I'd like to beta read and/or edit your book. My literary preferences are literary fiction, memoir, mystery, spy, and thriller. Not interested in YA, fantasy, erotic fiction, or steampunk (whatever that is).
Karen
Karen
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I'd like to beta read and/or edit your book
- Thread starter Karen Landis
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Cool! Now the requisite questions:
1) Do you charge, and if so how much?
2) What are your credentials, or are you just looking to read some stories (which is cool, I'd just like to know what I can expect)?
3) Loaded question
What type of turn-around would you have on a 91K contemporary mainstream novel? It's not been betad yet, and I'd need a couple days to finish my second-draft read-though.
1) Do you charge, and if so how much?
2) What are your credentials, or are you just looking to read some stories (which is cool, I'd just like to know what I can expect)?
3) Loaded question
What type of turn-around would you have on a 91K contemporary mainstream novel? It's not been betad yet, and I'd need a couple days to finish my second-draft read-though.
No, I don't charge.
My credentials: I have a university education, B.A. plus working toward a master's degree. Major was psychology.
My reasons for wanting to beta a book such as yours is that I love to read; I've been reading for 75 years. I've beta read and edited several books, including 3 from another AW writer, my brother's thriller, my husband's mainstream novel, several of my daughter's screen plays and her first novel - an adventure/thriller soon to be released, and my husband's second novel, historical/sci fi., yet to be titled, and my own narrative memoir, A Proper Study: Mending Karen.
I'm not a professional editor, but I've been told that my critiques are valuable, and my eyes are sharp for catching errors.
I have no problem with a reasonable amount of sex and the language of modern novels (i.e., the F word; I don't use it, but I can read it with equanimity.)
My final motive: I want someone who doesn't know me to beta my memoir. But before I ask for that, I want to give whatever expertise I can to other writers.
Turnaround time: I'll shoot for a week. Certainly not more than 2 weeks.
If you want to use me, please tell me the level of reading you want.
I'll tell you up front that I am constitutionally unable to let a misspelling or egregiously inappropriate phrasing or diction to pass. I also like to be able to comment on whether the characters are believable and developed well. Also, I’ll tell you up front that I'm better at the minutia than the whole.
However, if you don't want your MS marked up (I use MS Word to review manuscripts), I'll try to control myself.
Actually, I expect your MS is absolutely porfect, and uses only appropriate werds.
Let me know your pleasure.
Karen
My credentials: I have a university education, B.A. plus working toward a master's degree. Major was psychology.
My reasons for wanting to beta a book such as yours is that I love to read; I've been reading for 75 years. I've beta read and edited several books, including 3 from another AW writer, my brother's thriller, my husband's mainstream novel, several of my daughter's screen plays and her first novel - an adventure/thriller soon to be released, and my husband's second novel, historical/sci fi., yet to be titled, and my own narrative memoir, A Proper Study: Mending Karen.
I'm not a professional editor, but I've been told that my critiques are valuable, and my eyes are sharp for catching errors.
I have no problem with a reasonable amount of sex and the language of modern novels (i.e., the F word; I don't use it, but I can read it with equanimity.)
My final motive: I want someone who doesn't know me to beta my memoir. But before I ask for that, I want to give whatever expertise I can to other writers.
Turnaround time: I'll shoot for a week. Certainly not more than 2 weeks.
If you want to use me, please tell me the level of reading you want.
I'll tell you up front that I am constitutionally unable to let a misspelling or egregiously inappropriate phrasing or diction to pass. I also like to be able to comment on whether the characters are believable and developed well. Also, I’ll tell you up front that I'm better at the minutia than the whole.
However, if you don't want your MS marked up (I use MS Word to review manuscripts), I'll try to control myself.
Actually, I expect your MS is absolutely porfect, and uses only appropriate werds.
Let me know your pleasure.
Karen
Hi, I'll take you up on your offer if you have time for two novels. (Chris having been here first...) Lit fic, have gotten various opinions about the believability of the characters. Also I'd like to know if the novel lags anywhere - with lit fic, that can be a problem. And would be glad for you to have at it with red ink!
Before the deal is done, I'd need to know what your memoir was about. And what level of reading you'd expect. I'm good with catching grammar. Also have been working with a writer's group for over 5 years and they find my suggestions helpful. BA - History. MA - Theater.
Lacy
Before the deal is done, I'd need to know what your memoir was about. And what level of reading you'd expect. I'm good with catching grammar. Also have been working with a writer's group for over 5 years and they find my suggestions helpful. BA - History. MA - Theater.
Lacy
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Go ahead and take Lacy's, Karen. Mine's not ready yet.
Thanks for the info, btw. I wasn't meaning to give you the third degree It's just that as you mentioned there are different expectations when betaing and especially editing.
Thanks for the info, btw. I wasn't meaning to give you the third degree
It's just that as you mentioned there are different expectations when betaing and especially editing.
Okay, Chris - Lacy's first - and you're next. And frankly, I love third degrees. Gives me a chance to talk about ME.
Overkill, don't give up. The boat will return.
Lacy, I'd love to read your works.
My memoir is based on my experiences with a life threatening illness and two psychiatrists. Following is the query I used when looking for an agent. Let me know if you're interested.
Psychotherapy can cure you, or it can kill you, and the chances are that you won’t know the difference—until it’s too late.
My life at forty-six was a sane and happy one until breast cancer, clinical depression, and the re-emergence of a deeply repressed personality plunged me into confusion and terror. This powerful and desperate part of me was making primitive and unrealistic demands, and to even try to meet them would destroy the life I had so carefully created. I had to choose one: my life or the life of my other self. Whichever I chose, one of us would die.
I sought professional help, and my psychiatrist seduced me.
Suicidal and desperate, I found another therapist, and a five-year battle was joined as Dr. Stevens struggled to rebuild my shattered trust, cure my depression, integrate my two selves, and keep me alive. This is the story of that battle and of my struggle with my other self. It takes you inside the fifty-minute hour of two psychiatrists and their patient and shines a bright light on the pitfalls and promises of the therapeutic process.
Overkill, don't give up. The boat will return.
Lacy, I'd love to read your works.
My memoir is based on my experiences with a life threatening illness and two psychiatrists. Following is the query I used when looking for an agent. Let me know if you're interested.
Psychotherapy can cure you, or it can kill you, and the chances are that you won’t know the difference—until it’s too late.
My life at forty-six was a sane and happy one until breast cancer, clinical depression, and the re-emergence of a deeply repressed personality plunged me into confusion and terror. This powerful and desperate part of me was making primitive and unrealistic demands, and to even try to meet them would destroy the life I had so carefully created. I had to choose one: my life or the life of my other self. Whichever I chose, one of us would die.
I sought professional help, and my psychiatrist seduced me.
Suicidal and desperate, I found another therapist, and a five-year battle was joined as Dr. Stevens struggled to rebuild my shattered trust, cure my depression, integrate my two selves, and keep me alive. This is the story of that battle and of my struggle with my other self. It takes you inside the fifty-minute hour of two psychiatrists and their patient and shines a bright light on the pitfalls and promises of the therapeutic process.
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Also, Lacy, I'll read yours whether or not you are interested in mine. Incidentally, mine is called A Proper Study: Mending Karen
Cool, thanks Karen. You should only give your email address in a private message. Spambots scour the internet for email addresses so it's best not to post them on a public board.
/remembers that one time I . . . *shivers*
/remembers that one time I . . . *shivers*
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