A Personal Announcement: Beta-Readers, Come on Down!

Hello Everyone!

"The time has come," The Walrus said...Well, ok not the Walrus this time around, it's actually just yours truly! 

As many of you know, I have a novella currently entered into a competition. (Missed that part? You can read about it HERE!) 

The grand prize for this competition is the chance to discuss publication through the sponsor (winner(s) will be announced by the end of this month!), however, I've decided to continue preparation for my back-up plan of publishing through Kindle and Amazon. Who knows? I might win the contest, but the sponsor and I might not be able to come to an agreement for a publication contract. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, it all depends on what's important to me and what's important to them. Either way, my fingers (and toes) are still going to be crossed until June is over. 

Now for the purpose of today's announcement: I'm ready for some beta-readers!!

Are any of you out there YA fans? Do you have a friend/spouse/relative who loves YA? Do you also happen to enjoy a little Sci-Fi now and then? Well, read on!

I've reached the beta-reader stage for my near-future YA novella. (Try saying that five times fast: Near-future YA novella, near-future YA novella…You get the idea.) This novella is the first in a three-part series, approximately 23,000 words long.

For those who are new to beta-reading, or need a refresher, the point of beta-reading is to read an unpublished manuscript and offer your honest, constructive opinion to the author. This is not to say that beta-readers are responsible for any editing, in fact, I'll be sending the manuscript to a professional editor once the beta-reading portion is finished. 

Another quick definition for anyone who isn't sure, what is a "near-future" novel/novella? Taken literally, this could mean a story set into the future, but not so far into the future that everything is completely unfamiliar. More specifically, I'm a fan of the definition provided by BestScienceFictionBooks.com: "Near-Future Science Fiction is defined more by its setting than other characteristics. The stories in this sub-genre take place in a future very near our own and has some feeling of familiarity".

If you’re interested in participating as a beta-reader, please email me at (official.cc.writer@gmail.com) using “BETA-READER QUERY” in the subject line. 

In your email, please include your name (first names only are fine if you’d like to remain a little more anonymous), and the title of the latest book you’ve read OR your current favorite (mostly because I love to know what people are reading!). 

The novella is scheduled to go out to betas on Friday, 7/1/2016, along with the link to a review survey I’m asking all betas to complete once they finish reading the novella (not too many questions, I promise!). I realize this is right before the July 4th holiday, so everyone will have until Monday, July 18, 2016 to read the novella and complete the survey. 

This feedback will be invaluable as I prepare this series for publication in 2017. (Regardless of whether I place in the competition or not.)

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! 

If I reach my goal of receiving back a minimum of 25 completed review surveys, I will hold a drawing for the betas who took the time out of their schedules to do this for me! I’ll randomly draw two (2) winners, who will have their choice of receiving either:

1) A favorite book of mine from my personal collection! 

(OR)
2) A signed copy of the novella once it’s published! 

I’m really looking forward to receiving this feedback! However, if you don’t have the room in your schedule to beta-read at this time, please don’t feel pressured to send in a query. I completely understand!

Please send all beta-reading queries by 6/27/2016. I will NOT share email addresses and will email all betas individually with the novella PDF and survey link, or possibly as a private newsletter, depending on which formats are available. If I reach my quota for beta-readers this time around before 6/27/16, I’ll announce it here on the blog.

This is such an exciting time! Does anyone else have any experience working with beta-readers? What did you like most about the process? What do you wish you had done differently?