Congratulations! You have completed your manuscript!
You have edited, revised, and rewritten; invested countless hours and sleepless nights to putting your story to page. Now, you believe the manuscript is ready to go to a publisher, but has it passed through the hands of a Beta Reader?
Friends, family, and loved ones have read draft after draft; you know every page, each sequence of dialogue, you could probably recite the entire book by heart if you really wanted. Do you really need someone else to read it?
The answer is yes, yes you do. But you know this already, it's why you came here in the first place!
You have edited, revised, and rewritten; invested countless hours and sleepless nights to putting your story to page. Now, you believe the manuscript is ready to go to a publisher, but has it passed through the hands of a Beta Reader?
Friends, family, and loved ones have read draft after draft; you know every page, each sequence of dialogue, you could probably recite the entire book by heart if you really wanted. Do you really need someone else to read it?
The answer is yes, yes you do. But you know this already, it's why you came here in the first place!
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What is a Beta Reader?A Beta Reader is one of the most important steps before bringing your manuscript to a publisher. They give you the opportunity to gain insight on how your hard work will be received by readers and future fans.
How do your characters appear on the page? Is your plot tight and engaging? Does the reader think about your book long after it’s been returned to its space on the shelf? Having your work read by someone, especially someone with a fresh perspective, can help you make those finishing touches. As a Beta Reader, my job is to take the wonderful work you have done and help you bring it another step further. I am not an editor. While I will make general notes about grammar and spelling, I am looking for content. A manuscript being submitted for beta reading should be in its final stages, and so should not need much proofreading done anyway. If you have not done so already, I recommend having your draft read by a traditional editor or proofreader, before sending your manuscript to a Beta. |
Why Hire a Beta Reader?
Most likely, you have already had your manuscript read, at varying stages, by friends, family, and trusted readers. So why hire a Beta Reader?
Let’s face it, receiving feedback is hard. As writers, we put a lot of trust into those chosen few allowed to read a working manuscript. Friends and family often serve as great Alpha Readers. They have seen your manuscript in its roughest stages, watched it grow and morph into something truly amazing. They also have prior knowledge on the plot and, in some cases, a hesitation to provide certain types of criticism.
The goal of a Beta Reader is to provide objective feedback on a manuscript, to show what readers may think of it in its current form. They serve as a fresh pair of eyes, meant to read your manuscript for plot, content, and craftsmanship; they make sure the story works.
Let’s face it, receiving feedback is hard. As writers, we put a lot of trust into those chosen few allowed to read a working manuscript. Friends and family often serve as great Alpha Readers. They have seen your manuscript in its roughest stages, watched it grow and morph into something truly amazing. They also have prior knowledge on the plot and, in some cases, a hesitation to provide certain types of criticism.
The goal of a Beta Reader is to provide objective feedback on a manuscript, to show what readers may think of it in its current form. They serve as a fresh pair of eyes, meant to read your manuscript for plot, content, and craftsmanship; they make sure the story works.
Questions or Requests for Beta Reading?
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Interested in taking advantage of Beta Reading Services? It takes approximately 2 weeks for me to read a manuscript and complete an overview and/or feedback report.
Please contact me before placing an order to determine your submission date as I may have other manuscripts queued up to read. |
Testimonials
I have worked with Siri now on two different novels, and she has been my most useful source of critique by far. I'm thorough about getting eyes on my work, and have shared my novels with over a dozen alpha and beta readers. Siri really is the gold standard. She reads attentively, knows what she's talking about, and answers everything I want to know about my stories from a reader's perspective. She is tough but fair. When she gives a compliment, I know that it's genuine, and she is so, so good at spotting weak wording, plot holes, even that one detail you wrote into a side character that you didn't expect anyone to notice. You won't find a better beta reader than Siri.
-Samantha E
-Samantha E
Siri has been professional and responsive. She made the editing process enjoyable and productive. Not only were her grammatical corrections excellent, but she made creative suggestions that helped make my book "flow" for the reader. I will be using her again on any future works!!
- Robert M. Cole, MD
How to Build a Smile: 14 Ways to a Better You
- Robert M. Cole, MD
How to Build a Smile: 14 Ways to a Better You
Siri was a dream beta-reader! Thorough, enthusiastic, critical, and gentle. Her comments were the perfect mix of helpful and encouraging. I wouldn't hesitate to use her services again.
- Kinny L.
- Kinny L.
As an independent author, the beta reading process is one of the most important. And finding good beta readers can be difficult! But working with Siri was definitely on the other end of the spectrum. She read the book in a timely fashion. Her comments were thorough and definitely helped with some of the character development that I missed before hand! She also only focused on the bits that I asked, which was useful as it can be easy to get bogged down with comments on every aspect of the story. I would definitely recommend her as a beta reader!
- E.G.
- E.G.
