I’ve just submitted another guest blog to the Writers and Artists website, and here it is:
https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/2014/09/in-praise-of-beta-readers
It’s all about you lovely beta readers (you know who you are), and how valuable I consider you to the writing process. Thank you to each and every one of you for the insights and time you’ve given me!
I’ve also, I think, made the big decision to self publish my first book. I’ve another three already written behind it, another two taking shape, and have signed up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), in which I commit to writing 50,000 words of a novel in the month of November. So, with all this work written and underway I feel like it’s time to send the first one out there, start the ball rolling, so to speak. I’m now working on some cover designs and may post a couple for comments once they’re put together.
So thanks to all of you for reading along with me so far, lots more good stuff to come!
xx Helen
Helen Glynn Jones 
Yet again you’ve hit the nail on the head here, Helen, and in your guest blog post for W&A (how did you get into that, btw – I’m really ‘green eyed’ about that, but in a good ‘wow, this is awesome, well done!’ kind of way 🙂 ). Beta readers and editors are so important, and stop you, I think, from getting bound up too far in your own writing bubble. It doesn’t matter how technically competent you are as a writer, stuff gets through the net, and having a beta readership is a really good way of catching the things that slip through. Let us know how the self publishing goes, and please do share some cover art – would love to see them :). x
PS – good luck for nano – I’m going to try to get 50k of book 2 done in November, so I’ll be right there with you 🙂 x
Thanks Fay 🙂 I will keep updating about the self publishing and I’m starting designs for the cover art as well, so hope to post something soon. As for the W&A blog, I noticed they had a ‘post article’ button on their blog page, so emailed admin and asked about it. They came back to me and said normally they only give blogging rights to publishing events etc but had read my blog and liked it, so please would I write something for them. So I was pretty thrilled about that! I’m glad my latest post hit home – I really wonder if I would still be doing this if it wasn’t for my beta readers, so I had to thank them 🙂 How’s the publishing/editing process going for you? xx
All the best Helen. Successful thoughts and best wishes vibes sent your way. I have complete faith in you!
Thanks lovely Michelle! Sending you lots of love and good wishes as well, love your stuff xx