The Waiting Game

Ten days ago, I sent my little novel off to some really great volunteer beta readers.  This is the email I sent:

Thank you for agreeing to be a beta reader of Fairest of the Faire. I wish this task came with lots of money and acclaim, but alas, I’m but a poor artist, and all I can give you is my eternal thanks and perpetual gratitude.  And if we end up in the same coffee shop together, I shall buy you a latte or chai or whatevers.

I would love to think that I will get nothing back but gasps of pleasure and exclamations of awe.  However, I’m a realist, and I wouldn’t be asking for beta readers if I didn’t think I needed them.  And definitely, I need them.  So here’s what I ask of you.

The book is not long, the genre is contemporary romance, and it is the kind of book I like reading.  It is just over 78,000 words, and in print would be about 220 pages or so. After you read it, it may not be your cup of tea.  But that doesn’t mean your comments won’t be helpful for me.  What I ask is to respond with:

1. What you loved

2. What you hated

3. Plot holes or anywhere I went off track miserably

4. Any characters you thought were not fully developed

5. Any characters that received too much air time and should be lopped or at least cut down

6. What you’d like to see more of

7. What you’d like to see less of

I’m looking for helpful, honest, constructive criticism.

I gave them a three-week deadline, and told myself not to expect anything for at least a week.  When I didn’t get anything after a week, I started to worry.  Which is silly.  These are people who are volunteering to do this for me.  They probably had other things they were already reading.  And they probably have other things to do, like sleeping and cleaning their houses and going to work and helping their kids with homework.  Kind of like me.  On day 8, I got my first response.  On day 9, I got my second.

And here I sit, waiting.

The good news is that the comments I’ve received so far have been encouraging.  “What a sweet story!”  I needed that.  The story is good, I know that, but it isn’t perfect.  But it’s not worse than some of the stuff I’ve read lately, and it’s not better than some of the better stuff I’ve read lately.  I have a few things to fix, but they are manageable.  I’m really looking forward to hearing from the other beta readers, for good or for bad.

And about the bad.  I’m going to have to figure out how to take the bad, how to grow a little extra skin so I can take it.  Otherwise, I’m going to let any negative comments drag me down.  I can’t let that happen.  My goal is to get this book published.  Can’t do that if I give up.