another email distracting from his lifelong dream of being a Trucker of quality leatherbound books.

NOTE: I very much appreciate the assistance provided by the volunteers. And none of these projects would last for long without sufficient ongoing support from the backers; we’ve had enough failed projects to prove that. But if you’re even remotely familiar with me, then you know that I don’t require constant attention and emotional support nor do I provide it for anyone, not even in real life. No one who writes 900-page books possibly can. - VD

Based on Vox’s past writings and Unauthorized recordings, some additional Rules:

11. Deliver, don’t promise.

Don’t waste Vox’s time with an email promising a date. The only acceptable response from a volunteer is “Here are the results.”

12. Never Ever EVER tell Vox what to do.

The quickest way to be crushed by the banhammer is to tell Vox he must watch a video or require the citing of sources or insist your instructions be followed or make demands. We are guests commenting on his blog and volunteers supporting his projects. This meant rewriting standard critique boilerplate language from “Here is how to use review comments to improve the next draft” to “The way other authors have used this type of commentary is to quickly decide whether the issue I raise is worth making a revision to their text.” Don’t say “You have to read Yudkowsky’s fanfic!” but instead “At some point, you’ll be asked whether you’ve read Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.”

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Speaking of novels, I should probably mention that I’ve got a new one out as of yesterday. As you may or may not know, I am very nearly as big a fan of Keigo Higashino as I am of Haruki Murakami. And while the Inspector Toda books probably are more akin to Michael Pronko’s crime thrillers set in Tokyo than Higashino’s more psychological works, I’m fairly confident that anyone who enjoys either author will find TOKYO TOKURYU to be a fascinating read about the transformation of crime in post-Yakuza Japan. It is quite possibly the first crime novel to incorporate the new phenomenon of disorganized crime that is built around a) social media and b) Japan’s legal system that doesn’t hold minors very accountable for even the most serious crimes.

Tokuryū (匿流) is a term coined by Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA) in 2024 to describe a new and growing form of loosely organized criminal groups that have emerged as an alternative to traditional yakuza organizations. The term combines the Japanese words tokumei (匿名, anonymous) and ryūdo (流動, fluid), reflecting the groups’ absence of hierarchy and their flexible, anonymous operations.

While there’s not a lot of SSH-related material in the first Inspector Toda mystery, the second one is, quite literally, about the death of a foreign Sigma in Tokyo and the unexpected complications presented to the investigators attempting to unravel a life in which so many people had a motive for killing the victim. THE PLATINUM TRIBE is on preorder and will be released on August 5th.