Willing Beta Readers Volume II

[I survived]

Availability: Available

Preference: Memoir, Biographies History (Non-military)Historical fiction, mainstream. Religion.

Maybe: Books about sport Especially baseball especially the Cubs. Can't guarantee to be impartial if you're writing about the St. Louis Cardinals

Not Interested: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Erotica, Romance, Horror, Poetry (nothing against any of those genres, I just have absolutely no frame of reference for judging them).

Experience: Am critting chapter by chapter approx. 25 novels right now on another sites write one crit one

My Style: I believe in the old saying You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. While I will give lots of criticism, both positive and negative I will give ideas on how to fix the negative and not just leave you hanging. I also believe you are the captain of your own ship and my ideas are just that, ideas. I am not offended if you don't take them. I crit line by line and then an overall. If your looking for someone heavy on grammar and syntax I am probably not your person.
Turnaround Time: About two weeks for a 80,000 word book or a chapter a day.

Contact: Please feel free to PM me, maybe with a sample and a description

[GoPetunias]

Availability: Available

Preference: Fantasy, sci-fi, horror, historical fiction, action/adventure.

Maybe: Crime (not so much if it's largely procedural but things of the Sherlock Holmes variety for sure), romance (again, it depends on the style. I don't mind romance in a plot so long as it's not the main focus).

Not Interested: Sport, poetry (I like it but I really have very little clue about it).

Experience: I have had a poem published but that's it, writing wise. Critiquing wise, I have worked with people on the likes of Figment dealing with grammar, spelling, character arcs, plot details and such.

My Style: I'm British so may highlight terms that are not familiar but will not alter spelling to suit me (I've had people do that to me before, can you believe...). I tend to go with the 'sandwich' method of critiquing; for every constructive comment I make (and I always try and be polite with any criticism or suggestions) I will cushion it between two things that I particularly like about the piece.

Turnaround Time: Not sure what would be usual but I can get through a chapter or two a day depending on word count, maybe more.

Contact: Feel free to PM me with a description of your piece (genre, general plot, no spoilers please!) and maybe a sample so I can get a feel for it and see if I will be able to offer constructive critiquing. If it looks promising, I will give you my e-mail and we can set something up

[bean60]

Available

Preference - Women's Lit, Mainstream, Mystery, Some Romance (but not hard core erotica) historical fiction, YA, Middle Grades, Children's, etc. I like to read almost anything and get bored reading the same thing all the time. I have grandchildren and a good notion what they would like.

Not interested - Sport, (unless sport is not the major focus,) poetry, (never learned to love, appreciate, or understand most of it.) Like art, I know what I like in poetry, but can't explain it.

Experience - I grew up, and went to school, during a time when teachers were more interested in grammar, punctuation, and spelling than content. I've had to teach myself to look for content. I've been writing for pleasure all my life; now I have a couple of manuscripts I'm working on. I may never get published, but am a member of a couple of critique groups and would like to have some beta readers look at them when I finish rewrites.

My style - I always read everything I critique, and would do you manuscript, also, at least twice. (I do read fast) The first read is to get the flavor of the piece, and on a novel, I would take notes. The second read would be the critique and write up. Usually, on shorter pieces, I read a third time; on novels, I would at least skim through a third time to be sure I mentioned all the points I wanted to make.

Turnaround time - I'm living alone for the first time in my life, so will have more time to devote to reading your manuscript. No promises, but will try to get it done as soon as possible, depending on your schedule, if possible. Determined by the length of your manuscript, definitely less than a month, probably much less than that. I want to give your book all the attention it deserves.

Contact - PM me with your expectations, genre, synopsis, (no spoilers, please) maybe a sample, (five pages or so,). Send me your email address. I will contact you within a day or so. If feel I can do justice by your manuscript, we can make arrangements for you to get it to me, however you choose to send it. That could be by email, attachment, or paper.

I am especially interested in having my manuscript read by experienced Beta Readers, too.

[Maramoser]

I want to give this a try

Availability: UNAVAILABLE

Preference: My range of things I would be good at beta-ing is fairly narrow: YA, in particular fantasy, science fiction (all subgenres), and contemporary. I am very open to diverse characters! (and I love spotting unfortunate implications)

Not Interested: First drafts, drafts that are not done, and genre wise uh...pretty much everything that is not above. Due to past interactions, I would also strongly prefer that you have at least 50 posts here.

Experience: I have beta read for several people on here and no one's died yet

My Style: I like to leave notes in-line regarding my reactions as I read/nit-picky questions, and I also do a write-up at the end and try to cover all the major big-picture points (pacing, characters, dialogue, etc). Turnaround time may be a couple weeks or it may be more due to my being a college student, but I will provide updates if asked!

Contact: Please PM me with a query (or something that vaguely resembles one) including genre and word count, and ideally a link to a sample of the writing. It would probably be in both of our best interests to do a test run of a couple chapters at first.

I am also available to swap--see my recent post history for more info--but my writing is not for everyone so I will not force it on you!

[Riiyn]

Hi there! Not picky about genre except no romance please. Anything else is fair game, I'm an avid reader who can rack up a book up a day on weekends, and I'm happy to offer constructive criticism.

[JournoWriter]

Availability: Available

Preference: Nonfiction - current affairs, biography, history, general how-to, outdoors, environment, Buddhism, etc. (Ask if not included!) Fiction - mystery/crime, police procedural, adventure. Historical fiction of most types a big yes (no Tudors, please).

Maybe: Fantasy and science fiction. My tastes are picky about these genres, so you might not want me reading yours. YA depends on topic - post-apocalyptic will intrigue me more than contemporary coming-of-age. Travelogues.

Not Interested: Horror, gross-out, sports, romance, erotica, religious proselytizing, autobiography, self-help, anything medical, how-I-beat-cancer-with-Jesus'-help. I will never read Stephen King or Dean Koontz's thriller stuff (though the Odd books are great), so if that describes your work, you don't want me.

On my nightstand now: Fiction, Michael Connelly, Ellis Peters, William Dietrich, Katherine Kurtz; nonfiction, David Philipps, Jules Witcover, Mark Pryor, Aaron Glantz.

Experience: Former newspaper copy editor and reporter. Writing own NF book with dreams of novels dancing in my head. Was a history major.

My Style: I'm a practical reader and editor. I'm not a grammar freak, but focus on whether it sounds right and natural. If I don't like something, I will say so, sometimes bluntly. If you're looking for tough criticism, that's me. I like to use Track Changes so you can see just what I'd suggest.

Turnaround Time: Approximately two weeks per book. Faster if I really like it and I can't put it down.

Contact: Please PM with summary, sample and what you're looking for.

[Ravenlea70]

Availability: Available

Preference: Fantasy, horror, historical fiction, romance, erotica, maybe sci-fi etc - anything fictional anyway (recently read Ash by James Herbert, a Dean Koontz fan, Dannika Dark, Nicole MacDonald, Barbara Erskine etc)

Not Interested: non-fiction - I like to "switch off" at the end of the day. not into crime, fiction or non-fiction, biographies, autobiographies etc...

Experience: none when it comes to beta reading, but would like to offer my services. Education good, worked as a PA in a solicitors firm for several years and after a career change, now work in a secondary school with Special Educational Needs children so English is important in my jobs.

My Style: Honesty, you want feedback, I would give it, but I'm not harsh. I love reading but can't stand a poorly written book (50 Shades of Grey was so badly written, I was surprised at the frenzy about it).

Turnaround Time: I read 2-3 books a week, an avid reader.

Contact: PM me any time, let me know the genre and brief synopsis and what you expect from me I'll reply asap.

That's about it, me in a nutshell and available for anything you can throw at me - as long as its fiction remember

[katieb128]

Availability: Unavailable. I currently have a book I'm beta-ing for someone. I should be free closer to the end of April, but don't be afraid to contact if you're willing to wait.

Preference: Science fiction, fantasy, historical, young adult, mainstream, literary, adult.

Not Interested: Romance novel, non-fiction

Experience: I'm currently working towards my MLA, one class at a time, while I work, and I've taken a class with a strong focus on critiquing others works and having my own work critiqued. I've completed one novel, which I'm currently submitting to agents, and I'm in a writing group to work on my short stories.

My style: I'll let you know what works well and what doesn't, but I would never be cruel, I know how hard it is to have your work critiqued.

Turnaround time: I think a solid critique of a novel would take me about a month, but probably no longer.

Contact: PM me with a few opening chapters, I'll give you some feedback and we can take it from there.

[Princess Marina]

I am prepared to beta read for others. I can help with grammar and spelling including American spelling. I write Sci fi/ fantasy with some erotic content and Regency romances. Will beta read all adult fantasy / sci fi and most adult genres except modern romance. Do not mind length but would prefer to receive only three chapters in first sending.

[nadja1972]

Availability: Available

Preference: Literary fiction, women's fiction, new adult, short stories, memoir.

Maybe: Mainstream fiction, historical fiction, contemporary YA.

Not Interested: Since I don't usually read romance, mystery, sci-fi or fantasy, I don't think I'd be much help with those genres.

Experience: I have a literature degree and I've beta read for a bunch of people, some of whom have gone on to publish their work.

My Style: I'm honest but polite. I'm best at helping with general manuscript issues like structure, characterization, plot holes, pacing, believability, etc. My grammar is fine, but I'm probably not the best person to do a line-by-line critique.

Turnaround Time: I'm pretty quick. A couple weeks? But let me know if you have any kind of deadline and need faster feedback.

Contact: PM me with a brief description and, if you want, a sample of the manuscript. Also what kind of a critique you want.

[AlexHurst]

Availability: Unavailable

Preference: Fiction (all), Nonfiction (memoir, history).

Maybe: Sports, Politics, textbook-style prose.

Not Interested: Fanfiction.

Experience: I am an English Teacher with a University of California, Berkeley education. My career as a beta reader has been short. I started by beta-reading articles translated into English from Japanese for a local magazine here in Kyoto, and have recently been doing beta reads for a fiction group on Facebook. People have been very happy with my work.

My Style: I will be honest with you, but never crass or flippant. If I think something doesn't work, I will tell you why, and in some cases, give you suggestions on how to improve the issue. I will also tell you when I like something (and it will be genuine.) I can also do line readings. I am an English teacher by profession, with a very good understanding of grammar, so will correct errors as I see them-- I use American English. If I begin to read your work and note heavy errors (beyond reason), I will stop and tell you to edit it once more on your own before passing it off to me-- this is purely to preserve my own time. Things like consistent comma errors, quoting mistakes, incorrect verb tense and awkward POV changes are all red flags.

Turnaround Time: Up to two weeks, though for shorter pieces I can probably beta within 3-4 days. Just bear in mind that I work six days a week.

Contact: PM me with your genre, sample length and detail request.

[Balthynu]

Availability: Available

Preference: Fiction - pref scfi-fi/fantasy & thrillers/murder mystery.

Experience: I am an (as yet) unpublished writer. Native UK english speaker and educated in humanities to post graduate level. I have high expectations of books that I read so will be quite thorough with anything I go through.

My Style: Firstly I think anything that is submitted for beta reading should be edited by the author to the best of their ability. With this in mind I would expect to only be beta reading for structure and content etc (plus the occasional typo etc). As such I'm not a copy or line editor but will make a recommendation if I consider it necessary. I will be as supportive and positive as I can but will be honest with my advice.

Turnaround Time: Depends. PM me about length etc and I'll get back to you with a time estimate.

Contact: PM me.

[quietglow]

Availability: Unavailable (Through 6/1/13. If you need a reader over the summer, feel free to ask. I'll let you know what my schedule allows.)

Preference: Lit fic, Mainstream, Magical Realism, Urban, Creative Non-Fic

Maybe: Sci-Fi and fantasy, Romance (if clever), YA (if something other than coming-of-age), Poetry. Lots of other stuff as well. I read broadly.

Not Interested: Vampires, zombies, sport, first drafts.

Experience: I've worked as an editor, taught Freshman Composition, and have some applicable liberal arts degrees.

My Style: I tend to be terse with comments, and I don't have tons of tolerance for early drafts. I don't do line level commentary, preferring thoughts at the end of a chapter. I'm very good at knowing when something isn't structurally right with a story, but I don't generally offer advice for fixing. I read encyclopedias as a kid: if you say venus is rising in your evening scene, I will tell you to fix it. I can't copy-edit to save my life.

Turnaround Time: Predictable. You tell me what you want read and how long, and I'll tell you when I'll be done. Turnaround for a chapter, usually a day.

Contact: PM and include a bit about what you've got and what you're looking for.

Also, I'll keep with the general board guideline: if you have less than 50 posts, maybe spend some time around the boards before asking for a beta.

[chialea]

Availability: Available

Preference: Crime fiction, historic novels, supernatural fiction and some biographies

Maybe: Autobiographies, fantasy, depends on the synposis.

Not Interested: Romance, sci-fi, erotica.

Experience: I enjoy reading and can get through several books a week.

My Style: Constructive criticism, not destructive!

Turnaround Time: approx 3 days.

Contact: PM me here with your requirements and a brief synopsis and we can take it from there.

[judes]

Availability: Unavailable until June

Preference: YA/NA fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary. I love books with diversity and different settings.

Maybe: YA/NA thriller, horror.

Not Interested: Vampires, werewolves, stories where the MC experiences rape, poetry, gore, medieval fantasy. I'm probably not the best with short stories.

Experience: I read mostly YA. I have experience beta reading for others. Many of the people I read for appreciate that I am straight-forward with my comments. I'm not the hand-holding kind of reader if you are looking for that.

My Style: I am good at pointing out inconsistencies and I look for threads that are unresolved or go nowhere. I would say I am good at tightening up a story or seeing where problems are occurring with flow. I approach a story from a reader's perspective and I won't give you comments about how *I* would write it, only what I enjoyed/did not enjoy as a reader. I will also tell you honestly where I would lose interest or even put down the book. I make lots of highlights and comments with questions for you to consider. I don't do line by line edits though, and I easily lose patience when there are frequent spelling/grammar errors.

Turnaround Time: Depending on the request. I would say 2-4 weeks. I prefer to provide chapter by chapter comments and reflections, we have a bit of a dialogue at certain points to make sure that I'm approaching it the way you are looking for, and then continue. So the whole process may take a bit longer than that.

Contact: PM me with a brief synopsis and length and we can go from there. I would prefer to beta for someone who is very much into interaction so I can get a sense of what you want and we're not wasting each other's time.

[MythMonger]

Availability: Unavailable

Preference: Most adult fiction (except what's noted below)

Maybe: YA (same restrictions below)

Not Interested: High fantasy, romance/erotica, books with lots of world building, non fiction, English as a second language writers (unless fluent), fan fiction, poetry

Experience: First time beta reader, critted in SYW a number of times. No formal instruction in terms of creative writing, did a stint as an English major after my BS. Unpublished writer, working on my second manuscript.

My Style: I believe that criticism is more helpful than praise, so my crits tend to lean that way. I'm looking to give an overview of the work as opposed to much line by line work.

Other Preferences: Nothing too long, about 80-85K max. Users should be somewhat involved in AW (no zero posts). Manuscript should be rewritten at least once already.

Turnaround Time: I'm a slow reader, so maybe a month for 80K? Again, first time doing this.

Contact: PM me here with your requirements and a brief synopsis.

I admit to wanting to beta read mainly for me to gain experience in this area, so I don't expect a reciprocated beta read of my manuscript. In other words, this is a freebie.

[BetteDavis]

Availability: Available

Preference: YA. All genres.Although I am prejudiced against love triangles and insta-love I'll try my best to keep it objective.

Won't Beta:Romance (if that's all there is to it) Erotica

Experience: None-I do read a lot though

Cruelty: I'm blunt but if you irritate me with stupid spelling errors I will be very sharp.However I do not work for the grammar police.I want to come at this as a reader.

Contact: PM me with a synopsis and whether you like it hard or soft-I haven't done this before so I'm unsure whether I'll be up to doing line by line edits

Before I commit to Beta reading your novel: PM me with your first chapter I'll give you my impressions you can see if its what your after and I can see if I want to read on.

Turnaround time-Im pretty slow unfortunately and I want to do a good job so I don't want to commit to a timeframe.We'll work it out

I'm open to swaps also

[chloecomplains]

Availability: Available

Preference: Contemporary, Mainstream, Suspense, Horror, Humor

Maybe: Urban/Paranormal Fantasy (fair warning, I'm pretty much done with vampires), Sci Fi

Not Interested: YA, Romance, High Fantasy, Space Opera

Experience: I've done quite a bit of beta reading, plus I used to be an editor for a sports magazine and I have a degree in English. Neither of these things directly correlate to beta reading, but what they do mean is: a) it is impossible that your story is the grammatically worst thing I have ever read, and b) I'm used to reading lengthy, difficult texts on a tight deadline.

My Style: I want your story to be the best it can possibly be, and that means I have to be completely honest about it. I don't sandwich; if I have to throw in compliments to avoid bruising, you'll never know if I'm sincere or just being nice, and then what is the point of this? If you don't have a thick skin or if you're looking for an ego stroke, move along. If you're looking for an honest, thorough, expedient critique, stick around.

I'm also good if you have sensitive material. I don't expect you to bruise easily, and neither will I. Explicit language, violence, rape, drugs, general horror toward children and animals will not turn me away.

I am not taking first edits. Even if I accept your manuscript, I can't promise I'll finish the entire thing before additional edits are done. I will never accept something and then refuse to finish it, but if the errors are too distracting, I'll send it back before continuing.

Turnaround Time: I'm fast. Depending on the quality of your work, I typically process 30k-50k a week.

Contact: PM me with a synopsis and your expectations. If I'm interested, we'll continue from there.

If you're interested in swapping, please let me know.

[KKing]

Availability: currently unavailable until mid-late May

Preference: Adult and YA Fantasy (all kinds), SF

Maybe: Romance, contemporary lit

Not Interested: Anything else! But feel free to ask, I don't mind inquiries. (I also don't mind saying no.)

Experience: I have beta-read one 119k YA fantasy, read all (most?) subgenres of fantasy, and English was my best subject in school. I read, write, and read about writing to constantly improve my craft. And my passion is editing!

My Style: I do not accept first drafts. I prefer at least the second draft or later, which means I will NOT edit for grammar or spelling. Typically I employ a three-step process during my beta. I do a read-through as a reader only, read through again leaving margin notes, and lastly compose an "overall thoughts" document regarding major (and some minor) elements like character, plot, dialogue, pacing, etc. I certainly don't leave hateful feedback, but I will not sandwich - that seems silly and juvenile. I leave honest and constructive comments and questions for the writer to consider.

Blood/guts/rape/torture/fluffy bunnies are all acceptable.

I will gladly answer questions if you have any regarding my feedback, but will not tolerate justifications or pouting. If either of these occur, all communication will end. In this beta reader, you will find an honest, objective third party who truly wants to help you roll out the best book possible!

Turnaround Time: I'd say 14-18 days for 100k.

Contact: PM me! We'll hash it out from there.