Why Free Beta Readers Can Come at a Cost Writerful Books, 30 August 201613 October 2023 New and unpublished authors will often hire beta readers to receive an insightful critique before submitting a manuscript to a publisher or self-publishing.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. - Joseph C. Report received, many thanks. I'll let you know how it goes once I get stuck into the drafting. Cheers - Joe - Joseph C.Read Moreread less - Lulu K. Thank you so much for the report and for all your observations within it. Having this professional guidance is what I have been yearning for since I started writing the book. I am an early school leaver and also suffer from dyslexia so I knew there would be many grammar mistakes as well restructuring to be done. I sometimes overwrite things as what I am trying to express gets tied up in my mind in knots of confusion. - Lulu K.Read Moreread less - Naomi L. Thanks, Declan! We will review these reports soon. Naomi @ The Artful Editor - Naomi L.Read Moreread less - Rob D. I am happy with the advice you have provided, it is practical and identifies real areas on how I can improve it further. Seems I underestimated how “ready” the manuscript is and may explain why there has been a lot of rejection. - Rob D.Read Moreread less - David R. Hi Declan, First and foremost, thank you for the quick prompt service to my story collection, Human Being Human Doing. I will look at this over the next few days and email you with any explanation that may be required. Thanks once again; stay well and all the best. - David R.Read Moreread less - Stephenos M. I wanted to take a moment to thank you so much again for the meaningful and insightful feedback you left on the manuscript assessment. I really appreciate your work and the ways your feedback has led to the improvement of my writing. Sincerely, Stephenos. - Stephenos M.Read Moreread less - Jodi D. Thank you for the report. Both readers finished commenting around page 200 - I understand one beta reader totally disliked the manuscript, hence not finishing it but was that the same for the second beta reader? I only ask, in case my Word document stopped displaying the comment boxes. Jodi. - Jodi D.Read Moreread less - Thea O. Thanks for sending it through. The beta reader is the first person outside of family to read it, so I was expecting it to be torn to shreds a bit! I'll be able to go through their comments a bit more closely over the weekend but it looks like I've got plenty to be getting on with! Cheers, Thea - Thea O.Read Moreread less - Frank R. Thank you very much for your quick response to my book. You have certainly given me something to think about and work to do. I am in the process of rewriting the first chapter [...] Your comments as to why would be helpful. [...] I guess the next step is to send you another draft for you to assess and once we feel the story has resolved some of the above issues go to some editing. Please let me know if this is how you see things happening. [...] Any other thoughts you have are welcome. I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards, Frank. - Frank R.Read Moreread less - Susan M. Thanks for your thoughtful and generous response. I look forward to speaking with you. In the meantime, may I include a quote from you on the promotional website I’m building to show prospective publishers? Thanks again, Susan. - Susan M.Read Moreread less - Janene W. Thank you for these timely reports. Please pass on my thanks to the beta reader for his or her report. It was extremely helpful and I think I've gained a much better insight into my manuscript from his/her useful and honest comments. I have read them and have been chewing on the comments. There are many points listed in the reports that align with my instincts regarding the manuscript. These give me areas I can directly attack as I head into my next draft, and I appreciate that. - Janene W.Read Moreread less - Kevin O. I was clearly led to the right Irishman to beta read the book: what with a daughter with Iona in her name, a Jamaican connection and a knowledge of that part of Irish history, who better? I really appreciate all of the details that you replied with, it's very helpful. I mentioned that I have two endings and would love your opinion on them. I have attached a new file. This is actually the first ending. The one you read was the new alternate. This version begins at chapter 53. Thanks for doing this. I'm really curious to hear what your thoughts are. I am just beginning the agent query process.. - Kevin O.Read Moreread less - Kathryn H. Thank you very much for returning this so quickly. I appreciate the kind words and support. That gives me the courage to try to get an agent for this story, although I haven't had luck finding an agent in the past. Best wishes, Kathryn. - Kathryn H.Read Moreread less - Paul B. Declan, just read your report. I'm hugely relieved by your comments. Thank you so much for your thorough assessment. I'll ensure you get a mention in the acknowledgements. - Paul B.Read Moreread less - Frank Thank you for your report by Carrie. Please pass on my thanks to her also, particularly for her involvement in the story. I have made some changes in accordance with Carrie's recommendations. [...] Well Declan I guess it is time to test the publishers. I am still deliberating on whether to use a Literary Agent or just go direct to Publishers. Any ideas on this would be gratefully received. All the best, Frank. - FrankRead Moreread less - John B. Thank you for providing a very informative and constructive critique. I feel most of the observations were quite valid and I will proceed with further refinements and edits. Thank you again, John. - John B.Read Moreread less load more 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. Our Beta Reading Service is: ► Affordable ► Comprehensive ► Fast Turnaround ► Honest ► Professional Beta Reading Service Fees: Our beta reading fees are excellent value for a comprehensive beta reader report. AUD $245, CAD $220, GBP £130, EUR €150, USD $165 per reader up to 120,000 words*. *For manuscripts in excess of 120,000 words please contact us for a quote. Our beta reading service accepts fiction and non-fiction manuscripts. ** If your manuscript is unedited we recommend you use our Manuscript Assessment Service ** Click here to hire an editor for a manuscript assessment Hire Beta Readers Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Country of Residence? *Genre *Word Count *Has Your Manuscript Been Edited? *YesNoBrief Synopsis *Any Questions? For example: specific areas to request the beta reader focus on.Submit Your Manuscript Click or drag a file to this area to upload. 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