I’ve just sent the manuscript of my memoir – the follow-up to Not Quite Lost – to beta readers. I announced this on Twitter and immediately was asked: what do you need in a beta reader and where do you find them? Beta readers are your first trial audience. They’re not necessarily publishing professionals – they’re a sample of your target reader. They’re ordinary folks who like the kind of book…

I turn 18 in September, but by then fic drafts would already have been due, as a beta reader is there a way to still help out with mature works after then?

If not no worries, just want to help out with as many as possible!

Thanks for the ask!

Yes, once you turn 18, you may absolutely beta read mature works!

Compiling Beta Reader Feedback - A Guide of My Process #betareaders #amwriting #amediting #campnanowrimo

I am finishing my first round of beta reads for my young adult contemporary novel, In A Mirror. I had a lot of thoughts on what I did and did not like in my process, and what aspects I would change.

How I Started…

When my book was as polished as I could make it, I began reaching out to potential beta readers immediately. I emailed writing buddies, posted on forums and Facebook pages, and…

An easy way to make your plot plausible – control your novel’s timeline

Years ago, when I got editorial queries on my first ghosted manuscript, the most tricky to answer were the comments about the novel’s timeline.

Scratch that; they weren’t just tricky. They were a forensic slog.

I’d already checked everything that affected the central plot events – journey times, important dates and so on. But that was months before. Not only that, there were countless niggles I…