Early Reader Sign Up

Hello Friend,

I would like to invite you to join Los Testigos (The Witnesses), a membership program, like Patreon or Substack, where you will bear witness to my magical realism rewrite as it unfolds. The name reflects both the story I’m telling (about forced disappearances and recovered truths) and the role you will play in shaping it.

As I work on the rewrite, I will share chapters with Los Testigos members who will be able to comment and leave feedback on the material. I will also publish monthly Craft Notes that go into more detail about how I’m building the story and the decisions I’m making. For example, the first note will focus on my recent breakthroughs regarding the book’s theme.

There are two ways to join Los Testigos:

  1. As an Early Reader (free in exchange for feedback)
  2. As a Compañero ($5/month or $60/year)

Both tiers get you access to my manuscript and Craft Notes, but Compañeros get a few extra perks:

  • Monthly video calls where we discuss the work together (~1 hour).
  • Access call recordings if you can’t attend live.
  • A personalized ePub of the finished book, featuring a signed and dedicated cover image written using e-ink.

Think of the Compañeros tier as a book club with the author as they’re writing the story.

Chapters will be published as soon as I finish them, so you will get to see my progress in real time. On average, it should take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes to read each chapter.

My goal is to release a chapter or two every week, but realistically, it might be every other week since some chapters need more work than others. There may also be times when I get busy and won’t be able to publish as frequently. I will do my best to communicate when I am entering a busy period.

In terms of the type of feedback I’m looking for, I’m mostly looking for your general impressions, what you liked about the material, and what wasn’t working for you. Please do not worry about spelling or grammar mistakes, as the book will be reviewed by a professional proofreader at some point. You can note those errors if you’d like, but they’re not the priority.

To access the material, you will need to log in to my website. Once logged in, you will also be able to provide feedback in the comments section. Alternatively, you can also respond to one of my emails with your thoughts. I may occasionally send out a survey about some aspect of the writing.

Please don’t share the manuscript with anyone outside of the program, as I plan to pursue traditional publishing, and sharing the text widely could jeopardize a book deal. I’m trusting Los Testigos members to keep this work private. You can, of course, discuss the book in general terms with anyone you’d like.

That should about cover it. If this sounds good to you, you can sign up using the links below. If you have any additional questions, check out the Los Testigos - FAQ page, and please don’t hesitate to ask. My email is: hello@nelsonroberto.com