Another day, another distant acquaintance, asking me to "just look over" or "comment on" a friend or relative's manuscript. Please, folks, please - don't ask authors to do this. Here's why. #ThisWritingLife

1. Because it's not their job. There are specialists for this kind of work, and you're basically asking someone else to do their job - their skilled, specialist job - for free.

2. Because evaluating a manuscript is never "just looking over" anything. The kind of close reading and commentary you're asking for takes time - often as long as a week or more. To expect an author to give up a week's paid work for you is unfair and unreasonable.

3. Asking an author to do this kind of work for you for free makes it sound as if you think their time is worthless. It's insulting and embarrassing. If you want a job doing, then find a professional to do it, and be prepared to pay the going rate for their services.

This isn't a random subtweet, by the way. Authors get these requests all the time. I've had four so far just this month - amounting to an estimated 200 hours's unpaid work, if I'd said yes. #ThisWritingLife