Our previous guide on how to build an audience for your fiction included practical tips on using social media, getting active in your local book-reading community and more. Now you can read and share some of the key pointers included in that guide via the concise infographic below:
These are practical tips for writers who have already released their work and want to find a wider audience. Yet if you are near the mid to end stages of the writing process, you might be more interested in finding beta readers who will help you tweak your writing and smooth out any inconsistencies.
A beta reader is a non-professional reader who nonetheless has expertise in language and writing and is able to look over your work and provide a review of both elements of story (such as plot and characterisation) and language (grammar and style). Now Novel’s critique system is also useful for gaining honest feedback on your writing from other writers. The process of critiquing other people’s work constructively will also help you to read your own work with a more critical (but also constructive) eye.
Over at Caffeinated Press, Jason Gillikin has a post outlining the qualities that make a good beta reader. These include being able to give feedback that is not driven by personal bias (the beta reader should not take apart descriptive scenes simply because they do not personally enjoy descriptive writing in general). Simply knowing what makes a great beta reader will help you to read your own work like a beta reader. Yet if you are a beginning writer, the insights that an experienced writer or mentor can provide will be valuable.
Polishing your manuscript with the help of beta readers will help you get to the point of publishing your novel, and this is when the pointers in the infographic will come in handy.
Are there any particularly good pieces of advice you’ve received concerning how to build a book audience? Share your ideas, suggestions and opinions.
