Tag: tips

Everything you need to know about Beta Readers: What, Who, Where, and Why?

Posted on by Kim

Did you know that good beta readers are one of a writer’s most valuable external resources? Not only can the right beta reader help you improve your manuscript in a way that you never could on your own, but they’ll also keep your editorial costs down.

Fantastic! But … what are beta readers, where can I find them, and how do they help me?

What the heck is a beta reader?

Beta readers are people who evaluate completed or work-in-progress (WIP) manuscripts. Sometimes they’re fellow writers and offer a reciprocal evaluation. Many are avid readers themselves and offer their feedback either in exchange for a set fee or a word-of-mouth testimonial. These helpful people will give you their opinion on what works and what doesn’t in your story.

Good beta readers are worth their weight in royalties so treat them well. Make sure that:

  • Your manuscript is the best version that you can produce without outside help.
  • It’s in the format which they are comfortable with, i.e. .docx, .pdf, .mobi (or comes with clear instructions on how they can convert it).
  • You’re clear about what you want from them. Let them know if you are aware of specific problem areas that you want them to pay particular attention to.
  • The turnaround time that you are asking for is reasonable.

Great! I like the sound of these beta readers. They seem like wonderful people. Where can I find one?

Beta reader wish list.

When looking for your ideal manuscript evaluator there are several characteristics that you should look for. First of all, let’s talk about who they aren’t. Beta readers are not:

  • Your best friend or mate since school.
  • Any member of your family member. No, not your mum, dad, brother, sister, cousin, auntie, uncle, granny…
  • Your husband, wife, or romantic partner of any description.
  • The person who has been reading your manuscript as you’ve written it.

These lovely people are all either too close to you or too invested in your story. They’ll want to help but they’re not objective enough to give you the candid, constructive criticism that you need. The people who love you or who have shared in the agonising, creative process so far won’t want to hurt your feelings or cause you any pain. Yes, the process will leave you more open to criticism, and it will probably be painful. However, the pain is necessary. You know that. Well, OK … deep down, you know that.

This is what good beta readers are:

  • Honest and dependable. They need to live up to their promise of help and do it within the agreed timeframe.
  • Avid readers and/or writers themselves. Both of these groups have a good understanding of what makes a great story. You’ll get useful insights from both sides of the process if your betas are a mix of readers and fellow writers.
  • The target audience of your book. If your book is aimed at young adults (those in their teens or early twenties), you want your beta readers to be within that age range too. If you’re writing within the mystery genre, you’ll want people who regularly read or write mysteries.
  • Able to offer a constructive critique. Strong opinions are good but any criticisms must able to be communicated without crushing your confidence. Balance is the key; they should highlight the strengths in your manuscript as well as the weaknesses and faults.
  • Aware of the importance of a writer’s “voice”. They’ll know enough of the publishing world to understand the fluidity with the rules of language.
  • Understanding of what’s needed at the beta reading stage. They’ll know that their job is assessing the big picture not nit-picking about any typos or spelling.
  • Experienced or knowledgeable about any specialist content in your book. e.g., foreign locations or language, astrophysics, law enforcement, deep-sea diving.

A single beta reader may not have all of these characteristics. Therefore, many writers gather a team of betas to cover all the necessary aspects for what their manuscript needs. Having a small team ensures you are well on your way to some excellent feedback.

Oh, yes! I’d trust my manuscript to people like that. But where can I find them?

Where do beta readers hang out?

If you have the money or time is of the essence, you can pay for a manuscript critique. You can find many professional beta readers advertising their services through social media, or freelance websites such as fivver. However, if you’re working to a tight budget, you may end up spending money that should have been used as part of the editing process. To help with this very issue, I offer my beta reading clients significant discounts off later editing needs.

If financial constraints mean that you’re unable to pay for a beta reader, take the time to choose wisely. Honestly, my best advice is to simply go where writers go (Twitter, Facebook, writing blogs, and writing forums) and start making connections. It’s important to find beta readers that are the right fit for your book.

The best time to begin your search is, at least, a year before you think you’ll need them. Yes, that long. Taking this time means that you get to know more about lots of different people, building productive relationships and contacts. This leads to longer-lasting professional friendships which you’ll benefit from throughout your writing life.

Some key pointers for making and supporting connections with your potential beta readers:

  • Be genuine. Don’t pretend to be interested in someone’s life or writing just to get them as a beta reader. The relationship with your beta reader needs to be one based on honesty.
  • Be generous. Offer up your time and feedback willingly. Volunteer to critique other manuscripts before asking for yours be assessed. Fellow writers will soon reciprocate because they want to help you.
  • Be gentle. Take your time; it takes patience to nurture the sort of relationships that both parties can trust and rely on. You want to be sure that your manuscript will be safe in their hands.

Yes, yes, but WHERE can I start making these connections?

Post Featured Image - Everything you need to know about beta readers - A portfolio of beta readers

As I mentioned before, you can find beta readers through a variety of places:

Face-to-face.

  • Writers’ seminars and workshops. The first contact will be face-to-face. But then you can keep in touch via whatever method both party agree to, usually social media.
  • Local writers’ groups and critique groups. Find out what’s going on in your area by visiting your library or try meetup.com.

I know that the pandemic has had an impact on in-person connections. However, most face-to-face events have become virtual ones instead with the help of Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.

Online.

Social media. Interact with other writers on Twitter, join Facebook groups for writers, Goodreads has a Beta Reader Group, LinkedIn has various discussion groups for writers covering a variety of genres.

Writers’ forums. Sign up to writers’ forums that have critique dedicated areas. You’ll most likely have to do some beta reading yourself before you can offer up your own work for assessing, but it’s all part of the relationship-building process. Joining other writers’ forums that don’t have areas dedicated to critiques will help you meet like-minded authors. In time, they might be interested in beta reading the kind of books you write.

Book discussion forums. Some book websites focus on specific genres and have community forums where people discuss the books they love from that genre while other sites allow discussions about any and every genre. Frequently, you can also find sections dedicated to authors and writing where critiques can be exchanged. OnlineBookClub.org is a great site with active forums and resources available for writers and authors as well as readers. They have separate forums for different genres as well as boards specifically for authors and the art of writing.

Writing blogs. Search for blogs related to writing. Which ones are well-written and have content that engages you? Interact with the author by commenting on posts and sharing what they have to say across your social media accounts; they may even begin to reciprocate. Over time, you’ll be able to tell if there’s potential for a mutually beneficial beta reading partnership.

Remember the fundamental rules of relationship building: Be genuine, be generous, be gentle.

Excellent! I know who I’m looking for and where to find them. But why should I go to all this effort?

Why do I need a group of beta readers at all?

Post Featured Image - Everything you need to know about beta readers - Rewarding benefits

It takes hard work and dedication to build up a portfolio of beta readers who you can call on when needed. What makes it worth your while?

Working with beta readers will:

  • Improve your writing skills. You’ll become increasingly aware of your weaknesses and develop a more professional style that’s more conducive to success in the publishing world.
  • Improve your manuscript. Problems and areas that you grappled with will be resolved, missed plot holes will be highlighted and solutions suggested, weak characters will be strengthened … The list could go on and on.
  • Create your very own support network. Authors are solitary creatures and don’t usually have a team behind them. However, your portfolio of betas will be people who are dedicated to the written word, who get you. They’ll understand the challenges and recognise the triumphs. Even if only a few of the connections you make join your beta team, you’ll have built up an invaluable network that’ll prove its value time and again.
  • Save you money. A large enough team of beta readers means that you can garner their thoughts at key junctures of your manuscript’s development. Done properly, you may be able to skip the developmental and substantive editing stage at the beginning of the process. This will dramatically reduce your costs and mean that the line/copy-editing stage may come in cheaper too. The ‘cleaner’ your manuscript is, the lower your overall editing costs will be.

As you can see, just one of these benefits makes the time and effort spent finding good beta readers worthwhile.

I hope that you’ve found this article beneficial. Before you go, don’t forget to find out more about the services I offer.

World Mental Health Day: Let’s talk about wellbeing for mind, body, and soul.

Posted on by Kim

The World Health Organisation (WHO) promotes World Mental Health Day on 10 October every year. It’s a day to put mental health centre stage and in the spotlight. A chance to talk about mental health in general, how we need to look after it, and how important it is to talk about things and get help if you’re struggling.

Our world has been turned upside down these last couple of years. While scientists have been fighting to protect us all from the COVID19 virus, the pandemic has changed the way we live our lives. Perhaps forever.

As freelancers, authors and writers, we spend most of our time working alone. In April 2020, the Office for National Statstics (ONS) stated that almost half of people in employment in the UK did some work at home. But it’s not just more of us working from home, virtual meetings have replaced in-person contact, and socialising with family and friends has been put on hold. We’ve had to adjust.

I always try to focus on the positives in life. However, the lockdowns, restrictions and shortages have taken their toll on my mental health. But I’m not alone.

World Mental Health Day MHF_WMHDay2021_Twitter_1200x675

From the beginning of the outbreak, The Mental Health Foundation in the UK and others around the globe have been tracking the pandemic’s impact on people’s mental health. The resulting research shows that we’ve all been affected to one degree or another.

What can you do to improve your mental health?

The NHS have many great suggestions on their site. From visiting our local parks or tending our own plants indoors, to making sure we get enough good quality sleep. I must admit that sleep is always one of the first things to be affected when I’m stressed. However, I’ve found reading a paperback or listening to an audiobook helps me to drop off and take my mind off my worries. I wake up in the morning having slept straight through, rather than waking up every few hours.

Featured Image - World Mental Health Day - Reading a Book

Sitting outside for just 15 minutes helps reduce feelings of stress and seems to improve my mental health.

Spending quality time with nature has also been proven to have a positive effect on our mood. I’m very lucky to have a back garden – it’s green and full of life. In fact, I’m typing this post on my laptop sat in my garden right now! The sound of traffic can’t dim the serenade of bird songs I can hear.

Over the past year, many of my friends have told me that they’re taking daily walks or spending time in our local parks and green spaces to cope with the pandemic. With winter fast approaching, this solution may not be practical. We need to have a collection of strategies at hand. Some activities that we can do outside, such as walking, while others we can do at home away from any adverse weather, such as reading or mindfulness colouring. A friend of mine has taken up knitting. She was originally taught as a child by her granny but picked up her knitting needles again during the first lockdown. I’ve been promised a lovely new scarf for my birthday in December.

Featured Image - World Mental Health Day - Mental Health Awareness

Mental health awareness will continue to be important tomorrow, a week from now and a year from now.

To be a healthy, happy, and productive member of society we all need to play our part. Look after your wellbeing and be aware of others. I’ll be looking at my work/life balance. Reminding myself that I don’t have to do everything, all the time, right now! I will ask for help before I feel overwhelmed. Most importantly, I’m going to make sure that I have time for myself.

What steps are you taking to ensure your mental wellbeing?

Top Tips for Writing an Amazing Book Synopsis

Posted on by Kim

In the publishing world, a book’s blurb is NOT the same as its synopsis. Yes, we are a world unto ourselves. Both are important to the success of your novel. However, each needs its own skillset and be written for a different audience. In this post, I’m sharing my tips on how to write an amazing synopsis for your novel.

Do you know the difference between a blurb and a synopsis?

A blurb, or cover copy, is the text you typically see on the back cover of a book.

Blurbs give an idea of what the story is about, but don’t tell you the whole plot. They’re written to entice and intrigue the reader, and the language used reflects this. They’re evocative, intriguing yet spoiler-free. For example, ‘Alyssa is plunged into an exciting world of sorcerers and spies.’ ‘Lily will discover a secret that changes everything.’ Or perhaps, ‘Will Graeme manage to overcome his demons and save the world?’

A synopsis has a different function.

The synopsis isn’t meant to tantalise the reader or show off your writing style (your manuscript itself should do that!). Rather it serves to inform the agent, publisher or whoever is reading it what happens in the story. A synopsis is clear and straightforward. You need to layout what Lily’s secret is, and whether Graeme does manage to save the world. You don’t need to use the rhetorical devices you would see in a blurb; plain and simple English is just fine and will allow your plot to speak for itself.

Writing a clear, concise synopsis or book proposal tells an agent, editor or publisher that you are a capable writer, and can help you stand out from the slushpile and secure a book contract.

Writers Online

My tips for writing your synopsis

A literary agent or publisher will ask you to submit a synopsis along with your sample chapters. A well-written synopsis will help the agent decide whether or not to request the full manuscript. Therefore, it’s important to get this part of the submission package right.

Tell the whole story

A synopsis should cover the plot from start to finish. As mentioned above, don’t leave the ending hanging on an unfinished thread – we need to know what happens! Also, don’t assume that the agent has already read any sample chapters you’ve sent, and therefore it’s OK to start where those left off.

Include your sub-plot(s), but you don’t need to include every detail. The synopsis should focus on the main plot, and how those subplots feed into it. If you’ve written a fantasy novel, try not to get bogged down in explaining your world-building or how the system of magic you’ve invented works. Give only the details that are needed for understanding the story. These should (hopefully) be enough to give a flavour of the unique and interesting elements you have created.

If the book is part of a planned series with an ongoing story, it may be helpful to include very brief synopses of these (a couple of lines, maximum). Just to show that you have plans for where the story is going next.

Write in the third person, present tense

Imagine that you are sat in front of your potential agent or publisher and telling them about your story. For example, ‘On her fortieth birthday, Flora meets an old man who tells her that she will die on the same day that she meets her soul mate.’

Instead of ‘On her fortieth birthday, Flora met an old man who told her she would die on the same day she meets her soul mate.’

How long should it be?

Some agents/publishers will be very specific on their submissions page about the length they require (e.g. ‘no more than 300 words’). Therefore, it’s always worth doing your research. Adapt your submission package to fit the guidelines.

Generally, though, the consensus seems to be ‘no more than one side of A4’. Of course, it depends on what kind of book you’ve written. The storyline for a children’s book such as Winnie-the-Pooh could be easily summarised in a paragraph or two. Whereas an epic fantasy such as A Game of Thrones would understandably fill a whole page (two pages may be acceptable in this case).

Finally … does it make sense?

This seems obvious. However, as the author of your novel, you are intimately aware of the plot. You may be too close to it to know whether the synopsis would make sense to those who haven’t already read the book. The best way to test this is on people who know nothing about the book and ask them to be honest.

For further details and help, I recommend checking out How to write a Synopsis by Sophie @ Liminal Pages where she also includes some databases when you’re ready to contact an agent.

As you can imagine, writing your synopsis can also highlight potential problems in your plot. If you’re struggling to write a concise, logically connected summary of the events of your novel, you might find it isn’t ready to be submitted to agents just yet. If you’d like professional feedback on your draft, consider hiring me to carry out a manuscript critique.

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SPaG: Spelling The English Language ~ Variations across the Atlantic

Posted on by Kim

Hello and welcome to the blog. It’s undeniable that the English language is tricky to master. I’ve already talked about the pitfalls when it comes to spelling. Today, I’m talking about the English language: variations found on both sides of the Atlantic.

The majority of my clients are British, however, I’ve worked with Canadians and Americans too. One of the first questions I ask a client before starting work on their manuscript is where they’ll be marketing their book? In other words, who is their target audience?

wood art dirty broken
Photo by Lara Jameson on Pexels.com

This decision will impact which version of English the novel should be written in. Today, I’m just going to look at the difference between English spellings in Britain and America.

BRITISH or AMERICAN ENGLISH

Please note that I use British English throughout this website. But what are the differences? Try these.

BRITISHAMERICAN
center
litre
humour
labor
neighbour
analyze
traveling
fueling
leukaemia
maneuver
pediatric
defence
offense
catalogue

How did you do? A couple of these have me reaching for my trusty Oxford English dictionary embarrassingly frequently.

You may be wondering why we live next door to neighbours, while our friends across the pond have neighbors. Or why our sky is grey, while theirs is gray.

The simple answer is:

Here are a few other differences to take notice of:

  • Words that end in a vowel and an “l”: in American English, “travel” becomes “traveled” or “traveling”, but, in British English, it becomes “travelled” or “travelling”.
  • The vowel combinations of “ae” or “oe”: in American English, they’d write “maneuver”, but on this side of the pond it’s “manoeuvre”.
  • Words that end in “-ize” or “ization”: using a “z” rather than an “s” is sometimes acceptable in British English.
  • Universally Americanised words: in British English, you program your computer but you still watch a TV programme.

How do these variations affect me?

I’m a self-confessed bookworm. While I’m reading, the differences between American spelling and English spelling jump out of the page. However, if the story is written by an American author my brain takes those variations in its stride as being part of the world-building and setting.

Therefore, when writing your own novel, consider your target audience. Are you looking to break into the American marketplace or here in the UK?

Once you’ve decided where your target audience live, you can make sure the spelling in your novel is consistent. We all use spell check programs. But remember to check what English variation your computer’s program is set to. Is it UK English or American English? While you shouldn’t rely solely on an automated program to find errors if whatever you use isn’t set to the English you are working with, the suggestions and corrections you see won’t be appropriate.

miniature toy robot on top of laptop s keyboard
Photo by Kindel Media on Pexels.com

I hope this post has helped. Which variations catch you out the most? (It’s okay — we’re all guilty of at least one.) Make a mental note to avoid those slips in the future, or just bookmark this page to remind yourself of them over and over (and over) again.

English, like many other languages, has its own set of tricky rules and intricacies. But with a little bit of practice and help from guides like this one, you can become a grammar master. I found a couple of fun (tongue-in-cheek) quizzes to try. They certainly put a smile on my face!

Buzz Feeds – American Vs British Words Quiz

Macmillan – British and American English Quiz

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to read The English Language: Variations across the Atlantic. If you have any tips or tricks to help you remember which spelling variant to use, drop me a comment below.

Until next time,

Kim

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SPaG: Spelling – Solutions For Those Words in English That Always Trip Us Up!

Posted on by Kim

It is a well-repeated mantra in schools and authors’ circles that English is a confusing language to master. Many of the “rules” of spelling and grammar have more exceptions than inclusions! Even after my many years in education, there are some that cause me to pause and reach for my reference books.

I’ve decided to write a few blog posts about spelling, punctuation and grammar. I’ll highlight some of the more common mistakes that turn up in the big wild world of publishing and show you how to avoid them.

Let’s start with spelling.

A boy was once told off by his teacher for misspelling a word. “You should have looked it up in the dictionary,” she told him.

He replied: “Why would I look it up if I didn’t know it was spelt wrong?”

Not only does this have me giggling but it’s an important point. It’s easy for little spelling and grammar mistakes to slip by, especially when you’re self-editing. One of the points that were continually emphasised during my proofreading and editing training was to check every single word, even if it looks right.

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Good, you’re still with me.

There are more and more talented storytellers taking the bull by the horns and going down the self-publishing route to get their books out there.

Look at these common words listed below, which ones do you think are spelt correctly?

accommodateaccomodate
apparantlyapparently
appearanceappearence
assassinationassasination
bizarrebizzare
calendercalendar
cemetarycemetery
colleaguecollegue
completlycompletely
consciousconcious
curiositycuriousity
dilemnadilemma
dissapeardisappear
dissapointdisappoint
existenceexistance
forseeableforeseeable
fourtyforty
gistjist
glamourousglamorous
harassharrass
humouroushumorous
idiosyncrasyidiosyncracy
incidentlyincidentally
independantindependent
interruptinterupt
irresistableirresistible
liaiseliase
millenniummillenium
noticeablenoticable
occasionocassion
occurrenceoccurance
persistantpersistent
posessionpossession
preferredprefered
propagandapropoganda
recievereceive
resistanceresistence
seperateseparate
seigesiege
succesfulsuccessful
supersedesupercede
tattootatoo
tendencytendancy
threshholdthreshold
tonguetounge
unforseenunforeseen
unfortunatelyunfortunatly
untiluntill

Thankfully there are some excellent online dictionaries available. While I was training, I used Collins Dictionary Online to check EVERYTHING.

Techniques to improve your spelling

Here are some tips that will help you to keep your spelling up to standard:

  1. Use a small dictionary or an online one such as http://www.collinsdictionary.com/ or a smartphone app. Refer to it frequently: if in doubt, check.
  2. Keep your own “dictionary” on your PC or device or in a notebook or both. List the words that trip you up, A – Z.
  3. Practise your weak spellings. Write them down repeatedly until you know them.
  4. Check the spelling in everything you write, including email messages and social media posts. This will develop accuracy and improve your spelling.
  5. Use a spell check (most word-processing software packages have them) but never rely on them completely. They will pick out obvious errors but not mistakes like using “toe” instead of “tow”.

One of the statements I hear most frequently from new writers when talking about the pitfalls of spelling is:

“But I don’t need to check my spelling with a dictionary, word does it for me“

Yes, a spell-checking program is a lifesaver. I use one ALL THE TIME! 😉 However, it wouldn’t necessarily pick up a homophone error such as “hear” instead of “here” as I have already mentioned above. Also, make sure which language the program is set to. Is it UK English or American English? If it’s not set to the correct English language variation, you’ll miss some subtle but crucial spelling differences which I cover in The English Language: Variations across the Atlantic.

I hope this post has helped. Which common spelling mistakes resonate with you the most? (It’s okay — we’re all guilty of at least one.) Make a mental note to avoid those mistakes in the future, or just bookmark this page to remind yourself of them over and over (and over) again.

Here are some good interactive spelling tests. Try them and see how you score.

How To Spell – Tests

The Telegraph – Spelling Quiz: How good are you?

The Guardian – Quiz

Until next time,

Kim

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Hello from The BG Blog.

Posted on by Kim

Hello and welcome to the first post from The BG Blog as a fiction editor.

I decided that it would be fun to include a blog on the Brockway Gatehouse website after reading some posts from my fellow editors and some lovely lifestyle and book bloggers. My friend, Flora, and I share a love of books and reading. We’re both teaching assistants, enjoy passing on our skills and knowledge to others and get great satisfaction from our jobs. We love what we do, and we do it with passion. Flora has kindly agreed to write some posts for The BG Blog as I’m still fairly new to the blogging world.

I’ve decided to publish a monthly blog post about the things that Flora and I hold dear and anything else we want to share with you about the bookish community. Flora already has a book blog and is an old hand at writing posts. We’re in the process of planning the topics we want to write about and Flora is teaching me the value of SEO and “readability”. Two buzz words I’m becoming very familiar with! 😉

Therefore, check back in a couple of weeks to read our first official blog post which I’m busy writing now.

If you would like us to cover any specific topics in these regular posts, please get in touch.

Until then bye for now,

Kim & Flora