A royal invitation from the rightful King of Britain
So, you may already be aware of this, but bear with me. I’m writing a King Arthur saga in short 20,000-word (70-page) episodes, and I have just published Episode Three: Arthur’s Revenge, so I am more than half way through the five-episode first novel in the trilogy: The Broken Kingdom. At the moment, they are just 99p eBooks, and that’s the only format they will appear in until I have finished the whole first novel of the trilogy. But this is where you can help. Indeed, this is where Arthur, lord of war-ravaged 5th-century Britain, invites you to help me, his humble biographer. I need Beta readers, you see. Or, um, Arthur requires them.
I’m self-publishing this one and, as I say, putting it out in 99p episodes – so start, obviously, with Episode One: Arthur’s Bane – but this self-pub deal means that I don’t have all the usual five-star editorial apparatus behind me. I check the episodes over thoroughly, re-reading them several times, and my lovely wife Mary is giving them a final proofread before I send them off to Amazon. But it isn’t the same as a professional, two-fisted, editorial work-over of the kind that I get from my traditional publisher, Canelo, which publishes my bestselling Fire Born Viking series.
And this is where you come in, dear reader. If you buy an episode of The Broken Kingdom, I want you to kindly let me know if you spot any mistakes. Any spelling errors or typos, particularly any major ones. Any inconsistencies in, say, the spelling of someone’s name. And glaring plot holes – but I really hope there aren’t any of those. Also, general feedback. Did you like this scene or that? Could that bit be reworked to make it better? Do you like this character, or should I kill him or her off? I want you all to be my editors. To be a part of this experience with me. Are you up for that? That means that when I publish the whole she-bang as a full eBook, and paperback, and possibly even as an audio. book, I can collect all your quibbles, thoughts and notes, as well as all the episodes, fix stuff and make the end-product an even better one.
Use the Contact form above to tell me what you think. Or get in touch via FaceBook, Twitter/X, or Threads (which I’ve just joined) or any form of social media you like, and tell me how I can improve the book. Arthur, the Once and Future King, thanks you from the bottom of his heart. And so do I.
Episode One: Arthur’s Bane, Episode Two: Arthur’s Escape and Episode Three: Arthur’s Revenge are all available from Amazon now. Episode Four: Arthur’s Folly will be out in March. All the episodes of The Broken Kingdom should be published as one comprehensive book sometime this summer/autumn. And, if you don’t want to read a tale in episodes, check out my full-length yarn The Last Berserker (Fire Born 1)
Enjoyed the stories. I did notice the occasional mistake – spelling of ‘Caer’ changes, ‘entails’ in the description of the men nailed to trees (entrails), and a few others. Let me know if you want details.
All the best.
Tony
07711 869300
Thank Tony. Much appreciated! Regards, Angus