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Dear Reader,
Three weeks ago I offered book club readers the opportunity to become part of an author's writing process. It was a first at the book clubs and apparently we should do it more often. I will let author Nate Kenyon tell you about his experience...
"When I first approached Suzanne about running a 'Be a First Reader' contest, I had no idea that it would end up being one of the most remarkable experiences I've had as a writer. It seemed like a neat idea; I needed feedback on the book I'd just completed, and the book clubs were a great place to get some. But I never thought it would change the way I look at the reader-writer relationship--and change the way I think about books entirely.
The contest was simple: email me for the chance to win a signed copy of my just-released novel The Bone Factory, and a copy of my new work, Sparrow Rock." The winners would get to read the new book before anyone--even my agent and editor. The twist was that I was looking for real feedback on the draft. I wanted to know what I did well, and what didn't work. I wanted honesty and--yes--some hard work.
The response was no less than astonishing. Moments after Suzanne's column went up, the emails started pouring in. And they didn't stop. After one week we were approaching 1,000 entries. But it was the nature of these emails that amazed me. People told me their life stories; they told me about their passionate love affair with books; they talked about wanting to write themselves, or be an editor, or just get a glimpse into the writing process.
They were begging to be involved. And I loved it.
I sent the five winners an email and offered a PDF to start, since we were on a tight deadline. Two of them read the PDF I sent in a couple of hours--before I could even get to the post office to mail the package. Their responses were far better than I'd hoped for--in fact, all of the feedback I've received so far has been thoughtful and incredibly helpful. One even caught a huge, yet subtle, technical error I'd made--an error that very likely would have slipped through entirely!
Clearly, writing and publishing is changing. Email, social networking and other technologies are breaking down the walls between the solitary life of a writer and the readers they need to reach. But to me, this was far different than getting a Facebook message from someone who loved my books--this was getting readers involved in the process of shaping a novel, long before it was released to the public.
In that way, it's sort of like market testing in the business world. And that's pretty neat. But what's stuck with me about the experience is the love and enthusiasm for the written word that we all shared. That, and the amazing community that has been formed here at the book clubs. I'd like to thank them--and all of you--for allowing me to be a part of it.
I've always thought of books as uniquely personal things shaped and delivered by each writer. But I don't anymore. I'll be looking for more feedback early on in the process for all my projects now--and my new 'first readers' will surely have a hand in how my stories turn out. It's a brave new world out there for writers, readers and publishers--but it's an exciting one.
Thank you all. I hope we can all share our stories with each other for many years to come."
All my best,
Nate Kenyon
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.dearreader.com/
AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise that there are five that deserve your attention: Linda Lael Miller, The Bridegroom; Dakota Banks, Dark Time: Mortal Path Book One; Barbara Bretton, Laced with Magic; Candace Calvert, Critical Care; Nina Bruhns, Shoot to Thrill. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader
* This month's Penguin Classics book is The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields. To comment on the book and enter the Penguin Classics Drawing, go to: http://tinyurl.com/JulyClassics
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