Call Out For Beta Readers

Hey friends!





I'm happy to report that I'm officially halfway through with first-round edits of The Way of Grace (book 3 in the Miller's Creek novels), so I'm on the lookout for folks interested in serving as beta readers.



Here's a book description:




In pursuit of justice, in need of grace . . .

 


A justice-seeking perfectionist pursues her dream of a
perfect life in her hometown of Miller’s Creek, Texas. Sidetracked by a
desire to be a prosecuting attorney, Grace Soldano launches into
uncharted waters, making herself over to please her boss and mentor. Then a disheveled free spirit turns her perfectly ordered world upside down, challenging her concept of personal goodness. A
fall from perfection leaves Grace teetering between vengeance and
grace, caught in a deadly crossfire that leaves her dreams in a heap of
ashes. Can she learn to joyfully accept the life God has given her–far
from perfect–but one completely immersed in His grace?




I think it's only fair to mention that this book is considerably
different from the first two. It is a romance and you'll still have time
with the good folks of Miller's Creek, but there is definitely a dark
undercurrent in this story. And if you've never read one of the Miller's Creeks books, you should know they are unashamedly written from a Christian worldview.



After hours of working on a manuscript, an author's eyes tend to skim over mistakes that we would normally see, so beta readers are extra sets of eyes and very important to the process of publishing a book. (And sorry, this is a non-paying gig--except for first peeksies at the new book--but beta readers will be identified by name in the front matter of the book unless you specify otherwise.)



What's a Beta Reader?

I'm glad you asked. Here's what I'm looking for:


Identify punctuation, spelling, grammar and usage mistakes.
Identify overused phrases and words.
Identify timeline glitches. (Places where the days get out of order, or where something that's supposed to take place after happens before, etc.)
Identify awkwardly worded passages that either don't make sense or that tend to be a little wordy.
Identify character motives or actions that you don't buy or that don't make sense.
Identify dialogue that sounds forced or unnatural.
Identify places where the story moves too fast or too slow.
Identify places where there's not a strong sense of setting.
Identify places where there's too much or not enough description.
Identify over-writing (where the author's voice intrudes or explains).
Identify areas that sound preachy.
Identify places where there's not enough conflict or tension to hold your interest.

In a nutshell, ANYTHING THAT YANKS YOU FROM THE STORY WORLD.



What's the Process?

I'll send those who are chosen the first fourteen chapters via e-mail attachment. You'll save the document to your computer, read it and type your notes directly into the document in a different color font, then attach it to a return e-mail and send it back to me. While beta readers are working on the first fourteen chapters I'll be working on the last half of first edits.



NOTE: Beta readers will more than likely be able to read faster than I'm able to rewrite the rest of the chapters. This will probably result in a delay between when you finish the first round of chapters and receive the second round of chapters. Sorry...it's easier to read than it is to write! =)



I am looking for people who will have the time to do this in a fairly short amount of time, so if your schedule looks pretty hectic over the next few weeks, please don't apply.



How Do I Apply?

If you're interested in serving as a beta reader, simply send an e-mail to catbry1 (at) yahoo (dot) com. Please put the words BETA READER in the subject line so I won't think it's spam. Also please indicate whether or not you've read the first two books in the series and your typical reading preferences (contemporary, historical, secular, Christian, mystery, suspense, romance, thrillers, non-fiction, etc.). Also let me know a little about you if we've never met personally.



I most likely won't be able to use everyone who applies, simply because I won't have time to go through too many sets of notes. So please don't be offended if you're not chosen. (You can always catch the book after it's been completely edited!) =)



I'm looking forward to hearing from you!



Happy Reading,