Keen Eye Beta Reading for Novels

You’ve written a novel, revised it, and you are wondering how it reads.

You know, to someone who isn’t you and hasn’t written the thing. You want clear feedback and you want to know what a potential reader might think.

But who will both read your novel and give you feedback from a reader’s perspective? Enter the beta reader.

As your beta reader, I will take off my copyeditor glasses and put on my reading glasses.

  • I will read your book from the first word to the last
  • I will give you extensive feedback using my beta reading questions (more on that below)

After a Keen Eye Beta Read you will receive:

  • The answers to 80 Keen Eye Beta Reading Questions
  • An editorial letter including:
  • Three things that work well in your novel
  • Three things to think about
  • Three next steps

The Beta Reading Questions

What about those beta reading questions? I’ve got 80 of them (or 85, if you’ve written a YA novel.) They cover six areas:

  • People
  • What happens
  • Setting
  • Style
  • Structure
  • Mechanics

Read All of the Keen Eye Beta Reading Questions

Would you like to keep a copy of this document for reference? DOWNLOAD

What Does Feedback Look Like?

Would you like to keep a copy of this document for reference? DOWNLOAD

What Kind of Novels Do I Like?

I love fiction written for young adults and adults. Check out this list of recent favorites on Goodreads.

Of note: If your novel is a fantasy, I’m not the best reader unless it takes place in the present and could happen to me:

  • The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim-type fantasy = yep
  • Game of Thrones-type fantasy = nope

Recent Four- and Five-star Reviews on Goodreads:

  • City of Girls—Elizabeth Gilbert
  • Daisy Jones & The Six—Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • Dietland—Sarai Walker
  • Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride & Prejudice—Curtis Sittenfeld
  • For Every One—Jason Reynolds
  • Freedom—Jonathan Franzen
  • A Heart in a Body in the World—Deb Caletti
  • American Girls—Alison Umminger
  • American Panda—Gloria Chao
  • Dig—A.S. King
  • I, Claudia—Mary McCoy
  • Inventing Victoria—Tonya Bolden
  • The Sun is Also a Star—Nicola Yoon
  • Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend—Karen Blumenthal
  • Boots on the Ground: America’s War in Vietnam—Elizabeth Partridge
  • Ghost Boys—Jewell Parker Rhodes
  • Little Fires Everywhere—Celeste Ng
  • Metropolis—Elizabeth Gaffney
  • One Day—David Nicholls
  • Prodigal Summer—Barbara Kingsolver
  • Soon I Will Be Invincible—Austin Grossman
  • Swing Time—Zadie Smith
  • Neighborhood Girls—Jessie Ann Foley
  • On the Come Up—Angie Thomas
  • Ordinary Girls—Blair Thornburgh
  • Sorry For Your Loss—Jessie Ann Foley
  • The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge—M.T. Anderson
  • The First Part Last—Angela Johnson
  • The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue—Mackenzi Lee
  • The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy—Mackenzi Lee
  • Truly Devious—Maureen Johnson
  • The Art of Fielding—Chad Harbach
  • The Brothers K—David James Duncan
  • The Goldfinch—Donna Tartt
  • The Last Thing You Surrender—Leonard Pitts Jr.
  • Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts—Kate Racculia
  • You Think It, I’ll Say It—Curtis Sittenfeld
  • The Fountains of Silence—Ruta Sepetys
  • The Revolution of Birdie Randolph—Brandy Colbert
  • This Time Will Be Different—Misa Sugiura
  • We Are the Perfect Girl—Ariel Kaplan
  • With the Fire on High—Elizabeth Acevedo
  • The Poet X—Elizabeth Acevedo
  • You’re Welcome, Universe—Whitney Gardner
  • Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961—Larry Dane Brimner

What Do Authors Have to Say about a Keen Eye Beta Read?

  • Patricia has an incredible ability to see the forest AND the trees—at the same time. She’ll point out all those little continuity errors that inevitably pop up in a long manuscript. She’ll also let you know how your themes successfully develop (or don’t) over an entire plot arc. She can tell you if you’re using commas wrong, identify your writing ticks, remind you that your Aunt Edith in Chapter 12 was your Aunt Evelyn in chapter 2, and do so in a way that inspires you to write more and better. Just hire her!

    C.B.

  • Patricia beta-read my YA novel and provided insanely valuable feedback. Her careful reading uncovered plot holes, grammatical and structural inconsistencies, and points of confusion that I had completely missed, even though I consider myself a literary genius. What’s more, she communicated with me in a clear, constructive, positive, and often humorous manner, thus enabling me to improve my writing in a way that didn’t hurt my feelings.  She does not sugarcoat her responses, but because she approached reading with our common goal of making my work better, I trusted her notes and never took critical suggestions personally.  In fact, I looked forward to reviewing her comments, not only because I knew it would improve my work, but also because they were just fun to read.  Patricia is the whole package, and once I am finished with my next manuscript, I know who I will be hiring. (It’s her. It’s Patricia.)

    R.S.

How Much Does This Cost?

It depends on the length of your novel.

Payment is made in three stages, 1/3 deposit, 1/3 when I’m done reading, and 1/3 when you schedule our wrap-up consultation call.

Text: The Keen Eye Beta Reading Rates. If your novel is 50k words or less, 3 payments of: $80, total cost: $240. If your novel is up to 75k three payments of $95, total cost $285. If your novel is up to 100k, three payments of $110, total cost is $330. If your novel is up to 125k, three payments of $120, total cost is $360. If your novel is up to $150k, three payments of $140, total cost is $420. If your novel is 150k+ contact me for rates.

Are You Ready for a Keen Eye Beta Read?

You are ready if:

  • You have written and revised your novel.
  • You want reader feedback for 80 questions.
  • You want an editorial letter highlighting three things that work well in your novel, three things to think about, and three next steps.

If you answered yes to the above questions, email or schedule a complementary phone call today.

EMAIL ME WITH QUESTIONS
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Not Sure if a Keen Eye Beta Read Is for You?

Let’s talk!

I can answer all your questions. Email or schedule a complementary phone call today.