Writers Chat, hosted by Jean Wise, Johnnie Alexander, and Brandy Brow, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!
“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”
Conference Series #1~ Before Going to the Conference
In this episode of Writers Chat our co-hosts Johnnie Alexander, Jann Martin, and Melissa Stroh are joined by Bethany Jett to provide per-conference tips. These ladies discuss how to pick the right conference, the advantages of virtual and in person, budgeting, what to take with you, and so much more! They also share their experiences as attendees as well as from a faculty/director perspective. For more, check out this week’s replay.
Watch the February 1st replay.
Sensitivity and Diversity in Manuscripts with Edwina Perkins
Publishing houses are looking for more diversity in what authors are submitting, so, non-ethnic writers need to address some important issues when it pertains to diversity in their manuscripts. In this episode of Writers Chat, Edwina Perkins shares the importance of engaging with sensitivity and beta readers. She explains the qualifications of a sensitivity reader, and managing expectations (for example, a sensitivity reader is NOT a developmental editor). Edwina also shares seven terrific tips for writing believable and authentic characters. For more, check out this week’s replay.
Watch the February 8th replay.
Edwina Perkins is the assistant director of Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. She is also the coordinator for Mentoring Moments and the manager of Sensitivity Between the Lines, both with BRMCWC. She is an acquisitions editor for Iron Stream Media and for the imprint Harambee Press. As a longtime member of Word Weavers International, she now serves as a member of the advisory board. Edwina is an award-winning writer, experienced teacher, speaker, freelance editor, and a sensitivity reader. She is also a freelance writer with Guideposts. One of her passions is to address the need for sensitivity and diversity in the publishing industry. She’s a lover of anything dark chocolate, and chocolate covered espresso beans are her weakness.
Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. The permanent Zoom room link is: http://zoom.us/j/4074198133
Do you want to take your creativity and problem-solving abilities to a new level? Diversify your inputs. Increasing the diversity of the groups you interact with and the sources of your creative inspiration will lead to:
Greater creativity
More innovative ideas
Improved problem-solving
Better decisions
All of which lead to greater success and greater job satisfaction.
It makes sense when you think about it. The more alike your friends and writing associates are, the more likely they will think along the same lines and come up with similar answers to problems. On the other hand, a more diverse group of people will have a broader outlook, more varied ideas, and more novel approaches to solving problems.
If you want to tap into the power of diversity, consider where you can add more diverse inputs in your writing life. Here are some suggestions.
Critique partners
Do your critique partners all write in the same genre? Do they all prefer to read the same sorts of books? While a critique from someone who hates your genre is usually not helpful, it’s wise to find critique partners who aren’t all writing the same kind of story.
My main critique partners write in completely different genres. This has served us well. In addition, I have joined forces with a fellow mystery writer (through the Sisters in Crime organization). When we were first brought together we weren’t sure it would work because our styles and worldviews appeared to be very different, but it turns out those differences have helped us identify blind spots, faulty assumptions, and plot holes. (Not to mention an occasional discussion on midwest vs. northeast idioms and brand familiarity.)
If you are looking for ways to diversify your critique input, here is a sample of the factors to consider:
Age
Gender
Cultural background
Income level
Education level
Occupation(s)
Work experience
Religious beliefs
Where they’ve lived
Where they’ve traveled
Family background
Personality / temperament
Taste in books
Taste in music, and/or other arts
Main interests and hobbies
Favorite leisure activities
Writing experience level
Genres they write
Pantser or plotter?
Writing style and voice
Beta readers
The same goes for beta readers. Your readers will (hopefully) come from all walks of life, so finding a diverse group of beta readers will help ensure your story makes sense and appeals to different audience segments who might benefit from your book.
Brainstorming
Who do you bounce ideas off of? Do you count on your spouse and your critique partners to solve all your writing problems, or do you solicit ideas from a larger group of people? You might benefit from finding a handful of people with diverse backgrounds who are willing to gather now and then to brainstorm plot problems, plot ideas, marketing strategies, or anything else that could spark new life into your writing career. When choosing brainstorming partners, remember to choose a mixed group, and don’t limit yourself to writers.
Social contacts
How diverse are the backgrounds and life experiences of the people you interact with on a regular basis? Could you benefit from spending more time with people outside your usual group? I realize it’s difficult to socialize in a post-Covid world, but social media and internet forums provide an opportunity to interact with diverse viewpoints.
Book and media consumption
Just as with nutrition, the more varied our diet, the healthier we’ll be. If you find yourself reading book after book in the same tried-and-true genre, it may be time to branch out. Pick up a few books in genres you don’t normally read. If you really hate them, you don’t have to finish them, but don’t dismiss an entire genre just because you disliked one or two books. Ditto for movies, music, and other creative inputs.
Years ago I stated a book club with the primary purpose of forcing myself to read books I wouldn’t normally read. Because it’s an organized thing, it makes me remain intentional about choosing a variety of book genres, topics, and styles. Do you have a book club that pushes you out of your reading comfort zone? If not, perhaps its time to join one or start your own.
I hope these ideas help you widen your creative horizons and find new inspiration.
Award-winning writer Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a unique story to tell the world. She loves inspiring fellow writers to be more intentional about developing their craft and courageous in sharing their words. Lisa shares her words through speaking, leading Bible studies, writing historical mysteries, and blogging about living intentionally.
It has never been easier to publish a book thanks to the rapid advancement of technology. Goodreads and Amazon are some of the best platforms for new authors, most of whom are unknown and inexperienced. Most writers have no idea about what it takes to release a book. Publishing a professional, well-written, and memorable book is a process.
As a writer, you’ve probably published some of your books. Perhaps you have completed writing another book and you want different results when you finally release your creativity to the world. Here are eight things that you should so before releasing your book.
1. Write a great book
According to college papers, every reader wants to invest in great books. While this point may appear simple, you’ll be surprised by the number of poorly written books that have already been published. Don’t be too excited to release your book without ensuring that it’s good. People will hate the book and the author. And you’ll end up hating yourself.
How can you be sure that your book is good? If you are happy with the plot, characters, and the flow then you are one step closer to having a good book. However, reading the book alone is not the most effective solution. There are people who can spot errors that your eyes can’t see even if you read your work fifty times. You need beta readers to help you out.
2. Find beta readers
Beta readers are people who read your book from cover to cover and give you an honest opinion. Some of these readers might be writers. And others might be people who simply love reading. You give them a free book for their honest opinion.
It can be surprisingly difficult to find people to read your book especially if it’s too long. Some will say they don’t have enough time to read. And others will want to read without having to look for mistakes. Avoid asking the following people to point out mistakes in your work:
Best friend: Even if they are willing to help, there’s a chance that they’ll never find time to read it. You’ll keep pestering them and they’ll always come up with excuses or worse, avoid you.
Your mum: Your mum is always going to love the work of your hands. Your mother is the best choice if you want to be complimented. However, not the best choice if you want honesty.
Your spouse: People who are close to you are the least likely to be completely honest with you. They have already accepted you with all your strengths and weaknesses.
You should ask:
Writers: Writers understand their craft. You should go for experienced authors because they’ll quickly notice your mistakes. They can also offer constructive criticism and suggestions of what you need to improve and how to go about it.
Editors: Editors love reading books. Some of them won’t charge you anything for reading your book. Editors are experienced in pointing out mistakes. They won’t hesitate to tell you what needs to be improved.
Today, it’s quite easy to find beta readers. They have formed groups on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Other platforms to find experienced writers and editors include research paper writing service, assignment help and essay reviews. For other people to read your work, you must be willing to read other people’s work.
3. Criticism shouldn’t hurt
Don’t send your book to an experienced writer or editor and expect them to shower you with compliments. They won’t unless they are close to you.
Criticism is a free gift that improves the quality of your book. Some people will just trash your book without any valid reason. Instead of feeling awful, ignore such people. However, if you get comments such as “continuity error in Chapter X Paragraph Y, then you’ve got some work to do.
Criticism can hurt. But it’s one of the most effective ways of improving your skills. Take criticism well and make the most out of it. If one reader can spot mistakes and leave honest feedback, it’s highly likely that others will feel the same way.
4. Find more beta readers
After correcting your work, send it more beta readers. Hopefully, some of your original readers will be interested in reading your revised manuscript. This is good because they’ll let you know if the changes you made have improved your book. And other things that you need to add. Honest feedback can be a pain in the ass. But it’s an important process if you want readers to take you seriously.
5. Find a copy editor
According to dissertation help service, if you are self-publishing, you’ll have to hire a copy editor. The best part is, you’ll get to choose an editor who is ideal for you. A copy editor will check for things like repetition, word choices, and get rid of weak sentences. Beta readers will not do this for you. But a copy editor will greatly improve the quality of your work.
6. Hire a proofreader
All the stages that we’ve discussed are important. And can be skipped if you are an experienced writer with a loyal following. However, proofreading is a must. Since our eyes are usually blind when it comes to finding our errors, a proofreader will help you fix typos, punctuation, spelling, and grammatical errors. Unless your book is short and you are a professional proofreader, it’s always good to hire someone.
A study conducted by Dissertation Today found out that close to forty percent of books that you’ll find on shelves have never been proofread. They are full of spelling mistakes, incomplete sentences, and tense confusion. And they frustrate many readers. To avoid joining this club, hire a proofreader to polish your work.
7. Get a captivating cover
The cover is the first thing people look at before picking a book. Believe it or not, a lot of readers judge a book by its cover. Therefore, it’s important to hire a professional designer to help you create a good cover for your book. Ensure that the designer takes into account the main points in your book. You don’t want your creativity to be hidden behind a poorly designed cover.
8. Format
Self-publishing a book requires a lot of formatting work. The font has to fit properly on e-readers like Kindle. The cover size has to be perfect. It’s better to work hard and eliminate errors before releasing your book than after you’ve released it.
Conclusion
After completing all these steps, you’ll have a professionally written manuscript with a great cover waiting to be published. And you can start calling yourself an author. The more you write, the easier this process will be.
Kurt Walker is a skilled freelancer and editor at a professional writer service in London. He is one of the many UK essay writers specialized in essay writing and assignment help. In his spare time, Kurt plays the guitar and takes his dog Shay for a walk.
Finding a reliable and dependable beta reader
can be a challenge. They often bail on you. Why? This topic comes up regularly
on beta read groups.
First, let me point out the reasons why a beta reader may never start reading a manuscript.
The author ignores formatting
requests. I ask writers to put their manuscript in standard submission format. Not
everyone wants this, but if your reader asks for a certain format, then try to
be respectful and accommodate. Try to avoid tiny print, colored font, weird
formatting, or other issues that may be an obstacle to easy reading.
Ten chapters landing in
their mailbox when they asked for one.
A manuscript with the
chapter numbers removed and several chapters squished together when they asked
for one chapter.
The author makes
unreasonable demands, such as fast turnaround, free line editing, and/or free
proofreading.
Why a beta reader may stop reading a manuscript after one, two, three, or four chapters. Or pages.
Materials are vastly
different from the description. If a book is listed as PG-13, graphic sex
scenes or violence shouldn’t be in the book. If it’s pitched as a cozy,
blood and gore on page one can be a shock. The novel also needs to fit within
the expected market guidelines for content. A YA novel, even if self-published,
still needs to follow certain standards.
Often, I will stop
reading after a few chapters. This is because at this point of a beta read, the
big picture problems are apparent. If the author consistently has the same
issues in the first four chapters, I begin to repeat myself and my advice
becomes repetitive. There’s no reason to continue until the writer has reworked
the rest of the manuscript. To carry on is frustrating for both reader and
author.
If a submission is too
rough and has editing mistakes in every line, a reader may stop after a page.
Nonproductive dialogue
with the author can ruin the reader-author relationship. Some writers desire
affirmation rather than feedback. Encouragement is helpful to a certain degree,
but beta readers primarily provide feedback to assist a writer find the flaws
so they can improve. That does not mean writer must take all, or any, of their
reader’s suggestions. But the author should expect suggestions rather than only
praise. The beta should point out what works and what doesn’t.
Other reasons your beta stopped reading.
They got sick.
There was a family
emergency.
An unexpected work
situation came up.
In other words, life happened.
It’s not always about the manuscript. A reader can have many reasons for not finishing your book.
Beta reading is hard work and time consuming.
Volunteer beta readers don’t owe anyone an explanation if they find they can’t
or don’t want to finish reading a manuscript.
Remember, your beta readers are doing you a service and should be treated with respect.
Always be kind if it doesn’t work out, and move
on.
Donna Jo Stone writes YA contemporary novels about tough issues but always ends the stories with a note of hope. She blogs at donnajostone.com.
All writers
need feedback. Should you use a beta reader?
What is a Beta Reader?
The majority
of people define a beta reader as a test reader, a person who reads your
manuscript after it has been critiqued, polished, and edited. Most writers will
provide a list of questions for their beta readers. These questions ask for
general feedback about character development, plot, setting, and so forth. Some
writers feel it is best not to ask leading questions, while others ask readers
to evaluate certain areas that they think need attention. Beta readers are
generally intended to catch big picture story problems or plot holes.
Some people
use beta readers as editors and proofreaders, but betas are not a substitute
for editing. Betas can stray into critique as well.
Paid Betas
There are
many paid beta reading services. These might be considered a budget version of
a content edit, or a first pass content edit, and seem to stick to test reading
only. I had one individual offer to read my manuscript for free and she did a
fair job. I provide a list of questions for my betas, but she had her own,
which were similar to mine.
If you plan
on using a paid beta reader, shop around. Ask for recommendations and
referrals.
Ready for a Beta?
Free beta
readers can be found in online groups. If you decide to take the plunge and use
a beta reader, save time and aggravation. Submit the first chapter and see if
they respond with appropriate and timely feedback.
It pays to
be leery of beta reading offers from people who don’t read in your genre.
There’s nothing like having a beta offer to read and then confess they do not
like this genre right before they suggest rewriting the manuscript to please
them. On the other hand, a good beta will be able to read across genres and
offer constructive feedback.
I’ve gotten
everything from single word answers to a full blown expository review. I always
read all comments. One reader gave strange answers to the response questions,
repeatedly citing an incident that wasn’t in my book. I wanted to ask if she’d
been watching Netflix while beta reading. BUT, she did comment in track changes
on my MS, catching several typos and a couple of crucial loose ends. Go figure.
I’ve met
some amazing writers through beta reading groups. The community is generous and
most try to do their best. A few people have reached out to me and helped me
without asking for anything in return. I’ve met some wonderful writers who I
consider to be some of my most valued critique partners and beta readers. They
help me see things I wouldn’t have otherwise because I’m too close to the
project. A good beta reader’s value cannot be overestimated.
My all-time
favorite betas are two wonderful ladies in the UK. For some reason, the
criticisms are easier to take and the encouragement makes me smile. “This part
is a bit muddled” and “Brill!” just tickles my ear.
Do you use beta readers? Tell me about your experience.
Donna Jo Stone writes YA
contemporary novels about tough issues but always ends the stories with a note
of hope. She blogs at donnajostone.com.
I recently finished making wording changes on a self-published book that had already been typeset and printed — or perhaps I should say I thought I had finished the changes. A large batch of new changes just came in from another person who had looked through the book. (I sure am glad I was the typesetter/page designer, and not the editor of that book!)
Thankfully, with print on demand, such changes can be incorporated for a relatively low cost, but my client was concerned about how “unprofessional” the process seemed to be. Surely such last-minute changes never happen in traditional publishing! Oh, if that were only more true. Traditional publishing arguably has fewer of these unfortunate last-minute wording changes than self-publishers do, but it still happens once in a while.
When it comes to avoiding last-minute wording changes, traditional publishers have a distinct advantage over self-publishers, and it all comes down to who is paying the bill. Even if a self-publishing author pays a professional editor to go through the manuscript, the author pays the bill and has the final say.
If the editor finds wordiness, the overuse of a phrase, or a myriad of cliches, will the author have the humility to allow the editor to remove them? (I can’t count the number of times I’ve been told by an author, “That’s just my style,” in response to my discovery of such problems.)
But there is yet another advantage that traditional publishers have over self-publishers: the manuscript gets seen by multiple pairs of eyes. A manuscript at a traditional publisher may go through two or three levels of editing (each by a diffferent person), and more than one proofreader, and “in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Every person who looks at the manuscript brings a different perspecitive to the writing. It’s crazy, but sometimes a proofreader will notice a problem with a sentence — a sentence that has already been read by four or five people!
Sometimes all it takes is a missing “not” to change a godly author’s words into heresy. Think of this sentence: “Jesus is not indifferent to our sufferings.” If that “not” gets lost, several people may read it and unconsciously insert the word, and thereby miss the typo.
Sometimes a sentence goes past several pairs of eyes before someone notices that it can have two meanings. (My favorite is the old joke about the guy who got fired for laziness. When asked for a recommendation, his former employer wrote: “You’ll be lucky if you can get this guy to work for you.”)
Self-publishing authors cannot typically afford to pay for multiple sets of eyes on a manuscript, but they can still manage to get this advantage in an economical way. They can use beta readers. A beta reader is a friend or fellow author who is willing to read your book and point out any snags or confusing passages. (Or even, sometimes, a major flaw in the logic of your nonfiction, or a hole in the plot of your fiction.) With print on demand, it is now economically practical to hand out printed review copies of your book to your beta readers — but I would strongly suggest having your manuscript professionally edited and proofread before you produce review copies.
When you use beta readers, you need to practice both humility and discernment — humility to accept that your book may have errors, and discernment to realize that nonprofessional advice is not always worth taking. With those two virtues in mind, the more eyes on your book, the merrier!
David Fesseden has degrees in journalism and theology, and over 30 years of experience in writing and editing. He has served in editorial management positions for Christian book publishers and was regional editor for the largest Protestant weekly newspaper in the country.
Dave has published seven books, written hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles, and edited numerous books. He is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences. Two of his books, Writing the Christian Nonfiction Book: Concept to Contract and A Christian Writer’s Guide to the Book Proposal, are based on his experience in Christian publishing. The Case of the Exploding Speakeasy, Dave’s first novel, reflects his love for history and for the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan-Doyle.
Dave and his wife, Jacque, live in south-central Pennsylvania and have two adult sons.
