I’m So Excited About Ghost Hustlers—and Yet So Frustrated

I am at that weird stage with Ghost Hustlers where I am ridiculously excited about it and also want to throw the entire manuscript across the room.

Which, honestly, is probably the most accurate summary of writing a book I have ever experienced.

I love this story.

I love the characters.

I love the weirdness.

I love the humor.

I love that it became something that feels completely its own instead of another copy-and-paste paranormal story.

And the closer I get to publishing it, the more real it starts to feel.

That part is exciting as hell.

But there is one thing that has been frustrating me way more than I expected:

I do not really have anyone to read the entire thing and tell me the truth before I publish it.

I do not need someone to tell me it is “good”

This is the part people misunderstand when you ask for feedback.

I am not looking for:

“Aww, I love it!”

because somebody cares about me and does not want to hurt my feelings.

That does not help me.

I need somebody to read it and say:

• this part dragged
• this joke did not land
• I got confused here
• I loved this character
• I hated this scene, and here is why
• this chapter was great
• this chapter needs work
• I saw that twist coming
• I absolutely did not see that twist coming

That kind of feedback is useful.

Useful feedback is not always comfortable.

But I would rather hear something now than read the exact same criticism in a public review after the book is already published.

There is a difference between support and honest critique

I appreciate people being supportive.

I really do.

But support and critique are not the same thing.

Somebody can love you and still not be the right person to review your manuscript.

Maybe they do not read the genre.

Maybe they hate reading.

Maybe they will skim half of it and tell you it was amazing.

Maybe they are so worried about hurting your feelings that they refuse to say anything negative.

That is sweet.

It is also completely useless when you are trying to decide whether 80,000 words are ready for strangers to spend money on.

I think this is one of the loneliest parts of creating something

You can build something for months.

You live inside it.

You know every character.

You have rewritten scenes.

You have deleted things you loved.

You have fixed continuity problems.

You have stared at the same sentence so many times that eventually words stop looking like language.

Then you reach the point where you genuinely cannot see it the way a new reader will anymore.

That is where another set of eyes matters.

And suddenly you realize:

Oh. I need somebody who is actually willing to read this whole damn thing.

Not ten pages.

Not the first chapter.

The book.

Writing it was easier than asking people to read it

That sounds ridiculous, but it is true.

Writing is private.

You can be weird.

You can experiment.

You can rewrite something 14 times and nobody knows.

Handing the manuscript to another person is different.

Now somebody else gets to see:

• the jokes you thought were funny
• the scenes you thought were emotional
• the characters you got attached to
• the parts you are secretly unsure about
• the ending you have been protecting in your head

That is vulnerable.

And I do not think people talk enough about how weird it feels.

I want feedback from someone who actually likes this kind of book

This matters too.

Ghost Hustlers is not meant for everybody.

That is fine.

I actually think books get weaker when they try too hard to be for everybody.

I want feedback from someone who enjoys paranormal stories, horror, weird humor, strong characters, and the kind of slightly chaotic energy this book has.

If somebody only reads serious historical fiction and hates supernatural comedy, their opinion is not useless—but it is not necessarily the opinion I need most.

The right reader matters.

I also need somebody who will finish it

This may be the hardest part.

People are busy.

Reading a full manuscript takes time.

It is not the same as asking someone to look at a logo or read a paragraph.

You are asking them to spend hours inside your story.

That is a real favor.

Which means I understand why it is hard to find people willing to do it.

I am just still frustrated by it.

Both things can be true.

And yes, part of me is scared of what they might say

I would be lying if I said I only wanted criticism and had no feelings about it.

Of course I care.

I have put a stupid amount of work into this book.

If somebody read the entire thing and said:

“I hated it.”

that would sting.

But I would still rather know.

What I really want is specific feedback.

Not:

“It sucked.”

Tell me:

Why?

Where did you stop caring?

Which character did not work?

What felt confusing?

What felt forced?

What did you want more of?

That is something I can actually use.

I think I have reached the point where I need beta readers

I used to hear the phrase beta reader and think it sounded way more official than it really is.

Basically, I need people who can read the manuscript before publication and react like actual readers.

Not necessarily editors.

Not necessarily professional critics.

Readers.

People who can tell me how the book feels from the outside.

That is the piece I am missing right now.

What I actually want to know before I publish Ghost Hustlers

If I could hand the manuscript to the right person tomorrow, these are the things I would want them to answer:

• Did the beginning make you want to keep reading?
• Where did the story slow down?
• Did Raven and Draconia feel distinct?
• Did the humor actually land?
• Did the paranormal parts feel creepy, fun, or confusing?
• Were there scenes you wanted more from?
• Were there scenes you wanted less from?
• Did any character feel pointless?
• Did anything contradict something earlier?
• Did the ending work?
• Was anything too obvious?
• Was anything not explained enough?
• Would you actually recommend it to somebody else?

That last question matters a lot.

Not:

“Do you think I am talented?”

Would you recommend the book?

That is a much more useful question.

I am proud of this book even while I am questioning everything

That is probably the strangest part.

I am not sitting here thinking the book is terrible.

I am genuinely proud of it.

I think it is funny.

I think it is weird.

I think the characters have personality.

I think there are parts people are going to love.

And I am excited as hell to finally get it published.

But being proud of your own work does not automatically mean you can objectively judge it.

At some point, you are too close.

I am there.

Self-publishing means nobody automatically builds this team for you

This is another part of independent publishing that sounds obvious after you experience it.

When you are doing this yourself, nobody magically appears with:

• beta readers
• editors
• proofreaders
• marketing people
• reviewers
• launch support

You have to find them.

Or pay them.

Or build those relationships over time.

And if you do not already have a giant author network sitting around waiting to read your book, that can be surprisingly difficult.

I do not want fake reviews either

I could probably find people willing to say:

“Five stars! Amazing!”

without really reading it.

I do not want that.

I want actual reactions.

If somebody loves it, I want them to love it because they actually read it.

If they hate something, tell me.

If the first half is stronger than the second, tell me.

If one character steals the entire book, I want to know that too.

Fake praise might make me feel good for ten minutes.

Real feedback might make the book better.

I choose the second one.

I am getting close to the part where I have to let go

This might be the hardest thing about publishing anything.

You can edit forever.

There is always another sentence you could change.

Another joke you could rewrite.

Another chapter you could polish.

Another tiny detail you could obsess over.

Eventually the book has to stop being your private project and become something other people get to experience.

That is terrifying.

It is also the entire point.

So yes, I am excited. And frustrated. And nervous.

All at the same time.

I am excited because Ghost Hustlers is getting closer to being real.

I am frustrated because I desperately want a few honest readers before I hit publish.

I am nervous because once somebody else reads it, I cannot control what they think.

But I think that is part of the deal.

You create something.

You do your best with it.

You ask for honest feedback.

You fix what needs fixing.

And eventually you let it go.

I am not quite at the “let it go” part yet.

But I am getting there.

If you actually love this kind of book...

I may end up putting together a small beta-reader group before publication.

I do not need people to tell me what they think I want to hear.

I need readers willing to finish the book, pay attention, and tell me what worked and what did not.

Because I am ready for Ghost Hustlers to leave my computer.

I just want to give it the best shot I can before it does.