Hi,
Here is some information on my style of alpha reading. Why choose alpha reading, my process with your manuscript and questions to answer in your query.
To know more about my preferred formatting, please refer to the formatting section of my services page.
When do you need Alpha Readers?
You have finished one of your initial drafts if not the first.
You want other people’s opinion before getting started with revisions. Either to boost morale, creativity or motivation, receiving broad feedback will help you with the next step towards your first major revisions.
Why alpha reading?
Rather you want to go the traditional route with agents and publishing houses or self-publish, Alpha reading is vital.
Alpha readers can be family and friends or strangers on the internet like me. They are your first readers.
They will give you a reader’s point of view on your story for the first time. It will help you understand. Rather you want to share this story with a broader public or keep it intimate. It will also give you an idea of how you react to critique and how you might want to go about it in the future.
What to expect
As your alpha reader, I will act as a member of your audience telling you my first impression of your manuscript.
After one read through, I will write up a one to two-page report on plot lines, characters and setting. Or on broad elements you have asked me to provide feedback on. For example pacing, chapter and scene transition, or character design.
Depending on the length of your story and my availability, this could take a week to a month. You can provide a deadline for me, and I will tell you if it is possible with your story at that moment.
This is essentially just me giving you my overall opinion. You take what you want from it.
You can expect constructive honestyfrom my feedback. I’m not the kind to be brutal and will never tell you something is “wrong” and leave you hanging. The way I do things, when I find something is not working, I will give an example from your manuscript and deconstruct the why I think this does not work. I will also point out what you appear to be good at. Because this kind of information helps you understand your writing style and work with it in its development as opposed to attempts at moulding it to other people’s expectations.
The vocabulary I will use in my feedback will depend on what I know of your experience as a writer. Which is why I will ask you to provide information in your query that will help me gauge the best way to communicate with you.
Query questions
Here are some questions to help me tailor the feedback to you. Answer what you can. If you do not answer, at least an, “I don’t know,” I will consider us ill matched and might turn your query down. If you forgot to, don’t worry, I will ask them in my reply email.
Do you have another means of communication you prefer than emails? (For example, if they feel too official to you and stress you out, you may add me on Facebook/Meta and we can communicate through there. Keep in mind, I will require that all document transmission be done by email. If you just want to confirm you have received a document, using messenger can work.)
What is your previous publishing experience? (Showing past works to friends or teachers? Online self-publishing platforms like Wattpad, Inkitt and AO3. Self-publishing through Kindle. Published through a publishing house. Printing and spreading it where you can like a chapbook.)
What is your favourite literary device and why?
What is your writing experience? (Things like essays for school or reports for work. Maybe some fiction, poetry and non-fiction like journalling.)
What are your goals with this story? Do you want to get it published? Is it just for fun or to learn? Is it for yourself to read later or share with your friends?
When would you like to receive the report? Do you have a deadline to follow?
What do you want help with the most? (“I don’t know” is a valid answer. It is fine if you don’t know where to start.)
What are the genres and subgenres of your story? Can you guess what they are? Do you know what you want them to be?
What age range are you aiming as an audience for with this project?
What has compelled you to write this piece?
What is it about?
What is the premise?