Should I Hire a Beta Reader or an Editor?

The role of a beta reader is to read a writer’s manuscript and provide feedback in the form of a beta reader report. This feedback can be tailored to suit the author’s needs or it can follow a structured checklist of areas to focus on such as characterisation, concept, dialogue flow, plot, and so on.

As beta readers and book editors, we come across many types of manuscripts at various stages of readiness in terms of submitting to commissioning editors and/or literary agents. Often the manuscript is highly polished and has passed through a number of stages of editing and the author just wants to ensure there isn’t an issue they may have overlooked or the author is seeking more generalised feedback.

Either way, an experienced beta reader or book editor should be able to track down any errors, plot holes or any issues within the manuscript. Then there are those manuscripts that are still in the early stages and may require more substantive work. We would usually recommend developmental editing or a manuscript assessment to really analyse the story (or work of non fiction) as it falls outside the remit of a beta reader and is a more involved process.

Lastly, there are experienced authors who are confident of their work and want their manuscript read as a commissioning editor or literary agent would read it. For these clients, we offer a manuscript evaluation or critique. This is a two-tiered service which offers an express evaluation or an expert evaluation of your manuscript. Both of these provide advice on the state and readiness of the manuscript, synopsis or query letter outlining the best way to proceed with sending a query letter or submitting the manuscript to a publisher. If you’ve any questions about our book editing or beta reading services, we’re more than happy to answer!

Beta Reading Service Fees:

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 **

Hire an Editor for a Manuscript Assessment Here

Further Reading:

Why Hire a Beta Reader?

Ready to Hire an Editor?

Why Hire Us For A Manuscript Assessment?

Why Use Our Manuscript Evaluation Service?

Submit Your Manuscript

* Acceptance of a manuscript electronically or by post does not automatically imply any contractual obligations. Some beta reading jobs may take longer to complete depending on the workload of individual editors. We accept manuscripts from authors from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States.