Monday, August 1, 2016

Beta Reader Requirements

Hi all!

A while back, I announced that I was looking for another round of Beta Readers for my second book in the Witches of Coolersville series. If you're interested, check out the list of requirements below and then send me an email.

1) Readers must be 16 or older- My book is "New Adult" which means my main characters are over 18 years old and in college. There is also violence and swearing throughout the book, more-so than the first one so I figured 16 would be a good minimum age. Guys as well as girls are welcome.

2) Must be willing to answer a lot of questions- Remember all those reading assignments you used to do in school? This is kinda like that, except actually fun! In order to get the proper feedback to improve my manuscript I have questions at the start and end of the book as well as after every single chapter.

3) When answering these questions, please be honest and thorough- Be as honest as you can. I know the easy thing to do would be nice but think of it this way. If you tell me now what I need to fix, I won’t get burned by reviewers when my book is published. And, it’ll help my book sell better once it is published.

4) It’s a second draft- I did some editing but the story has yet to be professionally edited to weed out the big mistakes. There will probably be some errors in grammar and spelling that I missed. Please ignore for now. Your feedback is content-related only. I’ll fix everything in another round of editing along with the professional.

5) If you see a question and your initial thought is I have no idea what to write, tell me- It’s okay not to have an opinion or just say “I don’t know.” Depending on the question being asked, it helps me as a writer to see where things fall flat or fail to make a solid impression. I understand the questions are repetitive so if there's nothing to add, let me know. Also, let me know if something does fall flat for you. A character doesn't connect, a part is boring or confusing. I still have time to fix these things.

6) When possible, give as much detail as you can- That’s what’s nice about this format. You have unlimited space to tell me right in the document. If you have any observations outside the questions given, feel free to tell me! All feedback is useful.

7) Be as timely as possible- I know everyone has busy lives. Work, family, school, etc. So, don’t feel like you need to get this back next week. But, I do want to get this to my editor soon, so don’t take 5 years to read it either. I'd like all feedback emailed back to me by October 1.

8) Please don’t steal my book. Also, please don’t share with anyone without my permission.

9) Triggers- A few things I should warn you about. There is swearing and violence in this book. There is mention of emotional abuse in a relationship as well as physical assault and underage drinking. I tried to keep it mild but if any of this is going to make you uncomfortable, apply to beta read.


Thanks! Hope to hear from you all soon!
Carey

Read book 1 first 3 chapters on my web site
Buy it on Amazon
Buy it on my Etsy shop

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