This week for #HistFicThursdays, I'm delighted to be teaming up with The Coffee Pot Book Club to welcome Mercedes Rochelle ! Today, I'm shining a spotlight on her brilliant audiobook of The Agincourt King . So, let's meet the book... From the day he was crowned, Henry V was determined to prove the legitimacy of his house. His father's usurpation weighed heavily on his mind. Only a grand gesture would capture the respect of his own countrymen and the rest of Europe. He would follow in his great-grandfather Edward III's footsteps, and recover lost territory in France. Better yet, why not go for the crown? Poor, deranged Charles VI couldn't manage his own barons. The civil war between the Burgundians and Armagnacs was more of a threat to his country than the English, even after Henry laid siege to Harfleur. But once Harfleur had fallen, the French came to their senses and determined to block his path to Calais and destroy him. By the time the English reached ...
Thursday 15th November - Choosing Your First Reader
Some of us write books we never intend the world to see. Writing for yourself is absolutely fine, but many of us like to imagine someone reading our books. Sometimes we dream of hitting the Bestseller List, which everyone queuing down the street on release day, or sometimes we imagine our books in the hands of a certain someone.
Whichever the dream, your First Reader will most likely be someone different, but their role is nonetheless important. Your First Reader will be someone who you have to convince, but also someone you trust. They should at least have an appreciation of the style and genre in which you're writing, but they don't have to be avid readers of it.
Here are a few things to consider when choosing your first reader:
Some of us write books we never intend the world to see. Writing for yourself is absolutely fine, but many of us like to imagine someone reading our books. Sometimes we dream of hitting the Bestseller List, which everyone queuing down the street on release day, or sometimes we imagine our books in the hands of a certain someone.
Whichever the dream, your First Reader will most likely be someone different, but their role is nonetheless important. Your First Reader will be someone who you have to convince, but also someone you trust. They should at least have an appreciation of the style and genre in which you're writing, but they don't have to be avid readers of it.
Here are a few things to consider when choosing your first reader:
- Trust - This is the *most* important thing. When sharing a manuscript, you're opening a little window onto your soul. All writers, whatever they claim, but an element of themselves into their writing. You need to know your first reader won't call into question yourself through your writing.
- Confidentiality - Sure, you want them to tell people about this amazing book you gave them to read, but at the same time you don't want them to blab about plot spoilers and the like.
- Suitability - Find a reader with an interest in your book. They don't have to be the target audience, but they do have to be engaged.
- Constructive Criticism - I'm going to argue a slightly contentious idea here... If your First Reader returns with no suggestions, they probably weren't the right person to choose! That's not to say you have to take on board their suggestions, but you want to know they've engaged enough to have formed their own opinions. When I sent my first book to my First Reader I enclosed a little notebook for her feedback. Some of it I acted on, some of it I chose to leave.
- Edit First - Don't expect your First Reader to be an editor or a proofreader - they're in it for the story! Make sure you've done *at least* a read through to catch any of the obvious typos and grammatical issues.
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