Call For Beta Readers
My first book Word Walkers: Stolen Secret is released! And that means it’s time to get to work on Word Walkers: Harts In Hanmark! That means I’m looking for beta readers again!
I’m going to put my full beta reader expectations below, but as a quick summary, here are a few points:
I have a deadline of next year to release this book, which means I need beta readers who can commit to reading quickly/consistently. Word Walkers averages about 100 pages before formatting and I ask you read 20 pages a week.
Don’t worry if you haven’t read the first book! That kind of perspective would actually help. If you’re interested in reading and would like to read the book, I can get you an eBook copy.
About the Book
Diving back into the adventures of the World Walker, Diana and Kan'sa make their way to Hanmark, the home of the Spoken Truth. What they had hoped would be a welcomed visit to the holy city-state turns into something more sinister as the Blessed renounces Kan'sa's title.
By why would she do something like that?
Critique Expectations
To start, let me say just simply that this is a draft. I am aware that the text will contain:
Grammar errors
Spelling errors
Odd sentences
Etc.
While I definitely appreciate these being pointed out, I am planning to have a professional editor look over my book in this capacity. While it may be difficult, I ask that you read the book as if it were on the shelf already, with a slightly leniency on these types of errors since they will be edited after. What I am asking you to look for is these types of things:
Character development
Clarity in the story
Loopholes
Unanswered plot threads
Poor foreshadowing
Poor plot twists
Etc.
The industry term for this besides beta reader is a content reader. Effectively, what you as a beta reader will be doing is giving me a chapter by chapter book review, or we’ll be having a sort of book club with each other to find ways to improve it. This is how I pinpoint where things can be strengthened and what elements are fine already. I will then go through all of the feedback giving and adjust the text based on common opinions and my own personal preference on how the story is told.
The tasks I’m asking of you are as follows:
Read and comment on at least 2 sections per week (~30 pages)
Comments are welcome to be pages long, have sidetracks, and spelling errors. Say what’s on your mind to the full extent.
While you can say “I don’t know” or “I liked/didn’t like this,” please try to give some explanation as to why. If you have to use “I don’t know,” try to use it once per section. These kinds of responses limit what I can do to improve these issues.
If you would prefer to have this conversation recorded rather than typed, you are welcome to send me an audio file, a video, or schedule a chat with me.
If you need to change the reading rate, let me know. If I don’t hear from you in a week, I will send you a reminder. If I don’t hear from you in two weeks, I will take you off my list of readers.
If you would like additional reminders or deadlines, let me know. I’m happy to add these.
I may also choose to take you off my list if I feel like your commentary falls too far from what I’m looking for, either in being too vague or if our styles don't work well together.
My book is copyrighted. Obviously, don’t steal it, but also please keep any comments about the text made in public limited to information I have previously shared.
If you’re unsure if a comment is or isn’t ok, please message me.
Interviews are not required, but I would like to have at least one sit down about the book with you, preferably at the end. This can be in a video chat, voice call, or just in an IM.
If you’re interested, please email me at wordwalkersseries@gmail.com, fill out this form https://forms.gle/g8aVfdbDpzAPDhn59, or contact me on one of my social platforms (I’m amelias-hart of some kind or anyone on most plaforms).
If you would like additional materials for the world, like access to the map, you can find this information at my World Anvil wiki here: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/the-mortal-world-amelias-hart. Besides the map, which will be included in the final print, none of the information on this wiki is vital to understanding the story.