How important are Beta Readers?

January 28, 2014 By JPMcLean 2 Comments

I reblogged this from author Tim Baker’s Blindoggbooks site. He’s written on a topic close to my heart; beta readers. They are an invaluable resource and Tim has summed up their role and their worth beautifully. Read on…

Another First Draft Finished…but it’s not The End

Yesterday, for the seventh time in five years, I typed an authors favorite two words…

I’m speaking symbolically of course…I’ve never actually typed those words at the end of a novel. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen them in a book, but I did finish the first draft of my latest, as of yet untitled, novel.

The irony is that, now that the first draft is finished, it’s not the end at all…it’s really only the beginning.

There’s still a lot of work to do before it is ready for you. In the next few days I will distribute copies to my beta-readers and wait for their feedback.

Beta readers are the unsung heroes of the book-writing world

Beta readers are the unsung heroes of the book-writing world, and I’m lucky to have some really good ones.

None of them worry about hurting my feelings and each of them has contributed something that has improved my work in the past.

Like any author worth their salt, I am extremely grateful for them, and any input they offer is always taken very seriously. That’s not to say I act on all of it, but I definitely pay attention.

A few of my betas have been with me since the beginning, and a couple of them have only done one book. Along the way there have been some people who thought they wanted to be a beta, but unfortunately they didn’t understand the job description, so I had to keep looking until I found suitable replacements.

Didn’t understand the job description? How is that possible? Read the book and tell the author what you think…right?

It doesn’t sound like a complicated task, and in fact it isn’t…once the ground rules are clearly defined and understood.

When an author asks for beta readers, they aren’t asking for somebody to read a draft and tell them it’s the best thing they’ve ever read. We aren’t delusional; we all know what Hemingway said…

No, what we are asking for is someone to read a first draft and punch holes in it.

Big holes.

We don’t want to hear about missing commas or spelling mistakes…that’s part of the editing process.

A beta reader’s primary responsibility is to tell the author what they didn’t like about the book.

Things that didn’t make sense in the story.
Characters that weren’t believable
Dialogue that didn’t ring true
Anything that made them stop and say well that just ain’t right

The author is asking you to rip the story to shreds. Even if it’s just as simple as saying The story just didn’t grab me.

So, for the next two or three weeks my book will be in the hands of people who are tasked with picking it apart, so I can put it back together before I send it to the editor…who will then proceed to pick it apart some more.

All of this is done in hopes that you, the reader, won’t know how bad the first draft really was.

As always – thank you for reading

Great post Tim Baker. Thanks and good luck with that 7th book. Follow Tim Baker on Twitter @blindoggbooks, find him on Facebook and check out his website.

Dishing up Frustration

January 19, 2014 By JPMcLean 2 Comments

Moments ago I signed out of Twitter in a fit of frustration. Not with Twitter—with our Internet connection, which is dishing up frustration. I couldn’t open a link to save my life. As much as I love living on a small island, it has its drawbacks.

We live in one of those rare pockets of civilization not serviced by high-speed land lines. Satellite service is the next best thing, and the dish is usually sufficient, but every once in a while…urghhh!

Just a few days ago, the adjacent neighbours and I had a discussion about how far we’d all come since the dial-up days. Remember that? The phone line was tied up all the time and it took all night to download your email. Large attachments were a nightmare and forget about streaming anything.

I don’t know how it happened, but sometime between dial-up and the dish, access to the Internet became indispensable. Like appliances and power tools, it’s become a time-saving device that makes short work of chores. Especially research—remember card catalogues? I miss those about as much as I miss dial-up.

There are talented artisans who eschew modern technologies and still manage to create masterpieces; sadly, I’m not one of them. I’m not that writer who could turn out a book on an old Underwood or even a Selectric. Without my word processor, I’d be a tree’s worst nightmare.

My apologies for whining and moaning about our Internet service. I’m just venting. I couldn’t manage with it and I wouldn’t trade our worst day of service here for better service elsewhere. So I’ll shut up now and go see if the dish is behaving yet.

If your Internet service is working, you can order Secret Sky on Amazon with one simple click here.

For other retailers click here.

Your adventure awaits…buckle up.

New Year Surprise

January 3, 2014 By JPMcLean 8 Comments

It’s January third already and yet it still doesn’t feel like a brand new year.

Despite the “2013 Year in Review” news clips and the “Predictions for 2014” that are floating around on TV and online, it never really feels like the new year for me until the Christmas decorations are packed away.

Unlike the day the bright ornaments are put up, with an egg nog in hand, carols on the stereo and a crackling fire in the background, the day the decorations come down is without libation, flames or carols. The chore feels more like bidding goodbye to an old friend.

Today was that day. I dragged the bins out of the crawl space, re-packed the decorations, Christmas platters and empty stockings, and then tucked the bins away until next year. The house feels a little empty now and less cheery. It also needs a good cleaning, but I put that off in favour of a late afternoon walk around the yard.

And I’m so glad I took that stroll, because look what I found! The daffodils and sedums are poking their heads out. They won’t venture further until much later in the spring, but just seeing their effort brightened my day.