[scott_s]

When you are writing about a difficult subject, you should invite reviews from experts to vet your work.

[duaneb]

I'm not disagreeing. I'm just pointing out that a critic is much less useful than an author.

[CocaKoala]

That depends entirely on what type of book is being wrote. If I write a history textbook that goes into intricate detail about the Time Slip of 1662 and the Lost Years, and the eventual Realignment that resulted in the Great London Fire, am I being more useful than a critic who points out that my history textbook is full of factual inaccuracies?

[scott_s]

If I wrote a book on brain surgery, the critics would be much more useful than the author.

[awj]

I'll take one responsible author with one harsh-but-knowledgeable critic over a hundred would-be authors without the ability to sift useful content from polemic criticism.

[duaneb]

Well, I'll take the one responsible author now. Who are they?