Test-Drive Tuesday

Get your first chapter road-tested by our community readers who love your genre.

You've written the opening of something big. Now find out if it lands with readers who could become your future community readers.

On Tuesdays, we open the floor to genre readers who road-test new writers' first chapters, world-building and story setup. They comment and tell you exactly what's working and what needs another pass before you go further.

Availability

When the Tuesday slots are filled, there won't be any more Test-Drive Tuesdays until 2027!

What You Get

Here are just some of the benefits to new, aspiring writers who value beta reader feedback.

Real feedback, not just exposure: A professional manuscript critique of a first chapter typically costs £50 to £150. Here, you get crowd-sourced editorial feedback from readers who read your genre.

A beta reader list that's yours to keep: This is the part most writers underestimate. Readers who follow your Test-Drive Tuesday entry can enter to beta-read your finished book. By the time your manuscript is ready, you will already have a genre-specific list of readers waiting for it.

A platform before you need one: Agents and publishers look for writers who already have readers behind them supporting their writing. Every comment, follow, and beta-reader signup on your entry builds the platform you'll need when it's time to query or submit.

How It Works

Submit two pieces:

The Hook: your first chapter of 2,250 words. If your first chapter is shorter, you can combine the next chapter into the first, but you need to find the relevant place to end it as we only accept 2,250 words. It can be less, but no more!
The Book Bible: a summary of your main characters - only the ones who appear in your first chapter. Also include your world rules, character traits, and key lore, around 1,000 words. Keep it punchy. This isn't a reference document; it's a teaser to excite readers to engage with your story.

Your entry goes live on Tuesday on our Test-Drive Tuesday page. Readers comment with feedback on direction, pacing, and what's pulling them in. Anyone who wants to beta-read your finished book can follow you directly from the page.

If you are booking a slot long in advance, you can select to have your Test-Drive later rather than sooner, which you add to the claim form after you place your order.

£175 per entry

Optional Extras

You can choose any of these optional extras if you feel they will help your 'test-drive' to have more impact with our reading community.

1. Chapter In-depth Analysis: We run this before your test drive, giving you time to polish the chapter. £25
2. Alternatively, opt for a shorter feedback report where you can also get time to tweak before your test-drive goes live. £15
3. Beta Reader Event Invite: We set up an event asking readers of your test-drive if they would like to enrol to beta read your full story when it's ready. You get this list as a csv to email the readers when your story is ready. You can also invite these readers to follow you on your I Turn Pages profile or anywhere else. £30
4. Newsletter advert: We send out an email alerting readers to come along and give you feedback and comments. £30
5. Editor alert: We invite editors to give you comments. £15

Please note that on the last two items (editor invite and newsletter invite) we can't guarantee our editors and readers will comment. They normally would, but this extra is to alert them, not to guarantee they will comment.

Order a Test-Drive Tuesday Package