Open Mic Oct 30th


Beta-readers can come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they’re random strangers you meet on the internet. Hopefully, your beta’s aren’t merely the comments section on your latest self-published memoir.

The Maul Magazine would like to offer a quick and easy way to get beta-readers. A way that doesn’t mean hiring an editor. A way that doesn’t mean reading someone else’s entire manuscript before you get some feedback on yours.

It’s a slant on the writing workshop model. With our way, it’s quicker, easier, and (we think) more fun. People submit stories, and we read a small section out loud. The author is anonymous. Then they get immediate feedback.

We do this offering something called Open Mic Night.

Details below…

What is an Open Mic?

Authors will submit stories to be read live in an open session on Youtube, accessible to everyone. 3 minutes of the story will be read (the author chooses where the “start” point is), and feedback will be given afterward.

An Open Mic is a chance for you to get multiple layers of feedback on your work quickly and easily.

Where is an Open Mic?

Our Open Mics will be taking place on Youtube Live once a month, beginning October 30th, 2022. Our mailing list will send out a link for our Youtube Channel.

Our editor, who will read the story aloud for the audience, will give feedback when the story is done. We will read three minutes of your story, starting at a point of your choosing.

We also ask the audience to give live feedback in the chat, with their gut feelings on what they liked and on what they didn’t enjoy.

The author thus gets three kinds of feedback – Hearing their story read aloud, feedback from the magazine editor on how the piece may or may not work in their magazine, and thoughts from potential readers.

How does an author sign up for an Open Mic?

Join our mailing list, which will send a link for our Sign Up Genius for the event. Our mailing list can be found on our submission page, linked here.

Why have an Open Mic?

Editors and slush readers for magazines are typically also authors. We know how hard it is to get timely, constructive feedback. This is a fun way to make that happen.

And yes, we hope to eventually turn this into an opportunity to fundraise.

Who’s stories will you be reading?

The first 30 authors who sign up, regardless of age or experience!

Should I sign up?

To be honest, I’m kind of pissed you’re even still reading this. Go sign up, you nincompoop!


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