Beta Reading

With this service, I read your book and give you honest, productive feedback. I will let you know what’s working and what isn’t. My feedback is detailed and covers things like pacing, author’s voice, tone of the piece, character development, dialogue, plot, structure, scenes, and setting. I will also address how your book fits into your target market, and if it isn’t there yet, what to do to make it fit. The point of this service is to provide the writer with objective and insightful feedback.

The feedback I provide with this service is typically 2-3 single-spaced pages, depending on the length of your book, and covers the topics I mention above. It is ideal for writers who want a basic understanding of how their book is doing, issues to address or expand on, and what about the book is working well. It’s more cost-effective than other services and is a great way to reignite the force driving you to write your book, or get you unstuck if you don’t know how to proceed. 

Developmental Editing/Beta Reading Plus

This type of editing is all about content. It does not include line editing or proofreading, but rather a focus on your book, what is or is not working and how to make it ready to print. With this service, I read your book focusing on things like pacing, author’s voice, tone of the piece, character development, dialogue, plot, structure, scenes, setting, target audience and marketability, and is comprised of two parts: margin comments and a separate in-depth analysis.

Comments in your manuscript’s margins are paramount as they provide two things. First, a reader’s (me) reaction in real-time. Second, you will know specific areas that need attention as well as what is working great. I will highlight killer lines or scenes, telling you, “This!” and I will address where scenes or pacing lags, where you are telling instead of showing, where a character’s dialogue doesn’t feel authentic. This will be helpful so that when you go back through, you will know what to do, and why to do it.

In my analysis, I cover everything that needs to be said. I hate absolutes, but I do mean everything. Every strength that stands out and every instance or aspect that need to be addressed, major or minor. When I discuss the topics above such as pacing or show versus tell, I do so in great detail, giving examples of where this was an issue and where you nailed it. I discuss other items as well.

I also provide individual character assessments of every main and supporting character in your book and discuss your market, intended or not. Where your book fits in terms of demographics and genre. What agents notice, for better or worse. Once you get through my notes (for full-length books, these are several single-spaced pages) you’ll be confident in knowing everything there is to know, and how to fix the things that need fixing. And after, I’m available for any questions you have. I will not read new material as part of the original service, but I will answer any questions you have about my feedback or ways to address them. I know that some writers need time to digest everything or may decide to take a break from their book for a while and come back to it with a fresh mindset. This is why there is no expiration date on such questions. Yes, if you want to know if an approach might work or asking me a question about what I meant several months later, you can email me, and I will always do my best to answer until you feel like you have a clear path forward. 

This option is ideal for writers who are not sure whether their book is “ready” in terms of story, characters, plot, etc. If there are still things to be done to your book, why pay more for comprehensive editing? You can always choose this service and then select my standard editing service later, then you are not paying for the same thing twice.