Early Draft · Personal Contacts
Alpha Readers
This page is for personal contacts invited to read a working draft and offer structural feedback. You are here because I trust your read.
You are reading a rough thing. It is not ready. Neither is any first draft. Thank you.
— Alpha Readers · Piper Houghes
- InviteOnly Access
- HonestFeedback Required
- EarlyFirst Eyes On It
What Alpha Readers Do
Alpha readers see the manuscript in an early, unpolished state. You are reading for structural integrity — not prose. The questions I need answered: does the arc work, does the protagonist earn the reader’s trust, does the medical and competitive detail feel credible?
This is not a copyediting pass. Sentence-level feedback is not the job. Big-picture, honest, specific.
The Ask
- Read the draft within four weeks of receiving it
- Return written notes via email or the provided form
- Keep the manuscript confidential — do not share or post
- Be direct. I need your honest reaction, not encouragement
- No review commitment required — alpha reads are pre-publication only