Beta-Readers!

Woohoo! I finished my revision yesterday! I was delayed a few days by a cold. I can't think straight with a head full of phlegm, and wasn't about to try editing in that state, but still, the 10th is not too far off schedule.

During those phlegm-filled days I contacted a few additional readers, so by the time I closed the manuscript I had them all lined up. Today I am busy formatting the manuscript to send to four readers in different parts of the world. I'm pretty excited about that. One is an excellent writer and reader with a knack for finding plot-holes and mistakes. One was an English/Creative Writing major in college, with an unpublished novel under her belt. Two are avid readers with diverse tastes who have a firm grasp on the process.

It's my first time reaching this step, so here's for posterity:

I am sending an electronic copy of the manuscript to each reader in their preferred format. I set up a group in Messenger, and gave a clear list of what I am looking for (story or character issues, factual inaccuracies, word choice, NOT spelling and grammar) as well as a clear deadline. For 60,000 words I asked them to return notes to me by the end of August. That's a solid seven weeks.

After I have their feedback I may have some thoughts about how well this process worked, whether it was helpful, whether I need to hone my instructions or wait longer before sending to readers. For now, as I was wrapping up the revision I was still noticing things that "I should go back and re-work" so I think I'm definitely at the point of needing fresh eyes to see it.

I think I'll take this week off from writing, maybe focus on blogs and reading. Then I'll get back into one of my other WIPs. I'm sure I'll have frustrations or progress to share here in a couple more weeks.

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