I've had to take down the Beta Reader application form as I've been inundated with applications!
Thank you so much for your interest though, and if you'd like to be kept in the loop of all things Clockmaker in the future (e.g. future beta reader rounds, purchase, etc.) pop your details into the form below.
NB: Your details will never be passed on to or sold to anyone else and will only ever be used for Clockmaker purposes.
Ethan Black’s life isn’t going so great.
His parents are in the middle of a divorce, he’s the current target of the school bully, and his dad is sick (even if Dad won’t admit it). One Saturday morning, Dad shows Ethan a secret he's been hiding: A strange, magical orb that transports them into the magical world of Vik.
Ethan, Dad, and his dog embark on an adventure where they meet the Pallinoms—creatures of the rainforest dealing with their own bully—giant Tawlees set on destroying every last tree. It’s up to Ethan to find a way to stop the Tawlees. But how? He can’t even stand up to Kevin at school, how will he ever defeat actual giants?
Meanwhile, Ethan begins to have dreams about a mysterious and terrifying figure, The Clockmaker, who wants something from him and Dad. But what?
Maybe their adventure isn’t just about the Pallinoms—maybe it's just the start of a much bigger fight for life and death itself.
Type of book: Middle-grade chapter book (ages c. 8–12)
Words: c. 48,500
Genre: Adventure / light fantasy book
Underlying themes: Bullying, school, grief, death, family, uncertainty, and growing up.
Format: PDF
Ideal beta readers for The Clockmaker include:
· Children aged c.8-13
· Parents, teachers, or people with exerpience and understanding of 8-13 year olds.
· Those experienced in grief—particularly child grief linked to death.
· Anyone interested in providing feedback on a children's adventure book.
In the (paraphrased) words of the wonderful Jenna Moreci:
"A beta reader is someone who reads a book well before it's published with the intention of giving constructive feedback. Beta readers tell the author if the story is entertaining, if it's confusing, they identify plot holes, etc. It's their job, basically, to find mistakes."
Beta readers provide broad, constructive feedback on character development, what works, what doesn't, etc. It's not a beta reader's job to edit the book or to correct punctuation, or grammatical errors, etc.
· When selected as a beta reader you’ll be sent a link to a webpage which has the book split into sections (each in PDF format).
· After you read a section, you’ll be asked to complete a short survey of open-ended questions (e.g. What did you enjoy /what did you not enjoy about the section yo just read)
· It’s important that you answer these questions soon after finishing the section to ensure your feedback is fresh and raw.
· Although you’ll likely have an opinion on many aspects of the book, it’s also perfectly fine to not have an opinion on everything, or to just say "I don't know".
· It is generally expected that you’d read the book and provide feedback within about 30 days (though there is certainly wiggle room here if needed).
· The Clockmaker is a work in progress. The version you'll receive is not final, nor has it been line-edited.
· Please consider what's involved as a beta reader before registering. Although you can drop out during the process, this isn't super ideal.
· The Clockmaker is copyrighted and may not be reproduced, plagiarised, distributed, sold, or adapted.
· You are welcome to share your thoughts with others, or encourage others to also be beta readers of The Clockmaker.
· Being a beta reader is not a paid gig, but you will have my undying gratitude and love. And you get to read a book for free!
If you'd like to read a sample of the book before registering, please click here to download an excerpt .
NB: 'Multiple readers' are permitted as beta readers, e.g. both a guardian and child can be beta readers. However, please fill out two separate application forms (refresh the page if needed):