I am Back! Welcome to my new avocation as a book Beta-Reader.
I am back! After a bit of a break, I am back to blogging and taking my readers on a few new journeys with me. Since I last wrote, life has been spinning at a fast pace. I’ve had some big personal losses which still hurt to my core, and experienced monumental gains in life. We’ll get to those in future blogs.
One thing I realized is that we are better together, in so many ways. This thought has been spiraling through my life, all aspects of it, for over a year. And I had a lot of life in 2025. So, I’ll need to write in multiple segments. Today’s blog will focus on how it pertains to my author life and my readers.
Just last year, I had the opportunity to Beta Read a cozy mystery for an author who wanted feedback. Family and friends read it and said they “liked” it and that it was “good” but she wanted more. When we spoke, I learned that what she really wanted went beyond just reading the book for fun, she wanted someone to really READ her book. She wanted constructive feedback, the kind that pointed her to where the reader was drawn in and pulled out. She wanted to know if her characters were believable, if her plot had enough action and conflict to follow her characters to the end of the book, and if there were any places she needed to reconstruct because they were too vague. She wanted MORE.
I read her book three times, made comments on the manuscript, and thought “That was fun!” When I finished, I pondered that perhaps I made a difference in this author’s next publication. Her response confirmed that my comments were just what she was looking for. We spoke for an hour in person and I gave her my hand written notes that covered the entire book. Some comments were page specific; others were broader, but she received the MORE she was looking for. I advised her to keep what she could use and set the rest aside. The main point is not to lose her author’s voice or compromise her story line. Read part two to continue the blog.
PART TWO:
Last week, I met with another author who asked in January if I would Beta Read his manuscript. We didn’t know each other well, which he explained made the most sense for him. He also had a few friends and family members read his work; they thought it was “good” but he was looking for MORE. His novel was close to 100,000 words. I read the entire book twice and then some, with a critical eye. In the process I reviewed and answered his questions…are there any red herrings, is it believable, would readers be interested in reading my book, are there any holes, and more…
I met with him in person on Saturday and was delighted to see that my feedback was what he wanted to move his book forward. He had hired a professional editor who was looking for grammar and punctuation among other things… but as a Beta Reader, I look for something different. Something MORE. And that MORE is what he wanted, what he needed so he could write the story that had been percolating inside of him for ten long years! A story he originally wrote just for himself, but now feels pulled to publish. A story I am positive we will see on bookshelves and in bookstores in the future.
It felt so good to pass on what I learned through workshops, from fellow authors, and from my college classes to benefit upcoming authors. After a great deal of thought, I am now offering “Beta Reader” as a paid service on my webpage in addition to “Workshops” and “Guest Speaker.” For more specifics, fill out the form linked here or send me an email. Minnesota authors can apply for Regional Art Board Grants that can cover the nominal fee I charge for these new services.
I will blog about my workshops and guest speaker services in the future. Until then, thanks for following my journey and enjoy each day. Someone told me that you only die once, but every day you live, you have the opportunity to make a difference in another person’s life. Until next time, take the roads less traveled.