Beta reader needed

(Blog edited)

Ever considered beta-reading? Indie writers of romantic comedies, historical novels, SF, crime, whodunits, horror, fantasy, erotica, etc, are always looking for good beta readers

Beta readers are not usually paid to read, but if you do useful helpful feedback, word spreads and you will be flooded with requests and can start charging for your time. It’s never big money! It appeals more to those who like reading anyway, and like the idea of being able to feed back directly to the writer.

Volunteers are generally sent the first ten percent (by email in a PDF, Word document, or Kindle format, as agreed) of a book which has been written but not yet professionally edited. He or she reads the section and sends it back with the following notes
a) what they think it is about, and what is likely to happen (this tells the author whether the first 10% has properly set the stage, or not)
b) whether they would like to read on

There is no obligation to read on - good beta readers will get dozens of requests every year and rarely have time to request the rest of the book.

A beta reader is NOT an editor, they are not required to look for errors (although any obvious ones can be pointed out!) and they are absolutely NOT required to tell the writer how to change the book completely it is what it is. A beta reader is a normal reader - but one who tells the writer what they think of what they are reading.

If the beta reader does want to read on, the rest of the book is sent in two or three chunks (like reading a serial) with the only difference being that after each chunk you tell the writer what you think so far, and what you expect (or would like) to happen. Ideally you would respond within 5 days of getting the chunk, usual turnaround is 2 or 3 days for shorter books.

You can stop at any time. It is much appreciated if you would say why, e.g. not enough detail, I’m getting confused, not enough is happening, too much is happening, too long-winded, too many errors, etc. You can see how this feedback would be essential.

First comment is about a specific beta reader request.