Gathering insightful feedback from your publishing community can be a challenge, especially when you want honest, actionable opinions. This template library offers proven prompts that make it easy to ask the right questions and show members their input truly matters.
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Community feedback content taps into the innate desire for people to be heard and valued. When members see that their opinions are solicited and acted upon, they feel a greater sense of belonging and investment in the community. This leads to higher engagement, richer discussions, and more loyalty.
Open-ended prompts encourage diverse perspectives and spark thoughtful dialogue, especially in publishing communities where members often have strong, informed opinions. By asking for input on topics, features, or resources, you empower members to help shape the future of the space, making them feel like co-creators rather than just passive participants.
What publishing trends are you most excited about right now?
💡 Example: "What publishing trends are you most excited about right now? Share your thoughts below!"
How do you discover new books or authors these days?
💡 Example: "How do you discover new books or authors these days? Let us know your go-to sources."
What feature would make our publishing community even better?
💡 Example: "What feature would make our publishing community even better? Suggest your ideas!"
Which topics do you wish we covered more in our discussions?
💡 Example: "Which topics do you wish we covered more in our discussions? Comment your suggestions."
What is your favorite resource for publishing advice?
💡 Example: "What is your favorite resource for publishing advice? Mine is Jane Friedman's blog."
Has a recent post or article in this group helped you? Tell us how.
💡 Example: "Has a recent post or article in this group helped you? Tell us how it made a difference."
What challenges do you face when submitting your work for publication?
💡 Example: "What challenges do you face when submitting your work for publication? Share your experience."
What makes you feel welcome in a publishing community?
💡 Example: "What makes you feel welcome in a publishing community? For me, it's friendly introductions."
How can we improve our monthly newsletters?
💡 Example: "How can we improve our monthly newsletters? Your input is appreciated."
What publishing tool or software do you wish you knew more about?
💡 Example: "What publishing tool or software do you wish you knew more about? I have always been curious about Vellum."
Which author interviews would you like us to feature next?
💡 Example: "Which author interviews would you like us to feature next? Nominate your favorites!"
Did you find the last community event helpful? Why or why not?
💡 Example: "Did you find the last community event helpful? Why or why not? Your input helps us improve."
What is one thing you wish publishers understood about writers?
💡 Example: "What is one thing you wish publishers understood about writers? We want to hear your perspective."
How do you prefer to connect with other writers or editors?
💡 Example: "How do you prefer to connect with other writers or editors? I use LinkedIn most."
What is your biggest frustration with the publishing process?
💡 Example: "What is your biggest frustration with the publishing process? Vent here."
Which community rules or guidelines need clarification?
💡 Example: "Which community rules or guidelines need clarification? Let us know if anything is unclear."
What type of contests or challenges would you join in our group?
💡 Example: "What type of contests or challenges would you join in our group? Suggest your ideas."
What publishing platforms do you find most user-friendly?
💡 Example: "What publishing platforms do you find most user-friendly? I like Substack."
Have you used our resource library? What would you add or change?
💡 Example: "Have you used our resource library? What would you add or change? Comments welcome."
What motivates you to stay active in this publishing community?
💡 Example: "What motivates you to stay active in this publishing community? Share your thoughts."
Which part of our community site do you visit most often?
💡 Example: "Which part of our community site do you visit most often? I usually head to the forums."
What do you wish you learned earlier about publishing?
💡 Example: "What do you wish you learned earlier about publishing? Share your aha moments."
How do you balance writing with promoting your work?
💡 Example: "How do you balance writing with promoting your work? Tips appreciated."
Which member contributions inspire you the most?
💡 Example: "Which member contributions inspire you the most? Tag someone who made a difference."
What publishing podcasts or YouTube channels do you follow?
💡 Example: "What publishing podcasts or YouTube channels do you follow? I never miss The Creative Penn."
What is one tool you cannot live without as a publisher or writer?
💡 Example: "What is one tool you cannot live without as a publisher or writer? Scrivener is mine."
How can we make our group more helpful for new members?
💡 Example: "How can we make our group more helpful for new members? Share your ideas."
What type of publishing industry news do you want to see here?
💡 Example: "What type of publishing industry news do you want to see here? Let us know."
Have you attended any of our webinars? What did you think?
💡 Example: "Have you attended any of our webinars? What did you think? Your feedback matters."
What makes an online writing event stand out for you?
💡 Example: "What makes an online writing event stand out for you? For me, it is interactive elements."
If you could change one thing about our group, what would it be?
💡 Example: "If you could change one thing about our group, what would it be? Be honest!"
How do you feel about our current moderation style?
💡 Example: "How do you feel about our current moderation style? Is it too strict or just right?"
What publishing myth would you like to see debunked?
💡 Example: "What publishing myth would you like to see debunked? Leave your suggestions."
Which social media platform helps you most with publishing?
💡 Example: "Which social media platform helps you most with publishing? Twitter works best for me."
What is your go-to method for overcoming creative blocks?
💡 Example: "What is your go-to method for overcoming creative blocks? Share your strategies."
How do you stay updated on industry changes?
💡 Example: "How do you stay updated on industry changes? I read Publisher's Weekly."
What advice would you give to someone new to publishing?
💡 Example: "What advice would you give to someone new to publishing? Leave a tip below."
Which community resources do you use most often?
💡 Example: "Which community resources do you use most often? I check the job board weekly."
What makes you recommend our community to others?
💡 Example: "What makes you recommend our community to others? Tell us what stands out."
How did you hear about our publishing group?
💡 Example: "How did you hear about our publishing group? I found it on Facebook."
What time of day do you prefer to join live events or chats?
💡 Example: "What time of day do you prefer to join live events or chats? Evenings work best for me."
If you could add one new section to our site, what would it be?
💡 Example: "If you could add one new section to our site, what would it be? Suggest your ideas."
Choose templates that align with your current goals, such as feedback on new features or content themes. Post them regularly to maintain an open feedback loop. Clearly explain why you are seeking feedback and how it will be used. Highlight responses in follow-up posts to show members their voices are making an impact and to encourage ongoing participation.
For all platforms, keep your feedback prompts concise and easy to read. Use bold or emoji headers to catch attention. Pin important feedback threads when possible and encourage replies with follow-up questions. Make sure to check in on comments regularly and respond promptly to foster a sense of dialogue.
You can utilize the 'Submission Process Feedback' templates to specifically ask authors about clarity, accessibility, and fairness of your current manuscript submission guidelines. Posing targeted questions like 'What steps in our submission portal were confusing or challenging?' will help you identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement that are unique to the publishing workflow.
Use the 'Peer Reviewer Experience' feedback templates to ask reviewers about specific elements, such as timeframes for reviews, communication from editors, and the usefulness of reviewer guidelines. Publishing communities often struggle with reviewer burnout, so questions like 'What would make our review process smoother for you?' can yield actionable insights.
The library includes 'Policy Feedback' templates tailored for discussions on open access. You can invite community members—authors, librarians, and readers—to share their perspectives on article processing charges, licensing terms, and discoverability, which are recurring discussion points in publishing forums.
Absolutely. The 'Marketing and Promotion Feedback' templates are crafted to elicit detailed responses from authors about the reach, engagement, and ROI of recent promotional activities, such as virtual launch events, social media posts, or email campaigns. This is especially relevant to publishing houses seeking to refine their marketing strategies based on author input.
Leverage the 'Editorial Process Feedback' templates to ask stakeholders about turnaround times, clarity of tracked changes, and the level of communication during copyediting and proofing. You might pose questions like 'Were there any points where editorial feedback was unclear or inconsistent with our style guide?'—which directly addresses common publishing pain points.
Utilize the 'Reader Experience Feedback' templates to create posts focused on digital reading features. Ask questions about EPUB navigation, mobile device compatibility, or the ease of exporting citations—issues that directly impact reader satisfaction in today’s publishing environment.
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