In June, after a long thought process and some simple math, and with the support of my partner, I decided to take a big leap of faith and leave my job so that I could work on a dream of mine: freelance editing.
So far, I’ll be honest, it’s been tough. I don’t enjoy putting myself out there and have a bad habit of selling myself short, so marketing has been difficult. But I have faith. And I love this work. I love working with writers who feel stuck and don’t know how to start and finish that second, third, or fourth draft. I love pointing out the positives in a manuscript and giving writers the confidence to keep moving forward and most importantly, keep writing, even after their current project is done.
Which is why I’m writing this blog post. Since I’m low on work right now, I wanted to reach out into the writersphere and offer to beta read two books…for free. All I need in exchange is a response to my survey about client experience and a testimonial that I can post on my website. And if you’re happy, maybe a mention on your social media or your blog or to your best friend’s sister’s neighbor who also happens to be a writer.
My favorite kind of books to read are adult literary books, but I also read YA and even low fantasy (ie fantasy that takes place in our world). I’m really only looking for fiction books at this time. What I’ll do for the beta read is essentially a light version of what I offer in my manuscript review service. I’ll read your book in its entirety and write up a response on what I thought about the content: plot, structure, character development, dialogue, setting, continuity/flow, etc. I will not be offering any grammar/spelling corrections unless I notice something that is repetitive throughout the manuscript.
If you’re really feeling stuck on your book, please let me help you! If you’ve been stuck on the book for months or even years, this might be a great time to get a second opinion. I personally know the value in getting another set of eyes on your manuscript and I want to be that person for you. E-mail me at edit@maryenolte.com and tell me about your project. (EDIT: I’m going to put a form at the bottom of this post so you can just fill that out if it’s easier) I’ll ask a few questions and make sure I’m a good fit for you, and then we can sign a contract to protect your intellectual property, and then I’ll get to work.
I’ll only be able to do a couple of these for free, so if you’re interested, please reach out to me as soon as you can!
I hope that this post finds you well. Thank you for stopping by!
