Interested in having some SJWG members read and give feedback on your story? Submit for the Beta Reader Book Club!
Please only submit your manuscript for consideration if it is complete, or you can complete it within one month of submitting this form. We will start with the first book submitted chronologically; you'll have the chance to *skip* if the timing you're offered doesn't work for you. This process will be a bit slow at first; if someone else would like to take it over organizing it, it could go faster! :)
Before you submit your manuscript for consideration:
Manuscripts ready for the Beta Reader Book Club should have had at LEAST one round of editing, and have been put through a round of critique/critical review.
Your critique does not have to be through SJWG, but SOMEONE with a writing interest, experience, or background should have read it and given you constructive, actionable feedback (not your mom, not your spouse, etc!) You should feel confident enough in the story that you're ready to submit to agents or publish it independently; OR, if you're stuck somewhere, hung up on something, but your manuscript is complete, that is also acceptable.
Works can be any length: short stories that are too long for one critique group session, novellas or full-length novels, in any order in a series or standalone.
Manuscripts MUST be provided in MS Word format AND epub format (Google Docs optional). Lyss has offered to help with converting a file to epub; you can contact her via Meetup here. Scrivener users can export their manuscripts to ePub; Calibre software also offers a free option.
To (hopefully) help minimize confusion, we'll only have one book in beta at a time, so approximately one every other month. We will start with the first book submitted chronologically; you'll have the chance to *skip* if the timing you're offered doesn't work for you and we'll offer you the next spot on the calendar.
What's the difference between critique and beta reading?
Critique partners look at a manuscript from the perspective of a writer or editor, paying close attention to craft issues. Usually critique happens in smaller chapters or sections chunks. Beta readers review the whole manuscript from the readers’ perspective.
What to expect when it's your turn:
Once we post the meetup, please prepare your manuscripts right away! MS Word and epub versions. You can optionally provide a Google Docs file but DO NOT post your originals! Make a beta-reader-specific copy.
You are welcome to prepare a few "interview" style questions for your potential readers--how familiar are they with the genre, what sort of feedback are they most comfortable providing, etc. You'll be welcome to review and select readers based on how well their responses match your beta readers' interest.
You can either email your stories directly to the readers, or add to a Google Drive folder; we can help with this. Be aware if emailing directly, you may need to "ZIP" the files in order for everyone to receive them--this depends on how large the file is, your email client, the reader's email client, etc.
You are also encouraged to provide some sort of Q&A for the book discussion meeting--especially if you're looking for clarity on certain aspects of the story (character, subplots, etc. It's up to you!) You can facilitate the discussion, or we can help if you'd like!
