Why Free Beta Readers Can Come at a Cost

New and unpublished authors will often hire beta readers to receive an insightful critique before submitting a manuscript to a publisher or self-publishing. The beta reader’s job is to read the manuscript as an actual reader would and present feedback on what works and what doesn’t, any styling or structural issues, plot holes or issues with characterisation, flow, grammar, pacing and so on.

Some authors who have multiple books under their belt or are writing a series of books have the ability to enlist existing readers of their books on social media, Goodreads or writing forums. This can be a valuable and free way to get feedback from fans who are familiar with the author’s writing style and know what to expect from that particular author.

First-time authors may not have the luxury of enthusiastic fans who are prepared to beta read their manuscripts for free. So invariably they fall back on family and friends to read their work. The major problem with enlisting family and friends is not that they are inexperienced when it comes to giving in-depth feedback but that they are reluctant to hurt the author’s feelings if the book has major flaws and requires substantial revision and may not even recognise this fact.

Aspiring writers are not always flush with cash so finding affordable beta readers to critique their work in a methodical way is essential. As experienced beta readers, we guarantee you a friendly and personalised service which will deliver valuable feedback in a report to assist your writing ambitions.

There is also the very real possibility that your manuscript will be ripped off in part or in its entirety by an unscrupulous operator who has claimed your work as their own and decided to sell it on Amazon, Apple iBooks or Smashwords under their own name. The following forum post on AbsoluteWrite claims that someone acting as a beta reader ‘borrowed’ some of the author’s work.

- Luther R.

Thank you for your review and comments. I have read the report and now in the process of going through the comments. If I have any questions I will get back to you. Thank again. Sincerely, Luther. - Luther R.
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- Russell T.

Thank you for the assessment. I will make some of the changes you suggested and go forward. I don't know if the work is good enough for publishing, either by a commercial publisher or by self-publishing. Do you think I should try to publish it? Thanks for your input. RT - Russell T.
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- Katherine S.

Please let the reader know that I'm flattered, and none of your beta readers should ever fear causing offense. I want their honest opinions, besides I'm pretty thick-skinned 🙂 - Katherine S.
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- Laura B.

This was VERY helpful. I guess the Beta reader did not know that this is just the first 5 chapters of a longer book. I agree it needs work and that is why people hire beta readers- so they can get feedback and revise, revise, revise. Thanks again.. Laura. - Laura B.
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- Geoff M.

Thank you very much for the comprehensive review, Declan! I very much appreciate it. I am going to see if I can combine the first three chapters into two in order to get things moving more quickly. Thanks again! - Geoff M.
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- Anni T.

Thank you so much for the quick turnaround on your beta read! Your report was very insightful and will help a lot in understanding a reader's perspective. I am so glad the story came together for you - that alone is extremely helpful. Yes, the subject matter is dark, which is always difficult when trying to write a story that is entertaining! I have lines that I won't cross, esp. when it comes to writing about children. I think writing for shock value is a race to the bottom. I'll go back and work on the dialogue that is stilted/unrealistic - yes, it would be awful for the narrator to have to read stilted dialogue! Also, I have to thank you for ploughing through the story despite it being so messy! My editor is finding 100s of errors and many inconsistencies. I've been under pressure to make a deadline for my audio publisher and I've had issues caused by the border closure in Victoria (we were meant to be moving there). I agree with the border closure, but it's been a difficult time - as have these past months been for many, many people.
- Anni T.
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- Stephanie H.

Thank you ever so much! Hope to send more business your way soon. Stephanie Hansen - Metamorphosis Literary Agency - Stephanie H.
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- Penny F.

Thank you for your detailed report..work life has got in the way sadly. I appreciate your many recommendations.. many, no real surprise. As a new writer I felt I needed another opinion even though the MS was incomplete to help me clarify strengths and weaknesses. I had set my book aside deliberately for almost a month and now have two solid weeks to devote to it - and will attempt to address your concerns. I know I have a long way to go to develop good novel writing skills ....I'm hoping practice will get me there!!
Once again thank you for your guidance.
Penny - Penny F.
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- Terry M.

Very helpful, I'll read through your edits a few times and may step into Gus' shoes as you suggest and try the three act - although I have possible further incursions in mind for a second book, if I ever write one. Wish me luck, it was all OK when I was writing for family and friends and children's books for grandchildren - who will be gentle with feedback - and when I made the foray into a novel I knew I was not well positioned - I really did write it for a circle of people who would be used to and appreciated my sense of humour and 'who cares about structure' etc. But I will move outside that circle and rewrite. You have been helpful in giving me that kick. Regards, Terry. - Terry M.
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- Danielle B.

Thank you so much for your detailed responses to all of my specific questions and also your general feedback! This all helps SO much. The two most important things I took from your feedback was that 1.)[...] I just thought of some scenes/ideas of how I can do this so now I just have to write them out and see which ones work best 🤞 2.) There needs to be a stronger hook in the first chapter. I can see now that where I started the story probably isn't the best place to start it. And 3.) there definitely needs to be downtime between the intense scenes. Someone actually suggested this to me before but I was wary because I was afraid of slowing down the story and boring the reader but I think I just have to figure out a balance.
[...]
Best,
Danielle Brown - Danielle B.
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- Jodi L.

I just read your comments and am feeling deeply grateful. You've given me a new confidence that the subtleties I was hoping to convey are coming through to a caring and thoughtful reader. I will certainly work on the few words you suggested reconsidering. One one of them ("knacker") I was wondering about myself ... whether it had too many other meanings to be clear in that context. Indeed I struggled with hating to use the language of the era, but knowing it was how the characters would speak. I am glad you felt that was a reasonable choice. Also, as this was a new epilogue (after several tries that weren't working all that well), I am quite grateful that you've given it a stamp of approval. I do feel that I'm finally ready to send this book to agents... to let it out of my own little world. It's been a very long road of discovering this challenging craft, and readers like you make it worth it. Many thanks to you, and I quite expect I'll get back in touch for the next one. Rinse and repeat.... that's a writing life!
- Jodi L.
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- Elizabeth S.

Thanks very much for this. I will work on the recommendations, especially to speed up/improve the beginning. I’m feeling a little more hopeful about the story overall. Best regards, Elizabeth. - Elizabeth S.
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- Tina H.

Thanks Declan for your thorough breakdown of my book. Yours is the first feedback that is constructive. Friends and family are always a little too enthused and not always honest with their feedback. I will take your thoughts into consideration as I rework some of the chapters. Thanks so much for beta reading my book! Thanks, Tina.
- Tina H.
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- Rudy S.

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I wanted to say the notes were extremely helpful and gave me alot to think about. I don't know if too much time has passed by now but I thought I should try. My only question for the reader to clarify on is that I forgot to mention that this book is the first of a planned series. And she said the characters didn't feel developed, and i'm just wondering if knowing that changes anything? I hope the Covid didn't knock you around too much and that you're feeling better. I've read the notes and first wanta thank you for the feedback. I genuinely appreciate it. - Rudy S.
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- Jo D.

Thank you for the report. I like my premise for this work, but clearly I’m having trouble pulling it off. Thanks for catching so much.

Best,
Jo - Jo D.
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- Chris

How fast you work! Thank you for your beta-reading and yes, your revisions. I feel privileged. Your comments are quite encouraging. In light of what you have written, I will only send you the completed work. It will take a few months. Your feedback tells me this: 1. I am in the right direction, the pace is well set, my English grammar and style are adequate, but will need to be revised by a professional. 2. The story summary is enticing. 3. Judging the first chapter, the book has good marketing potential. All that galvanizes me. If I got it wrong, by all means, tell me. I am looking forward to contacting you when the first draft of the Great Inversion will be tweaked and ready, but not professionally revised. Most cordially, Chris. - Chris
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This type of thing is more common than you think and a major reason why you should hire only trustworthy beta readers rather than posting a request on a forum for free beta readers or using a Beta Reading Service which allows anyone to sign up and beta read an authors manuscript without passing any background checks or signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).

There is nothing stopping someone you’ve made contact with on a forum or social media from uploading your manuscript to The Pirate Bay or another torrent website to give anyone the ability to be able to download your ebook for free. As you know, internet piracy is rampant which is why you need to be smart about whose hands your unpublished manuscript ends up in. The simple truth is that no publisher will consider signing a new author if their work has been illegally uploaded to a file-sharing website without the author’s knowledge.

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