Time To Beta

It's been a longer road than I anticipated getting to this point. Aileen 4 was more difficult to write than what is typical for a book in this series, but I did it. IDraft two is complete and Aileen's fourth adventure is finally ready for eyes other than my own. That means it's time to reach out to beta readers. 

For those unused to the term "beta reader", this is the stage of the process where the author (me) reaches out to readers (you) to get their impression of the book. It's a way to check the stories temperature and make sure it hits all the notes I want it to with readers. At this point, it's still fairly unpolished with odd grammatical and factual errors. I'm not looking for a hardcore grammar edit. Instead, betas help with pointing out inconsistencies in the story line or character.

For example: Aileen has a gun at the beginning of the scene, then big bad attacks and there is no gun by the end of the scene. What happened to the gun?

Or - I don't understand how we got from point a in the story point b. Something just doesn't feel right.

In Wayfarer's Keep I actually reworked a good chunk of the ending because of the feedback I got at this stage of the process. People felt Shea didn't react in a way consistent with how they'd come to know her in the series. For all that it added almost 15,000 words to the manuscript and took a while to rewrite, I think it's a better book for the changes.

If the above hasn't scared you off and you're still interested, keep reading. Below is an explanation of my expectations. It's a first come, first serve type of opportunity and priority will be given to those who've beta read for me in the past.

Please, please, please, don't volunteer unless you have the time and attention to do this. You'll take the slot from someone who does. I will be doing advanced reader copies again this time which is a lot less of a commitment.

Beta Reader Guidelines and Caveat

Here's how you can volunteer: Private message me through my Facebook page or email me at info@tawhiteauthor.com asking to be a beta reader and committing to the guidelines posted below. Also please let me know if you'd like a kindle version or other ereader version. I can't guarantee I'll choose you as there has been a lot of interest in this in the past, and I can only wade through so many comments at a time without getting overwhelmed and falling into a dark pit of despair.

Beta Guidelines:

This part of the process for me takes place before I send the manuscript to the editor. That means the copy is a little rough still. I'm not looking for intense grammar editing. I'm more focused on comments on the story- pace, structure, characters, things that don't make sense. That kind of stuff. I will outline these questions in more detail for those who participate.

The other thing I ask is for people to send it back to me in the time allotted. I'm asking for it back by Sept. 26th.

I also ask that you agree not to share the story with anyone or upload it to any sites. I know for most of you that would never cross your mind, but I need to say it anyway.

Also, be aware that I may not use your suggestions as my opinion trumps everyone else's. Sometimes you ask questions that I want asked or a suggestion goes against what I'm trying to accomplish.

One final note: Beta reading is not for everyone. For instance, I don't beta read for people because I like getting caught up in the story and not paying attention to the things that irk me. For that reason, I will be doing advance reader copies that will take place at the end of the process and will require less critical thinking on the reader's part--hopefully.

If you're interested, let me know. If you're not, I hope you enjoy the book when it comes out.