Looking for Pre-Readers? Post here.

[VydorScope]

BTW - might want to pin this thread while you are at it...

[James_Wilde]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

You will always be the OP of this thread, and your fame will spread far and wide!

Wow, the glory! Now if only I could get such publicity for my book!

[LynnaMerrill]

I am planning to release Unnaturals, a young adult SF dystopian novel, in December. The novel is already edited but can benefit from additional eyes helping track down the last typos. Other reader feedback is also welcome.

Anyone who feels like reading a new book in the next few weeks, and helping an author battle that word-munching, letter-scrambling elf that comes out at night to work on the book in secret, drop me a line.

About Unnaturals:

In the perfect city of Lucasta, life is easy, bountiful, and completely arranged for everyone. New fashions and material goods abound. Everyone constantly communicates with hundreds of friends through their computing device, and pain, disease, and cruelty are fading into a distant memory. So is personal choice. Benevolent corporations watch over people as good parents. To the new generation, hate and prejudice are just a fairy tale.

Yet, teenage Meliora feels as if Lucasta is suffocating her. Always an unusual child, she discovers the dark secret of a world where secrets don't even exist any more.

But what can be wrong with a perfect world?

The answer is easy: everything. It is the next question that is hard. If a perfect world is wrong, what is a better alternative?

[Corkobo]

I'll give it a shot but not for the typos or grammar errors (not my strong point) but for other kind of feedback.


By the way, I think you were maybe meant to use this Thread: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=196579 (this way the fame of James_Wilde will spread far and wide )

However, I cannot guarantee that I'll give you feedback by 1st December as I cannot read more than 1 hour a day on average.
I don't know if this matters to you but generally I don't read YA fiction so you would get feedback from someone outside the sub-genre.

[Dr. Drib]

About to be merged. Thank you.



Don
(Moderator)

[LynnaMerrill]

Thank you, Corkobo. Other kind of feedback will be very welcome. I have sent you a private message with the logistics.

[James_Wilde]

OK Lynna, I'm a sucker for dystropies. Nearly finished with VydorScopes latest, so I'll give yours a shot if you haven't been inundated with secret PMs

[LynnaMerrill]

James_Wilde, thank you. I've had PMs, but I will be glad to send it to you, too. What e-mail address should I send to (you can send me a PM with that if you prefer), and what e-book format? I can send you PDF, EPUB, or MOBI. When do you think you can read it?

[VydorScope]

SOOO I promised to report back..

I plan Monday to send the book to my editor. Since posting looking for Pre-Readers (see previous thread) the following has happened:

My wife made the first edit pass. She handles the "easy" stuff (then/than, to/too, said instead of ask, etc). She does a great job of pre-editing before the professional editor gets the book. This saves us money cause our editor charges by effort needed. Plus it frees up the editor for the harder stuff like over used expressions, and etc.

While she did that we have had several pre readers.

1) A reader that has read every book and enjoyed the series. This reader sent no negative comments in about the book in the pre-read. None. Sent positive comments about things they liked, but that is it.

2) Some one that previously not read my books, and only read book four (and 1) for this pre-read. This person sent about four pages of MS Word typed feed back. They found some things that I changed, and some things that they were confused about that was a product of not reading the first three books. This pre-reader was very useful.

3) Another pre-reader that also was new to my series but took the time to read all the back books before reading the new volume. This reader also sent several pages (think 4 also actually) of feed back and I did make changes here to. This one had a lot less confusion then #2.

4) A fan of the series that has sent critical advice in the past. This person has yet to actually read the book or send any feed back.

5) A fan of the series that has given useful comments in the past. This person only made it about 70% through the book, but did find things that every else missed and I made corrections based on that feed back. Hoping to get one last update from this reader before I send the book to the editor.


So that is where that stands. I think it was very successful first try at this. I would suggest it to others. I am currently working on my fifth novel and likely will do this again.

Some comments on the results

1) With the exception of #3, all my pre-readers noted that my characters were a bit too good, #3 told me my good guys were "brutal". Still trying to reconcile that one

2) There was very little over lap in the findings. By that I mean The things that #3 found that needed fixing, no one else reported. Same for the others. I would say around 90% of feed back from each was unique to them.

3) About 1/2 of them saw little to no grammar/editing issues, and 1/2 said.. yeah your editor will have fun with this. Shows the difference in level of tolerance for these things

4) Everyone wanted feed back on their feed back.

5) I tend to cut/leave stuff out that I think is distraction or boring to the plot lines - most pre-reader confusion comes form the stuff I left out, or was too subtle about. I guess you can edit too much.

[James_Wilde]

I agree with Vydorscope on the value of this exercise. Unless you have an agent, most of your normal (p)readers are family and friends, and they tend to be so overwhelmed that they know someone who can actually string together 100,000 words or more (or less) that they are less than effective, and feel that one would be hurt by criticism.

So far I've had one report back, and the value of it was enormous. A lot of the comments can be resolved by relatively small changes to the text, but just these will make it a very much better book. A couple of them would involve much more re-writing, and I think I'll leave them at least for the present. Too busy with books three and four.

[QuantumIguana]

I'm looking for a pre-reader for my book Don Quixote, Warlord of Mars. It's a planetary romance/chivalrous romance. The main character is Don Quixote, who sleepwalks from his deathbed, rides away on Rocinante, and finds himself on the Red Planet. Don Quixote had just come to terms that bold knights-errant were not real, and in particular, he is not one of them. Yet, he finds himself in a world where knight-errantry is a reality.

I'm looking for whatever feedback you're willing to provide. If I natter on to much, let me know. If there are things that need expanding, please let me know.

It's not a long novel, about 53,000 words. I'd be willing to read your novel if you will read mine. Thanks.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

I'm looking for a pre-reader for my book Don Quixote, Warlord of Mars. It's a planetary romance/chivalrous romance. [...]
It's not a long novel, about 53,000 words. I'd be willing to read your novel if you will read mine. Thanks.

Is this intended/hoped to be anything like the style of Michael Moorcock's Michael Kane series ("City of the Beast" etc.)? And those I think were a sort of homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter series.

If that's a yes, then you can count me in. What's the etiquette for this thread? Do I just PM you with my email address?

[QuantumIguana]

Originally Posted by gmw

Is this intended/hoped to be anything like the style of Michael Moorcock's Michael Kane series ("City of the Beast" etc.)? And those I think were a sort of homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter series.

If that's a yes, then you can count me in. What's the etiquette for this thread? Do I just PM you with my email address?

I've read some of Moorcock's books, but I haven't read that series. Mine is more light-hearted. In my book, Don Quixote has accepted that he was mad, and still continues to believe that he is mad. Thus, when he meets four-armed giant, he is determined not to be fooled by delusions. He insists that it is not a giant, but is merely a windmill. He continues to believe this, despite the giant picking him up and throwing him to the ground. He insists that the wandered too close to the windmill and was struck by the blades.

Here's a couple lines, where Don Quixote insists that the giant is but a windmill despite the insults the giant yells at him. He insists that the yelling is just the wind.

*****

Don Quixote proceeded calmly, ignoring the obscene gestures and insults the giant hurled his way. “Be at ease, Zancho, this is no storm, but just a little wind.”
“Your grace, I have heard the wind whistle, I have heard the wind moan, but I have never heard the wind insult my dear mother!”

*****

'Zancho' isn't a typo, on Mars, Don Quixote has a squire named Zancho, rather than one named Sancho.

You can PM me with your e-mail address, but if after seeing the description, if you're no longer interested, I'll understand.

[VydorScope]

THIS THING ON??? TESTING! TESTING!!

So I am IGNORING the message about this thread being old at the bottom of the screen and trying to follow the spirit of this thread that the Great and Wonderful Dr. Drib has so generously sanction and NOT start a new thread.


I should have MY FIFTH NOVEL ready for pre-readers by this coming weekend. Its around 100k words long. It is in the same universe (and same time period as the fourth book) as my other books but it has been written with the first time reader in mind so you do not have to know the series to read it. Thanks to the magic that is Calibre I can provide EPUB or MOBI for your reading pleasure.

The book is a PG rated fantasy story told in a sci-fi setting. So yes, wizards in space. I am looking for pre-readers that can give feedback with regards to...

1) Characters - stay consistent and grow as appropriate.
2) Scenes, places, and etc all work
3) Laws of Nature/etc are honored (that is laws of the given universe)
4) Pacing
5) Plot holes/logic jumps
6) Over all opinion
7) Consistency, Consistency, Consistency
8) If you have read the other 4 books - review for fit in overall universe

I am NOT looking for line editing, typos, grammar, spelling, etc. I will not turn that down, but I know they are in there as the book as not gone to editing yet.

I will supply a Smashwords coupon for the book to all pre-readers post release, and I am willing to throw in a Smashwords coupon for my current omnibus to anyone that actually provides useful feedback in this exchange. (last time I had several disappear and never heard from, so this is extra incentive).

The book will be going to a professional editor the second week of October - so it would be great if I cold have feed back before then. Release is planed for early December.

SO PM or EMAIL me or drop by my site and use the contact forum. Heck, if you live near by stop by my office with a milkshake.

[BeccaPrice]

for an 800-word fairy tale.

trigger warning - death discussed.

What I want to know is, is it any good, and is it suitable for a 7-10year old child?

I'm not sure whether it'll be included in my new collection, or whether I'll publish it as a stand-alone aimed at adults, or whether I'll just put it in my "tried but it didn't work" file.

pm me with your email address, and whether you can read a Word document or prefer some other format.'

Thanks!