The Wordslinger Podcast

A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOTHow do you actually find beta readers for your book?In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, I break down the practical ways I’ve built a beta reader and street team over the years—from starting with friends and family, to recruiting readers who already send useful feedback, to finding potential beta readers in reader and writer communities.But finding them is only half the job. You also need to give your beta readers clear expectations: what kind of feedback you need, how you want them to report errors, what they should and shouldn’t do with the manuscript, and when you need their notes back.A good beta reader can help you catch typos, continuity problems, logic issues, and those little things that might knock a reader out of the story. And the big secret to building a reliable team is simpler than most writers think: ask.If you’re writing, publishing, or building a career as an independent author, subscribe to Wordslinger. This channel is here to give writers practical, experience-based guidance for every stage of the writing and publishing journey.00:00 What is a beta reader?01:32 Alpha readers vs. beta readers03:02 Start with friends and family04:18 Turn helpful readers into beta readers05:10 Finding beta readers in reader and writer groups06:49 Set clear rules and expectations07:38 The best way to receive corrections08:48 How I process beta reader feedback09:45 Set deadlines before publication10:23 The real secret to finding beta readersVisit the Knovelton Bookshop at knoveltonbooks.comGET 15% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER AT CHECKOUT WITH CODE STORYCUTSFIND KEVIN:Find Kevin and his books: https://kevintumlinson.comJoin Kevin on Substack: https://kevintumlinson.substack.comWordslinger Podcast home page: https://wordslingerpodcast.comSERVICES FOR AUTHORS:Polish your writing and make it ready for publishing with ProWriting Aid: https://tidd.ly/3NCdlk5Publish your book to every major retailer online, get your book into print and ebook, and get support the whole way at Draft2Digital: https://draft2digital.com/wordslingerFind a virtual assistant to help you market your books (and more!) at AuthorAnchor: https://authoranchor.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOTAI isn’t going to replace you.At least, not if you’re doing the part of writing that actually matters.In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, Kevin Tumlinson talks about the fear that AI will replace writers, artists, and other creative professionals—and why he thinks that fear is aimed at the wrong target.Yes, AI may replace some types of high-volume, formula-driven content. But real creative work comes from human experience, judgment, emotion, taste, perspective, and the strange synthesis of ideas that happens inside an actual human life.AI can assist you. It can help with research, brainstorming, proofreading, editing, and expanding ideas. It can act as a production tool. But it cannot live your life, carry your memories, or bring your particular perspective to the page.The writers who thrive in the years ahead may not be the ones who fight AI the hardest. They may be the ones who learn how to use it without surrendering the human part of the work.So the question isn’t whether AI can write.The question is: What can you bring to the page that AI never can?Visit the Knovelton Bookshop at knoveltonbooks.comGET 15% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER AT CHECKOUT WITH CODE STORYCUTSIf you’re a writer looking for practical, honest guidance on writing, publishing, building an audience, and creating a sustainable creative career, subscribe to the Wordslinger channel. This is where writers come to get better at the craft, understand the business, and keep moving forward.TIMECODES:00:00 Why writers are afraid of AI00:50 The “fiction factory” model02:17 The kind of writing AI may replace02:58 Why human writers are different04:07 Accidental art and the “broken clock” problem04:49 Stop fighting the existence of AI05:10 What “AI slop” gets wrong05:52 AI as a creative production tool06:55 How writers should actually use AI08:02 AI as an enhancement tool for writers08:42 Why human experience still matters09:20 What AI cannot replicate10:01 Why businesses replacing humans may regret it11:15 AI should assist excellence, not replace itFIND KEVIN:Find Kevin and his books:https://kevintumlinson.comJoin Kevin on Substack:https://kevintumlinson.substack.comWordslinger Podcast home page:https://wordslingerpodcast.comSERVICES FOR AUTHORS:Polish your writing and make it ready for publishing with ProWriting Aid:https://tidd.ly/3NCdlk5Publish your book to every major retailer online, get your book into print and ebook, and get support the whole way at Draft2Digital:https://draft2digital.com/wordslingerFind a virtual assistant to help you market your books (and more!) at AuthorAnchor:https://authoranchor.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A WORDSLINGER STORY CUTCan a novel keep you turning pages without explosions, car chases, monsters, or constant high-stakes action?Theo of Golden by Allen Levi proves that it can.In this Wordslinger Story Cut, I take a storyteller’s look at one of my new favorite novels and examine why such a quiet, heartfelt story works so well. Theo arrives in the small town of Golden, Georgia, and begins purchasing hand-drawn portraits of local people, returning those portraits to their subjects and asking one simple thing in return: Tell me your story.That deceptively simple device becomes the engine for an entire novel.We’ll look at how attention itself can become dramatic action, how secondary characters can briefly take center stage without derailing the main story, how repetition can create anticipation instead of boredom, and how a carefully constructed mystery can keep readers moving forward even when the stakes are almost entirely emotional.I also dig into one of the book’s potential weaknesses: Theo’s unusual ability to get strangers to reveal some of the deepest wounds of their lives. Is it realistic? Is it too sentimental? Or does the novel earn our willing suspension of disbelief through the strength of its characters and its underlying message about human connection?And finally, we talk about one of my favorite storytelling techniques: the kind of ending that makes you look backward through the entire story and realize the clues were sitting there all along.If you love great novels, movies, television, streaming shows, and conversations about what makes stories actually work, this episode is for you.Visit the Knovelton Bookshop at knoveltonbooks.comGET 15% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER AT CHECKOUT WITH CODE STORYCUTSTIMECODES:00:00 Welcome to Wordslinger Story Cuts00:25 Why Theo of Golden is worth talking about01:16 From self-published novel to bestseller02:11 The portrait device that drives the story04:47 How attention becomes dramatic action05:55 Why Theo’s encounters work emotionally08:56 The realism problem: Would people really open up this much?10:24 Kindness, connection, and what Theo gets in return12:08 Willing suspension of disbelief12:57 Repetition, predictability, and the novel’s unusual structure15:00 How the portraits create a portrait of an entire community15:57 Writing memorable secondary characters17:38 How repetition and escalation keep readers engaged18:52 The mystery of Theo20:02 How to make a twist feel satisfying21:48 Leaving breadcrumbs without giving away the ending24:35 My rating for Theo of Golden25:51 The biggest storytelling lesson from the novelIf you’re a writer, storyteller, or creator who wants to better understand why some stories grab us and refuse to let go, subscribe to the Wordslinger channel. This is where we talk honestly about writing, storytelling, publishing, creative careers, and the craft and business of building a life around your work.FIND KEVIN:Find Kevin and his books:https://kevintumlinson.comJoin Kevin on Substack:https://kevintumlinson.substack.comWordslinger Podcast home page:https://wordslingerpodcast.comSERVICES FOR AUTHORS:Polish your writing and make it ready for publishing with ProWritingAid:https://tidd.ly/3NCdlk5Publish your book to every major retailer online, get your book into print and ebook, and get support the whole way at Draft2Digital:https://draft2digital.com/wordslingerFind a virtual assistant to help you market your books and more at AuthorAnchor:https://authoranchor.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.