Looking for Prereaders - Page 2

VydorScope · 10-30-2012, 09:43 PM

Speaking of which... would not mind couple more readers...

jehane · 11-03-2012, 09:59 AM

There are already plenty of writing sites around that provide critique circles. Having a separate board for this kind of request would depend on whether the main aim of this site is for reading or for writing, and it's always felt to me that TPTB would like to keep the focus on reading. You only have to look at a lot of the listings on the Author Self-Promotions board to see that a lot of those come here solely to promote their book.

Having said that, I don't object to regular forum contributors asking for readers. I would suggest that you provide a bit more detail about the book. What kind of SF/F is it? Similar to / in the style of / suit readers who like ...? What are you looking for in a review? Technical proofreading (spelling and grammar), writing elements (plot, character development, worldbuilding), something else?

I may be interested but if possible would prefer to read a sample (maybe first few chapters?) to see if it's something I could commit to. 108K words is a hefty tome! I started a book review blog a couple of years ago but in the end couldn't keep up the time commitment, however I'd be happy to be an occasional beta reader as time permits.

I read fairly widely across SF/F, although I go through phases in subgenres. Lately I've been reading a lot of urban fantasy and space opera, though I have a couple of epic fantasy and hard SF on my TBR pile. Feel free to drop me a PM if you like.

VydorScope · 11-03-2012, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jehane

Having said that, I don't object to regular forum contributors asking for readers. I would suggest that you provide a bit more detail about the book. What kind of SF/F is it? Similar to / in the style of / suit readers who like ...?

To be clear, I was trying to not market the book here, and I felt that if I said to much it would seem like that so I avoided that kind of description. I really was only looking for the proper place/way to look for pre-readers, but thread kind of shifted as it went.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jehane

What are you looking for in a review? Technical proofreading (spelling and grammar), writing elements (plot, character development, worldbuilding), something else?

I actually mentioned this in my first post:

Quote:

I am NOT looking for an editor, have a professional one that will be the last person to see the book before release. Just some people to read the story with an eye to things like do characters stay true to themselves, is the universe still consistent (its book 4 in a series), are enough of the dangling threads cleaned up, and so on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jehane

Feel free to drop me a PM if you like.

Will do.

James_Wilde · 11-04-2012, 09:00 AM

Send it over and give me a url to the earlier books and I'll give it a shot. Used to be an avid reader of scifi: Azimov, Heinlein, Clark, et al, but not the fantasy that some people sort under fantasy and scifi.

VydorScope · 11-04-2012, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James_Wilde

Send it over and give me a url to the earlier books and I'll give it a shot. Used to be an avid reader of scifi: Azimov, Heinlein, Clark, et al, but not the fantasy that some people sort under fantasy and scifi.

Thanks, PM sent.

James_Wilde · 11-07-2012, 12:46 AM

For any scifi fans not lucky enough to get on the pre-reader list, I can say that the first book is hot stuff so far, (and free), and if the others match up to this, then they're well worth the price.

Thanks Vydorscope

Corkobo · 11-09-2012, 03:14 PM

VydorScope,

I would like to give it a try if you need someone else.

However, I have never done this before so I hope you are OK with a beginner Prereader.
I wonder if there is a place I could find 2-3 such prereader critiques (considered good and constructive) just to see what sort of feedback writers find useful.

Two more things:
- how fast do you need the feedback? Are you on a deadline? I ask because, while I am not a slow reader, I am away from home most of the day and probably only have about one hour reading time per day on average.
- I have not red any of your other books so I will not be able to comment on continuity for you, however, I will be able to tell you how easy or hard it is to get into the story if this would be the first book a reader picks up.

speakingtohe · 11-09-2012, 03:48 PM

I would read it and point out any flaws I saw as well as any strong points. If the book was not to my taste I would tell you so without any judgement other than readability/spelling/grammer etc.

Helen

VydorScope · 11-09-2012, 04:50 PM

For those asking about timing I have been PMing answers, but since it keeps coming up I hope no one minds me saying this here...

Volumes 1 and 2 are about 87k words. Volume 3 and 4 are about 110k words, so if you want to do this you would be looking at reading 400k words to get the full continuity. Or if you want to risk being a bit confused, then 110k for just volume 4.

I am looking to send the draft to my editor the first week of December, and I want all the feed back in before then so that changes I make based on the feed back are part of what she edits.

So Speakingtohe, and Corkobo if you are still interested, drop me a PM. I am not going to add anyone else after you two though, as it is getting late in November.

Thanks!

Marseille · 11-09-2012, 08:18 PM

A question for anyone who has used prereaders.

Do you get any benefits less related to textual changes? Winnowing down/understanding your target market, for example? Even if you aren't doing more external marketing, I'm wondering if this could impact integrated marketing concepts like cover art, the title and/or various descriptions to help you appeal to the right folks. Or, anything else.

It isn't a process I've ever engaged in. I've got at least one person I'm considering asking to preread my first work, but I don't really have a coherent rationale for the request, or more importantly, a good idea of what to ask for out of the process. VS's description of what he's looking for in the first post isn't as applicable for me, but my instincts tell me there might be some extratextual benefits.

I'm just trying to think it out.

Any input is appreciated.

Nancy Fulda · 11-10-2012, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Marseilles

Do you get any benefits less related to textual changes? Winnowing down/understanding your target market, for example? Even if you aren't doing more external marketing, I'm wondering if this could impact integrated marketing concepts like cover art, the title and/or various descriptions to help you appeal to the right folks. Or, anything else.

That's an interesting idea. I've generally only relied on pre-readers for storytelling feedback, but I suppose one could extrapolate the information to other areas of marketing.

I imagine that one could learn a lot by noticing which aspects of the story pique the readers' interests. For example, if readers say they enjoyed the sweeping political drama of the story, that might suggest a different kind of cover art than if readers focus in on the innocent and victimized child who is caught up in the tides of said political drama.

Marseille · 11-10-2012, 04:46 PM

There are all kinds of blurry lines out there, and I'm certain I'm not experienced or objective enough to know what side I'll really fall on each time. If you could get some hints from the prereaders, that might enable you to set expectations better, get early customers that best suited to your material and end up with better reviews (fewer "meh, not what I was expecting" reviews).

My cover is finished (I hope), my title is in place, and I'm considering delivering this to prereaders with the description I plan to use on my ebook page and nothing more. One quasi-direct question I'm mulling is whether it was the type of work they were expecting before they began reading.

I'm also thinking about sending my brief list of questions after they've read it, not before. I don't want to poison the well. If they don't have an impression about something I'm curious about, I'd rather they not manufacture one during reading just because they're on notice to watch for it. I think I'd rather know that x, y or z didn't actually make an impression.

VydorScope · 11-10-2012, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Marseilles

I'm also thinking about sending my brief list of questions after they've read it, not before. I don't want to poison the well. If they don't have an impression about something I'm curious about, I'd rather they not manufacture one during reading just because they're on notice to watch for it. I think I'd rather know that x, y or z didn't actually make an impression.

That is a valid thought... but I did not do that last time (much smaller pre-reader pool), and I found asking the questions after yielded very little. That is why I am trying this time to prime the pump and get them thinking.

Or so I hope! This is only my 4th book, and the first two were written in almost complete secrecy, so I do not know much about this yet.

Marseille · 11-10-2012, 06:08 PM

That's good point. If you post back on how it goes and anything you might have learned, I'll be reading attentively.

James_Wilde · 11-12-2012, 01:06 PM

I never actually thought about asking for pre-readers on here and as a result, all my pre-readers are either related to me or close friends, and we know what a good pointer that will give to how good the book is. About all I could rely on from them was the fact that all of them picked it up and couldn't put it down, including my sister who was due to make a trip in three days, and nearly had no time to pack!

So maybe I'll try this, too.

The down side of having your relatives as pre-readers, of course, is that you end up with no market!

10-30-2012, 09:43 PM	#16
VydorScope Wizard Posts: 3,418 Karma: 35207650 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: iPad	Speaking of which... would not mind couple more readers...

11-03-2012, 09:59 AM	#17
jehane Book addict Posts: 441 Karma: 2650464 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Antarctica/Australia/Ohio Device: Sony PRS-300/T1/Asus TF101	There are already plenty of writing sites around that provide critique circles. Having a separate board for this kind of request would depend on whether the main aim of this site is for reading or for writing, and it's always felt to me that TPTB would like to keep the focus on reading. You only have to look at a lot of the listings on the Author Self-Promotions board to see that a lot of those come here solely to promote their book. Having said that, I don't object to regular forum contributors asking for readers. I would suggest that you provide a bit more detail about the book. What kind of SF/F is it? Similar to / in the style of / suit readers who like ...? What are you looking for in a review? Technical proofreading (spelling and grammar), writing elements (plot, character development, worldbuilding), something else? I may be interested but if possible would prefer to read a sample (maybe first few chapters?) to see if it's something I could commit to. 108K words is a hefty tome! I started a book review blog a couple of years ago but in the end couldn't keep up the time commitment, however I'd be happy to be an occasional beta reader as time permits. I read fairly widely across SF/F, although I go through phases in subgenres. Lately I've been reading a lot of urban fantasy and space opera, though I have a couple of epic fantasy and hard SF on my TBR pile. Feel free to drop me a PM if you like.

11-04-2012, 09:00 AM	#19
James_Wilde Guru Posts: 802 Karma: 4727110 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Iriver Story	Send it over and give me a url to the earlier books and I'll give it a shot. Used to be an avid reader of scifi: Azimov, Heinlein, Clark, et al, but not the fantasy that some people sort under fantasy and scifi.

11-07-2012, 12:46 AM	#21
James_Wilde Guru Posts: 802 Karma: 4727110 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Iriver Story	For any scifi fans not lucky enough to get on the pre-reader list, I can say that the first book is hot stuff so far, (and free), and if the others match up to this, then they're well worth the price. Thanks Vydorscope

11-09-2012, 03:14 PM	#22
Corkobo Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 1053398 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Scotland Device: Kobo Glo, Nook Touch	VydorScope, I would like to give it a try if you need someone else. However, I have never done this before so I hope you are OK with a beginner Prereader. I wonder if there is a place I could find 2-3 such prereader critiques (considered good and constructive) just to see what sort of feedback writers find useful. Two more things: - how fast do you need the feedback? Are you on a deadline? I ask because, while I am not a slow reader, I am away from home most of the day and probably only have about one hour reading time per day on average. - I have not red any of your other books so I will not be able to comment on continuity for you, however, I will be able to tell you how easy or hard it is to get into the story if this would be the first book a reader picks up.

11-09-2012, 03:48 PM	#23
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	I would read it and point out any flaws I saw as well as any strong points. If the book was not to my taste I would tell you so without any judgement other than readability/spelling/grammer etc. Helen

11-09-2012, 04:50 PM	#24
VydorScope Wizard Posts: 3,418 Karma: 35207650 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: iPad	For those asking about timing I have been PMing answers, but since it keeps coming up I hope no one minds me saying this here... Volumes 1 and 2 are about 87k words. Volume 3 and 4 are about 110k words, so if you want to do this you would be looking at reading 400k words to get the full continuity. Or if you want to risk being a bit confused, then 110k for just volume 4. I am looking to send the draft to my editor the first week of December, and I want all the feed back in before then so that changes I make based on the feed back are part of what she edits. So Speakingtohe, and Corkobo if you are still interested, drop me a PM. I am not going to add anyone else after you two though, as it is getting late in November. Thanks!

11-09-2012, 08:18 PM	#25
Marseille Guru Posts: 687 Karma: 5700000 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: kindle	A question for anyone who has used prereaders. Do you get any benefits less related to textual changes? Winnowing down/understanding your target market, for example? Even if you aren't doing more external marketing, I'm wondering if this could impact integrated marketing concepts like cover art, the title and/or various descriptions to help you appeal to the right folks. Or, anything else. It isn't a process I've ever engaged in. I've got at least one person I'm considering asking to preread my first work, but I don't really have a coherent rationale for the request, or more importantly, a good idea of what to ask for out of the process. VS's description of what he's looking for in the first post isn't as applicable for me, but my instincts tell me there might be some extratextual benefits. I'm just trying to think it out. Any input is appreciated.

11-10-2012, 04:46 PM	#27
Marseille Guru Posts: 687 Karma: 5700000 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: kindle	There are all kinds of blurry lines out there, and I'm certain I'm not experienced or objective enough to know what side I'll really fall on each time. If you could get some hints from the prereaders, that might enable you to set expectations better, get early customers that best suited to your material and end up with better reviews (fewer "meh, not what I was expecting" reviews). My cover is finished (I hope), my title is in place, and I'm considering delivering this to prereaders with the description I plan to use on my ebook page and nothing more. One quasi-direct question I'm mulling is whether it was the type of work they were expecting before they began reading. I'm also thinking about sending my brief list of questions after they've read it, not before. I don't want to poison the well. If they don't have an impression about something I'm curious about, I'd rather they not manufacture one during reading just because they're on notice to watch for it. I think I'd rather know that x, y or z didn't actually make an impression.

11-10-2012, 06:08 PM	#29
Marseille Guru Posts: 687 Karma: 5700000 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: kindle	That's good point. If you post back on how it goes and anything you might have learned, I'll be reading attentively.

11-12-2012, 01:06 PM	#30
James_Wilde Guru Posts: 802 Karma: 4727110 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Iriver Story	I never actually thought about asking for pre-readers on here and as a result, all my pre-readers are either related to me or close friends, and we know what a good pointer that will give to how good the book is. About all I could rely on from them was the fact that all of them picked it up and couldn't put it down, including my sister who was due to make a trip in three days, and nearly had no time to pack! So maybe I'll try this, too. The down side of having your relatives as pre-readers, of course, is that you end up with no market!