A.R. Morris

I offer professional beta reading services for authors ready for that next step toward reaching their publishing goals. Whether you're looking to self publish or publish traditional, a clean manuscript and well executed story will separate your work from the millions of books published each year.

 

How do you know your story is well executed? That's where I come in. I have taken multiple master classes by #1 NYT Best Selling author, Jerry Jinkins, as well as multiple experts throughout the industry. My primary focus is to help writers achieve a story that's not only exciting, but executed to industry standards, i.e., that all important reader marketability the Big 5 look to when selecting titles.

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When do you need a professional beta reader? There are two options:

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 1. Before your manuscript goes to the editor (recommended). By now you will have drafted and redrafted to the best of your ability. This is the perfect time for a second pair of eyes to point out any plot, character, structure or pacing issues within the manuscript before an editor makes the final grammatical changes.

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2. After the editor. This is when you're looking for marketability before the final step of publishing, i.e., whether a general audience will like what you've created. This is great in determining how well your book will do before it hits the press, but a word of caution: if readers come back and find the plot, character (s) or multiple errors of any kind, the money spent at the editor will be for not.

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Each book will be fairly critiqued and I’ll focus on:

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•Character development
•Plot and structure
•Dialogue and pacing
•World development
•Narrative style
•Mood and tone

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My preferred genre is Young Adult Fantasy, both low and epic, but I will accept titles in Fiction, as well as short stories within these genres.

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I will not read Historical, Nonfiction, Gay and Lesbian, Erotica, Adult, or anything with provocative material.

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Rates are $0.15 per word with a base price of $30, and are for beta reading/manuscript critique only. I will not be line editing, proofreading, copy editing or developmental editing. You can expect notes within 7-30 days upon submission. Time to finish depends on manuscript length. Payment must be made before I begin.

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To submit, email the first three chapters in Word or PDF format to author@armorrisbooks.com. Title your email BETA WANTED in case your email ends up in the junk folder. Include book title, synopsis and the intended market/age range.