Confession time – this whole “beta reader” thingy is all new to me. I’m fumbling and stumbling along – in the dark – like I’m on ice and I just heard a “crack”. With this in mind take the “Room for One More” with a grain of salt. I’m staying flexible here to say the least.
If you don’t know what a beta reader is exactly – it is more or less what it sounds like. It is somebody who gets a “free” advance copy of a book (in this case) in exchange for some feedback on the contents. I said “free” because, well, let’s face it, if I expect something in return – like comments – then it ain’t really free now is it? The other thing is, my beta readers will have the book parted out to them. As it stands now – this will be on a chapter by chapter basis. The chapters are about 30 pages each. There are a couple of reasons for this. For one thing, I don’t want to just dump a whole book on someone and expect them to read it all and get back to me. While I have done this before to one guy and he was amazing, that was a bit different. Another reason for doing it this way is it puts a whole lot less pressure on my readers. It makes for a more manageable and orderly process.
All this is happening on a web-based platform called NowComment. Overall, it is a great tool and it is free to use. At this writing, it is really free – something almost unheard of these days. I don’t see any paid options anywhere. I’m almost afraid to tout this because I think the proprietors will realize what a gem this is and start charging.
In any case, I load the section I want my group to read. What I didn’t realize until today is those participating need to be registered first. They don’t see anything until they first sign up. What does this mean to me? Well, foolish me sent out the group invites without warning anyone. When I realized this, I sent out a second email from my personal account giving them a heads up. So far only one has responded. Oi. Of course, I’m doing all this as Christmas fast approaches. The last think I want to do is browbeat anyone right now. I want everyone to enjoy Christmas and their families and everything. No matter how great the book might be, it is Christmas. So, I’ll cool my heels and wait.
At least for now – the whole “beta reader” issue is not settled so if you would like a sneak peak in exchange for your valuable insights – drop me an email. My email address is posted on the side bar.
Or if you just want updates on the progress of the book – drop your info in the form below. You’ll also get a first look at what I post here – amazing stuff God keeps raining down on me. Plus I’ll offer my subscribers a special one-time price when the book goes into pre-order.
God bless and Merry Christmas!
Andy
