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New and unpublished authors will often hire beta readers to receive an insightful critique before submitting a manuscript to a publisher or self-publishing.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.

- Mary K.

Thanks for your quick turnaround on the report, but even more importantly, thank you for your thoughtful and constructive comments. I've been hesitant to contact the victim's family but you've encouraged me to give it a go and see what happens. Truthfully, in my mind this book is about possibly getting justice for Tatanisha as well as Dell. Thanks again for your excellent suggestions. Sincerely, Mary. - Mary K.
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- Denise N.

Thank you for my Evaluation. I was quite excited and nervous to read the feedback. Your feedback was really great. I do understand what you are saying. My biggest thing I did get from the feedback was, I am obviously not getting my message across about the most important topic of all, which is, negative money thoughts, all to do with the mind. It is not about, financial security, independence etc it is about looking at your money thoughts and language. If you have any other suggestions I would love to hear from you, if not, thank you again. - Denise N.
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- Mark P.

Thank you for the helpful and detailed feedback! - Mark P.
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- Catherine C.

Thanks so much. Those are brilliant suggestions.

Catherine C - Catherine C.
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- Maria G.

Thank you very much for this. I find it quite helpful, and instructive. Especially the bias, it was definitely not intended. I simply did not realise it. Neither my editors. So, I will work some more on the story, and will take on board all the other raised questions. - Maria G.
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- John D.

That’s terrific, exactly what I was hoping for (would have been better if I’d sent the final edit version). I would like to purchase another $110 worth in a couple of weeks, if available.

John Dawson. - John D.
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- Hugh A.

Thanks for your report and your encouraging remarks, as well as your advice and criticisms. Your detailed comments under the various headings are invaluable to me. I accept your point about the beginning, introducing the protagonist rather than the protagonist. I’ll work on it. [...] As for the other issues that you’ve highlighted, I’ll work through the story and fix them as best I can.
- Hugh A.
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- Patrick L.

Thank you for another wonderful assessment. This is very helpful and I greatly appreciate your suggestions and compliments. Everything makes perfect sense. I'm working on the revisions now and I am very excited to complete the next draft. I was planning to start querying agents/publishers after that, but I was curious if you think feedback from beta-reading might be necessary/helpful before moving forward. Thanks, Patrick.
- Patrick L.
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- 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.
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- Jenni J.

You are currently my new favourite person after saying such positive things about my writing. I was quite taken aback with your appreciation of ‘Boundary Lines’. I’m really pleased you enjoyed reading it and were able to connect with it on a personal level.

Thank you for your comments and editing. I look forward to playing around with the passages you highlighted. All of your comments are valued by me.

Your honest and personal response really touched me and perfectly explains why you did not make an initial comment on the assessment regarding this passage of writing. Thank you for clarifying this. Although unsettling, my heart desires to create hope for the reader – a thought you did express in the initial manuscript assessment - so thank you! - Jenni J.
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Thanks for the good advice. I’ll keep working on it.
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- Alex M.

Thank you very much! I hope it wasn't too raw and disconnected at this stage; there is perhaps too much ranting in there. Is it possible to do another round of beta reading with your company, after I review/edit?
- Alex M.
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- William

Thank you so much for the invaluable feedback on Zoa's Arks. I am grateful for the cogent points you brought up. - William
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- 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.
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- Luke J.

Thanks for your time! I really appreciate the feedback and your willingness to slog through. I’m going to spend some time ruminating on your observations and hit it with an overhaul. Thanks again! - Luke J.
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- 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.
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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.

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 **

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* We take your privacy seriously and will always protect your copyrighted material.

Writerful Books offers affordable editing services to authors within Australia (Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney), in Ireland (Cork, Belfast, Derry, Dublin, Galway, Waterford) and the UK (Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sheffield) and the US. Our book editors edit fiction as well as non-fiction. We can tailor our editing services to match your requirements.

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