Why Free Beta Readers Can Come at a Cost Writerful Books, 30 August 201613 October 2023 New and unpublished authors will often hire beta readers to receive an insightful critique before submitting a manuscript to a publisher or self-publishing.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. - Naomi L. Thanks, Declan! We will review these reports soon. Naomi @ The Artful Editor - Naomi L.Read Moreread less - Catherine C. Thanks so much. Those are brilliant suggestions. Catherine C - Catherine C.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 - Tom F. Sorry it has taken so long to get to you. I’ve been swamped with day-job work. I also want to thank you for reading and providing thoughtful comments. - Tom F.Read Moreread less - Amelia N. Thank you for the report! The beta read was very helpful to let me know what to edit and work on next. Pass on my thanks to the reader. Regards, Amelia - Amelia N.Read Moreread less - John K. Thank you, Herr Doktor. - John K.Read Moreread less - 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.Read Moreread less - 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.Read Moreread less - Liljana F. Thank you so much - this is exactly what I needed to be able to improve my manuscript. Your notes are well-considered, and I believe they'll be tremendously helpful. Now to begin the rewrite...Thanks again, Liljana. - Liljana F.Read Moreread less - 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.Read Moreread less - 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.Read 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 - 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.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 - 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.Read Moreread less - Natalie J. Thank you so much for the report. It had great feedback. - Natalie J.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. PhoneSubmit * 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. Articles Beta Reading Service