1. Sarah Naidoo

    Sarah Naidoo Member

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    Where to find Beta-Readers?

    Discussion in 'Collaboration' started by Sarah Naidoo, Jun 11, 2020.

    Hi!
    I finished my first draft three months ago and I am currently 50% done with my second draft. I have been wondering if I need to complete the second draft to send the manuscript to beta-readers. If not, then where do I even find these magical people, and do I need to pay them?

    Note: I have given my story to a few friends and family, however, I feel an external, objective opinion is needed.
     
  2. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    Hi Sarah, you can get beta readers here on the forum, and yes they are free. You'll need to meet the requirements first, which includes being a member for 14 days (looks like you've got that one nailed down!) and making 20 posts. Beyond that, I don't know what the special requirements are for using the beta reader section of the board, a mod will probably pop in and explain that.
     
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  3. Cephus

    Cephus Contributor Contributor

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    You need to have your manuscript as polished as you can possibly make it before you send to betas. They should be reading the book that you are intending to publish and nothing else. They are your final line of defense against making really bad continuity errors, character problems, etc. They are not there to proofread. They are there to evaluate whether your story hangs together as a finished work.
     
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  4. Iain Aschendale

    Iain Aschendale Lying, dog-faced pony Marine Supporter Contributor

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    Yup, popping in. From our Forum Rules:
    Beta reading comes under our Collaboration subforum. You've got the 90 days down, but you're well short of the 100 posts thing. We do this to make sure that everyone is playing fair and has established themselves as a genuine member of the forum. Without that rule there could be hit-and-run types who would post something for a beta-read and then disappear without making any significant contribution or generally paying back the effort their beta(s) made.

    Absolutely right. There's also an "alpha reader" (the forum doesn't distinguish). From a quick google search:

    An alpha reader is someone who is willing to focus on your word mechanics, SPAG, and really basic plotting issues. I've got a couple people here who are willing to take a squint at early versions of things I've got questions on and I return the favor to them, but if someone asks me for a beta read I'm approaching it as if I'd paid money for the book. Too many basic errors and I'll just return it as unreadable.

    So your best bet is to make yourself more active in the forum. Get to know people, let them get to know you, and you'll find members whose opinions you trust and whose aesthetic sensibilities are in line with yours. For example, if someone asked me to beta a romance, I'd probably decline because it's not my thing. Likewise there are members here whom I like and respect, but I know they aren't in tune to my writing style, so I would never go to them for beta-reading.

    Hope this helps.
     
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  5. Cephus

    Cephus Contributor Contributor

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    I keep a few experts around for alpha reading, but only when I have serious structural concerns about the story itself. There may or may not even be a first draft at the time they see exerpts. They get utilized rarely because most of the time, I understand where I'm going, but it's nice to have them around for those odd cases.
     
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  6. Richach

    Richach Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    You can find beta readers on this forum for free but it is worth bearing in mind that they are all writers! That, of course, is not a bad thing but I would definitely try and find readers too. Maybe have some business cards made up and if you get talking to people about reading that could work. Maybe join an actual writing group or a reading group where you can physically hand over parts of your manuscript. Go and see or call your local bookstore. If you can find an independent one then they can be extremely helpful. Try libraries too.
     
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2020
  7. Cdn Writer

    Cdn Writer Contributor Contributor

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    I don't mind doing beta reads although I will echo what is said above - don't reply on just one person. My perspective may not be "right" - some stories/books just don't do it for me. I like science fiction, general fiction, historical fiction, war fiction, some memoirs - the first "how I overcame alcoholism" for example is interesting, the 50th, not so much. I'm ok with horror but I have found that I like understated horror more than over-the-top horror. I'm not fond of poetry, romance, or erotica. Humour is subjective. Some I like, some I don't. I definitely do not like mysteries - I can read them but.....nope.


    Crime is really fascinating for me but I find a lot of books have huge plot holes....if you are going to write a book about a kidnapper who abducts a 5 year old girl to be sex trafficked to a foreign country, you'd better make sure the plot works. Is the girl drugged to keep her complaint? How does your kidnapper know how to drug a 5 year old? How exactly is the kidnapper transporting the girl out of the country - they're probably not going to drive to France if they are in USA so is it a plane? A boat? How does it get through customs? How does the kidnapper prevent the alarm from being raised immediately - is he going to slip the entire family knock out gas and take the girl at 1 am, be in a different state/country by 8 am, etc.

    That said....we do have some true crime books where the baddies such as Paul Bernado got away with rapes and murders for a long time even though he was on the cops radar because nobody checked his story. In Paul's case, the cops actually had his DNA sample (he volunteered it) but they chose to focus on the males who did not voluntarily give up a sample so his sample sat on a shelf untested for a few years....then they got around to testing it and found out they had the evidence against him all along. Depending on the incompetence of the police or law enforcement is not a good plan for a criminal.
     
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