Gotta love my beta readers. WOW!
Since this is the first time I’ve gone the DIY indie publishing (for”Amazon Kindle publishing”) route, it has been a steep learning curve. However, I really must say I love it, as it far exceeds my previous [bad] experiences of trying to become a published author.
The “old way” of becoming a published author — writing a book and sending a synopsis and selected chapters to an agent or publishing house — is actually an easier process; but you’re left waiting with abated breath to see if “they” think your book is worthy of their time and money. That’s a painful experience. Rejection sounds like this:
“We’re not looking for …”
“If you have something in the [fill in the blank] genre, we’d love to review it…”
“We enjoyed the story line and your writing style. However…”
“Although we were interested in reading your manuscript, we don’t think it is right for us at this time…”
20 rejections later for a book I wrote several years ago … not once was the manuscript critiqued. I was left wondering, “Well gee! Was it a good story, or not?”
I don’t know about you but I want to know someone out there likes the story before I commit to seeing it in print! Since I received no constructive criticism I was left with the conclusion it was a worthless exercise in futility. I boxed it up and quit. Ouch. An older an wiser person, I will admit that was a bad decision on my part!
Beta Readers to the rescue! The “DIY” way takes a lot of work if you really want to turn out a good book. Here’s my process (that I will improve on as time goes by): You write the book and then ask your immediate family to read it. They offer feedback. You make changes. You read it again. Read it backwards. Read it again. Edit. Overkill? Maybe. But, it seems like each time I read it (or let my speech program read it to me) I discover other minor edits that need to be done.
After all that, send it to your beta readers. And, that’s where the fun begins. They see things you didn’t see. They discover things you don’t even think about. They call you. They email you. They text you, excited about your work. What an encouragement! They say stuff like:
Heidi: “I can’t stop reading it. I am literally having to force myself away to get up and do stuff around the house. One being get dressed. This is most definitely anointed. God is teaching so many truths here. There are too many to even address. My heart is so filled with joy right now that God is using you in this way.”
Ally: “Reading it again. On the first reading, by the time I was into the third chapter I didn’t want to put the book down. And, I never ever read a book two times, so the fact that I am…. and looking forward to it says a lot.”Joy: “Awesome story! You are up there with Frank Peritti in your story line. It was a good read!”
Diane: “Great read: Timely, relevant and truth bearing. You have woven a gripping story with a relevant topic and revealed truth – you are brilliant!”
Michelle: – “I love Lucy’s Angel! When I first started reading the book, I was trying to take it slow, but I found myself thinking about it the next day, wondering what would happen next. I knew I had to be up early the next morning for work, but I was so wrapped up in the book, I never realized the time and couldn’t bring myself to put it down.”
Who needs beta readers?
I DO. I DO. I DO!
Thank you guys. Thanks to your work “Lucy’s Angel” will be published in the next few days. Wahoooooo!
If you’d like to be notified when Lucy’s Angel is released, please join our mail list.
[yks-mailchimp-list id=”227dd7fa19″]