A call for beta readers!

**NOW CLOSED** I am OFFICIALLY looking for beta readers! Set in Melbourne, Australia, “Holding Up the Sky” is an 84,000 word contemporary YA novel about love, loss and the dangers of not being true to yourself. Keep reading for details on how to apply! →

“The weight of the sky—of the whole world—was pushing down, and it was crushing me.”

Carter Cantwell seems to have it all: brains, athleticism, musical talent, and a winning personality to boot. But he’s gotten good at pretending. No one sees through his façade, to the real him, buried deep inside.

Then Carter meets Remy. And that’s when it all starts to fall apart.

Holding Up the Sky is an 84,000 word contemporary YA novel about love, loss, and the dangers of not being true to yourself.

🎭 Audience

The target audience for Holding Up the Sky is the 16-18 year age group, so if this is you, I’d love to hear your feedback! Having said that, I’m also happy to work with beta readers of any age so long as you’re reasonably familiar with the YA genre. At this stage, I’m not looking for readers younger than 16 years.

📝 Feedback process

I’ve broken the novel down into 6 x 4 chapter parts, each of which is ~50 A4 pages. I will provide these one at a time, in the format of your choice, along with some questions which direct the kind of feedback I’m after. My preference would be a 1-2 week turnaround for each part, but this is most certainly negotiable depending on your other life commitments!!

⚠ Sensitivity advice & content warnings

Holding Up the Sky deals with some fairly heavy themes, most of which are beyond the realm of my own experience. I would greatly appreciate feedback from people who can provide sensitivity advice on any of the issues listed below. However, if any of these subjects are a trigger for you, please proceed with caution.

• LGBT+ identity and internalised homophobia
• Depression and/or anxiety
• Suicide and/or self-harm
• Emotional abuse

🔄 Reciprocating

If you have a WIP for which you are also looking for beta readers (or will be sometime in the next few months), I’m willing to reciprocate! Be advised, this is my first foray into beta reading on either side of the equation, but I’d ready and eager to learn! 😊

If you’re interested in beta reading Holding Up the Sky, please fill out your details in the form below (view in web browser) and I’ll get back to you ASAP!

🚫 NOW CLOSED 🚫

If you have any questions, or want to know a little more about the book, please let me know!