Beta Readers!

Phew! I survived the Beta Reader process! I have come through the process feeling rather chuffed about my novel. There is still a lot to work on. For example, before the Beta read, my novel was 58,000 words. Now it is 47,000 so it clearly did need work. There is still probably more scenes that could be snipped with conversations added elsewhere.

[Just this second thought of how I could an entire scene and replace it with a sentence! Now it's 46k.]

The feedback I had from the Beta readers has been great. My dad, my first ever beta reader, says this draft is better than all the others he's read. Yay! Another beta reader said that she loved the book and that she hoped it would be available to the wider public. Yay! One beta reader said that she couldn't connect emotionally with the characters so I have had to look into that as it was also feedback from a rejection I'd recieved.

Moving forward, what I need to do now is act on the amazing advice I've been given and make this novel the great novel it has the potential to be.

"I was genuinely sad when I finished the book. So many great things in this book."

I may need to put the positive feedback up on my wall because I have that crippling self-doubt all writers have when I think my novel is just ok. I've got to let this feedback buoy me up a bit and not sit back on my laurels or dwell in my self-doubt.

Since having beta feedback, I have been working hard. I will soon begin the process of querying, which means more people will be reading my manuscript. I hope they enjoy it, even if they don't choose to represent me.