Club's indie authors to learn benefits of beta readers, July 9

The National Press Club's informal group of independent authors will concentrate on beta readers at its next meeting, Thursday, July 9, at 9:30 a.m. on Zoom.

The special guest speaker will be Sandra Beckwith, owner of BuildBookBuzz.com.  She is an author and national award-winning former publicist who now teaches authors how to save thousands of dollars by doing their own publicity, promotion and marketing.

You might have seen her on “The Montel Williams Show,” or “CBS This Morning,” or read about her in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, or USA Today. Feedspot has ranked her website, Build Book Buzz, as #7 among thousands of book marketing blogs; it has also been named a top website for authors and writers four other times. She also holds a degree in journalism from Utica College.

What are beta readers? They provide advice to authors by reading an advance copy of a forthcoming book. Their volunteer role is to advise on matters such as content, flow and clarity. Beckwith will review the basics of working with beta readers, and how to find them.

The July 9 meeting, one informal member benefit maintained during the Club's reduction in services during the pandemic, will be held via video conference. The group has decided to hold the balance of its monthly 2020 meetings via video conference unless pandemic conditions take a dramatic and unexpected turn for the better.

The group is open to new attendees. Club members may request an invitation by contacting Ed Barks at [email protected]. Please note: In order to be considered, you must indicate your experience with or interest in independent authorship (sometimes called self-publishing) when making your request, and you must be a Club member in good standing.

Independent authors manage their own publishing businesses rather than relying on agents and traditional publishing houses, gaining added control of their content and speed to market.