Last post I covered the reasons a published author might say, "No," when you ask him or her to read your manuscript. Now I'll switch the focus to how and why a published author would agree to read your unpublished book for you.

1. You are friends. I met Emilie Richards at the Ohio River Valley Conference many years back. I had no idea she was a super-star among authors. But I did notice she was a nice person. We chatted and enjoyed each other's company. We…