A month ago, I sent the manuscript of my novel to 25 people to review – people who have already put up money to help fund the book.
I asked what they liked, and what could I do to improve it – and I was stunned by the variety of different things individuals mentioned, and the acuteness of their suggestions.
Delighted to have my hands on this valuable material, I have set about making improvements to the manuscript. And extracting the kind of boosterish quotes that might appear on the back of the book when it's published (like the ones on this page).
You can read more reviews here.
Thank you to my reviewer/editor/publishers: Lottie Armitage, Annie Bayley, Richard Brown, Nicola Carr, Jenny Doughty, Annabel Gaskell, Jenny Grant, Ella Jakobson, Simon Kingston, Victoria Lambert, Una Lynch, Ita Marquess, Claire Murray, Jenny O'Gorman, Lizzie Palmer, Cynda Pierce, Kylie Rixon, Camille Sharma, Hazel Stevens, Philip Stewart, Rachel Stirling, Mark Vent and James Wilson.
I feel honoured to be so well connected to readers even before publication. And delighted that it seems to be reciprocal. “However well the novel does (and it will do well, I'm so sure), you have opened up something new in yourself,” wrote Victoria. “I'm proud to be a part of that. Thank you for sharing the experience with me.”
If you like the sound of the book, and of the collaborative process, you can buy a copy, and have your name printed inside every edition of the book, forever – for less than the price of a cinema ticket. To do so, click here.