I need some help.
Writing a book is hard. Writing a good book is even harder.
Publishing houses dedicate entire teams of people to editing, beta reading, etc. As a self-published author, it's really up to me to find those people. I might be okay at writing, but editing is NOT MY THING. I know that if I'm supposed to make this book any good, I need your help to give my draft some direction and actually... y'know... make it good.
I just finished a draft of my fourth book, currently under the temporary title "Imperfect Road." The book follows Sadie, whose lazy summer break is changed when two boys hide in her yard. Sounds like the perfect set up for a love triangle right? (NOPE. No cliche love triangle, here!) Sadie, Devin, and Noah embark on a wanderlust-fueled road trip to see their favorite band in a little yellow pickup truck affectionately called "Noah's Ark." With trouble on the road, at home, and in the future, their "escape" from mundane small-town life and summer math homework becomes a problem of its own. Between Cinnabons, soggy tents, near-death situations, recklessness, secrets, and a mathematical model for achieving perfection, Sadie, Devin, and Noah's last summer break becomes one impossible to forget.
Do check out the page on my website dedicated to a photo/gif-set conveying what I see in my head when I see this story.
As of now, the story is... complete, but I'm still struggling with making it good, solidifying the metaphors and moral of the story, and ensuring that it accurately portrays both depression and recovery without romanticizing either part of the process.
Publishing houses dedicate entire teams of people to editing, beta reading, etc. As a self-published author, it's really up to me to find those people. I might be okay at writing, but editing is NOT MY THING. I know that if I'm supposed to make this book any good, I need your help to give my draft some direction and actually... y'know... make it good.
I just finished a draft of my fourth book, currently under the temporary title "Imperfect Road." The book follows Sadie, whose lazy summer break is changed when two boys hide in her yard. Sounds like the perfect set up for a love triangle right? (NOPE. No cliche love triangle, here!) Sadie, Devin, and Noah embark on a wanderlust-fueled road trip to see their favorite band in a little yellow pickup truck affectionately called "Noah's Ark." With trouble on the road, at home, and in the future, their "escape" from mundane small-town life and summer math homework becomes a problem of its own. Between Cinnabons, soggy tents, near-death situations, recklessness, secrets, and a mathematical model for achieving perfection, Sadie, Devin, and Noah's last summer break becomes one impossible to forget.
Do check out the page on my website dedicated to a photo/gif-set conveying what I see in my head when I see this story.
As of now, the story is... complete, but I'm still struggling with making it good, solidifying the metaphors and moral of the story, and ensuring that it accurately portrays both depression and recovery without romanticizing either part of the process.
You can help in a couple of ways.
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There are certain "waves" of editing that I need help with. Each wave works something like a sift.
The first wave should get rid of the big rocks--fixing plot holes, making sure the book makes sense, flows logically, actually tells a story, and delivers where it needs to. Just about anybody can join the first wave. It's just a matter of pointing out what doesn't make sense, what needs fixing, and making sure that the story works and is entertaining. Offering suggestions as to what could make it (characters, plot, etc.) better and more enjoyable would be much appreciated. The second wave is probably what you think of when you think "editing." This is making sure little details match up and don't contradict. It's making sure sentences work, that my similes make sense, that I'm not too repetitive, that commas are in the right place, and so on. This is a big job, and I need all the help I can get in this regard. This job is definitely for people with "English Major" brains, but you don't have to have an English Major or even former copy-editing experience to join the second wave. The third wave gets the book after revisions from waves one and two have been added. Their job is to treat it like a finished book. If you catch something that slipped through, let me know! Members of the third wave are reviewers. They'll get digital copies of the book before it's released, and are expected to have reviews prepared to publish to Amazon, their own blogs, and goodreads. (I'll likely organize a blog tour following the book's release, so that one blog a day posts a review and gets traffic from all other blogs.) There are fewer standards required to be in the third wave, but having a book blog, booktube channel, or something similar is a huge plus! As long as you're willing to review the book on Amazon and Goodreads, you're welcome to join, though! |
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Ready to be in the "Acknowledgements" section?
Yup. If you catch a mistake, if you improve this book in even the tiniest possible way, putting your name in the "Acknowledgements" section is really the least I can do to pay you back for your help. It means a lot that you'd volunteer your time to help out like this, and I know that this book is going to be SO much better because of your help!
