I did it. I sent Project Ember to my beta readers.
After months of writing and revising, Draft 3 is finished, the emails are out, and seven people now have my romantasy novel in their hands. I thought hitting send would feel like crossing a finish line. Instead, I feel excited, terrified, and a little unsure what to do with myself.
Getting the manuscript ready
I spent the final week making sure my beta readers could settle into the story and enjoy it. I cleaned up the formatting and made a few small edits, but I didn’t change anything major about the plot.
Each reader received their own individual Google Doc. I want them to have their own experience with Project Ember, without seeing someone else’s comments before they’ve formed their own opinions. I also made an EPUB version for anyone who’d rather read on a Kindle or Nook.
Finally, I put together an open-ended survey. It can take as little as ten minutes to complete, though readers can share as much as they’d like. More than anything, I want to know what it felt like to read the book.
Once everything was ready, I sent each beta reader their own email. Then I followed up by text to make sure they’d received it and knew to check their spam folder if needed.
And just like that, Project Ember was out of my hands.
The part where I panic a little
My husband was the first person besides me to read the entire manuscript. When he finished, I asked him to revisit a couple of chapters I’d edited. He told me returning to them felt like coming back to old friends.
I keep thinking about that.
That’s what I hope these characters become for readers: people they’re happy to spend time with, even through the difficult parts of the adventure. I’ve spent so long imagining their thoughts, feelings, and choices that they feel real to me. Now I get to find out whether they feel real to someone else.
Sharing your writing is vulnerable. You spend all this time making something from your imagination, and then you hand it to other people and hope they connect with it. My beta readers are friends and family who want the best for me, but that doesn’t make the first email any less nerve-racking to send.
For the next month, they’ll be reading while I step away from the manuscript. When their feedback comes in, I’ll work on Draft 4. After that, I plan to query literary agents.
That next step scares me, too. I know rejection is part of querying, and I’m preparing to give this book its best shot. But I’ve also caught myself wondering: What if someone says yes?
My dream is to become a bestselling author. I don’t know how long it will take, but I’m writing every day and continuing to move toward it. Sending Project Ember to beta readers makes that dream feel a little closer—and suddenly a lot more real.
A new season for me and Project Ember
There’s another feeling mixed in with the nerves: a small sense of loss.
For so long, these characters lived mostly in my head. Now they’re meeting other readers. That’s why I wrote the story, of course, but I still feel like I’m sending them out into the world with a little wave: Go make friends. Be nice.
The timing feels fitting. Summer is ending, my latest stretch of writing goals is coming to a close, and I’m ready to turn the page in my planner. While my beta readers spend time with Project Ember, I’m going to work on my Preptober e-guide and its October video series, start exploring a new novel I’m currently calling Project X, and bring a little fall magic into the house.
That last part may have started already. I bought a Jack and Sally candle holder for Halloween, and it’s taking all my self-control not to decorate immediately.
For now, though, I’m going to let myself feel this milestone. Draft 3 is complete. Seven beta readers have the book. The story I’ve carried with me for so long is finally being read by someone else.
I’m nervous. I’m hopeful. And I can’t wait to hear what they think.
