I’m Looking For A Few Good Readers
I’m often looking for beta readers to read and provide feedback for new stories I’ve written
. While I don’t write by committee, the first line of readers and the feedback they provide always improves a story. It’s easy to get lost in something you’ve seen so much; having fresh sets of eyes reading new stories is invaluable. If you’ve ever wanted to read a writer’s early drafts, now’s your chance!
What’s In It For You?
- First look — Obviously, you get the chance to read early drafts before they are seen by editors or turned into e-books.
- Acknowledgement — Beta readers will always be thanked in the acknowledgements section of publications they helped improve.
- Free copies — Whether it’s a physical book or e-book, you’ll always get a free copy.
- Other stuff — I’m sure I’ll think of other things to show my appreciation for your help.
What’s Currently Available To Read?
Promise — Following a tumultuous divorce, Ryan Shiflett sells his two successful restaurants in Chicago and flees to the north woods of Wisconsin to fulfill a childhood dream of getting away from it all…but the town he moves to, Promise, is not the idyllic place he hoped to find. The former celebrity chef finds himself stuck in a nearly deserted town inhabited by quirky artists, professional wrestlers, venomous beetles, and a timid sheriff who becomes fixated on the disappearance of the town’s troublemaker, Billy Babitzke. After surviving an insect bite that should have killed him, Ryan is ready to leave Promise for good—then he meets Allison Payne.
Hoping to impress Allison, Ryan enrolls in wrestling lessons, where he spends more time wrestling with unresolved issues from his divorce than impressing people in the ring. Ryan’s bid for attention turns out to be unnecessary; a friendship with Allison forms over lunches Ryan prepares for her while she helps him restore his old house. Ryan settles into a new routine and finds himself accepted as a member of Promise. Just when it looks like Ryan really did find his perfect place, the dream becomes a nightmare [the rest of the line from the query letter omitted because it’s quite a spoiler, and I’d hate to take something away from readers].
Having finally come to grips with his divorce, Ryan now struggles to understand why [more of the query letter omitted because I don’t want anything spoiled for readers]. Things get worse when Ryan discovers Allison is leaving Promise for an extended travel writing assignment. When Sheriff Ed Littleton discovers the body of Billy Babitzke with no clear answer of who put him there, accusations threaten to tear the town apart. As Promise’s secrets are finally revealed and it looks like there’s no hope for recovery, Ryan comes up with an idea that brings everybody together—and in the process, finds the one thing his life has always lacked: a sense of belonging.
Promise is a 100,000-word novel. You can get a feel for the book here to decide if it’s something you’d like to finish.
Old Man — Old Man is about Phil Johnson, a 16-year-old who begins acting like an old man in an effort to get to know his dying grandfather. After his grandfather dies, Phil slides deeper into his act, until it looks like nothing can bring him back.
Old Man is a 23,000-word novella, so…not a huge read. Before saying, “Oh, yes — I’d LOVE to read this!” please read the first three chapters to see if it’s your thing.
What Am I Hoping To Get Out Of This?
I like hearing what works for readers and what doesn’t. If you catch typos or awkward lines along the way, mentioning them is always appreciated. I’m even open to suggestions, but not, “Well, this is what I’d do if I were writing this…” suggestions. If you want to feel like a writer, I encourage you to write. But if you can call me out for being lazy or think of something that makes a good scene great, I’ll consider everything thrown my way.
So…How Do You Become A Beta Reader?
It’s easy: go here and let me know you’d like a copy of the current offering. I write in Word, but can send a PDF, a rough copy for any e-reader you may have, or other kinds of electronic files you prefer receiving.
I keep things simple: I’m not going to make you sign a disclosure or anything like that…I’m going to trust that you’re not going to release the story into the wild before I’m ready to let it go. I don’t fear you “stealing” my stories; I talk about what I’m doing enough that people would know what happened.
I will trust you with one of the things most important to me: my writing. I believe people are good and that nothing bad will come from our mutual agreement; in fact, I can only see good things (and hopefully a lot of fun) for all involved.
