What is beta reading?
A beta read is a reader’s reaction to the story. Writers who seek to understand how the readers will experience their manuscript often seek out beta readers.

Beta readers are the first people to read a completed manuscript and provide constructive feedback. Writers should seek beta readers after self-editing their manuscript but before giving it to professional editors.

Beta readers are avid readers and are familiar with the rules and tropes of a particular genre. They can provide honest and constructive feedback from the perspective of the intended reader.

Beta readers do not edit manuscripts. They don’t explain why anything is going wrong or give potential solutions. They tell writers how a future reader might understand their story.
The beta reading process
Beta reader questionnaire
3 reasons to choose beta reading
Where to find beta readers

The beta reading process
I provide beta reading services in the romance genre and point out potential big-picture storytelling issues:

• Characters (goal, motivation, conflict)
• Plot
• Point of view       
• Pacing
• Genre conventions
• Overall impression of the story

If you are interested in my beta reading services, fill in the information in the contact form about the genre, word count, preferred completion date and any specific concerns you need help with your manuscript.

I will read your story and provide constructive feedback in a reader’s report explaining the big-picture storytelling issues of your story. The reader’s report will answer the questions mentioned below in the beta reader questionnaire but you can ask any other related questions you may have.

Beta reader questionnaire
Plot

•  How strong is the story premise?  
• Did the plot make sense to me? Are there any plot holes or confusing sections that should be made clearer? Do any sections take me out of the story?
• What is the story’s central conflict? Is the conflict between the main characters believable?
• Is the central conflict successfully resolved in a way that satisfies the reader? 

Characters

• Are the main characters proactive, likeable, relatable, compelling and engaging?
• Are the characters’ goals, motivations and conflicts clear and understandable? What are the consequences for the main characters if they don’t achieve their goal?
• Are characters’ actions consistent?
• Was I able to keep track of the characters, i.e. who was who? Were there too many?

Point of view

• Is the point of view handled appropriately and consistently throughout the story?  
•  How often does the viewpoint change? Is it fairly consistent throughout the story?
• Is the switch between the multiple points of view clear e.g no confusing head-hopping?
• Does the pov character describe the necessary story events for the scene e.g no information dumps?

Pacing

• Does the overall pacing work?  Do scenes progress in a realistic, compelling manner and flow with effective transitions?
• Does the story move along at an appropriate pace, without rushing or dragging?
• Is the story free from information dumps or backstory that slow the pace of the story?

Genre conventions

• Does the story conform to the requirements/expectations of the romance genre? Does this book break any specific rules of the genre?
• Is the genre clear from the beginning? Do readers know what kind of story they’re getting into?    

Overall impression

• What did I like and didn’t like about the story? 
• Did I find anything confusing or boring or annoying?
• Did the story grab me at the beginning? Were there any points where I started to lose interest?
• Was there anything that I had trouble believing or that seemed illogical?
• Does the manuscript need further editing services?

3 reasons to choose beta reading
You are on a limited budget
If you are an author with a limited budget, then the beta reading service might be suitable for you. If you are not sure how much the beta reading service costs, you can look at the EFA’s editorial rates to get an idea of the rates that beta readers charge.

Every beta reader’s circumstances are different and the cost of the service depends on a lot of factors such as the manuscript’s turnaround time and the editor’s training and experience.

​For example, as a new beta reader, I offer significantly lower rates than those of the EFA to get honest testimonials from writers and grow my portfolio.

You are a new writer and you need to learn more about the writing craft
If you are a new writer without a lot of writing craft knowledge, then the beta reading service might be the right service for you. The reader’s report will provide you with an overview of the big-picture storytelling issues of your story without overwhelming you with detailed page edits.

Writing, editing and publishing a book is a learning process and the constructive feedback the beta reader provides will help you improve your manuscript and your writing craft.

You have no idea how to further improve your manuscript
You are struck. You have rewritten and edited your story multiple times, and you don’t know how to further improve it. If you feel that something is missing from your story but you can’t pinpoint what exactly that is, then the beta reading service might be suitable for you. The beta reader will help you identify and improve the big-picture issues of your manuscript.

Where to find beta readers
Free beta readers
If you have a limited budget, you can find free beta readers. You can ask friends and family to read your story and provide feedback for free. However, be aware that friends and family might be biased and not provide objective feedback to not critically harsh your story.

You can also find writers’ groups on social media sites like Facebook and Substack. There are many writer groups where you can connect with other writers and beta read each other’s stories.

Paid beta readers
You can find professional beta readers in social media such as Facebook groups, LinkedIn and Substack. If you are looking to hire a professional beta reader, it is best to check their LinkedIn profiles to see their background, education, training and experience.

You can also check sites such as Upwork and Fiverr to find beta readers or post beta-reading jobs. Make sure to include the kind of service you need, the genre, the word count of your story, your estimated budget and your desired deadline when you post a job. You can also check the EFA’s Job List and Member Directory to find and hire a beta reader.

You can also search online at the websites of different beta readers to see what kind of services they offer. Every beta reader defines their service differently, so make sure to check what the beta reading service entails, the process, the cost, and the deadline to find the right beta reader for you.

I am ready to discuss my book. How do I do that?
Check out my beta reading service and contact me for a customised quote for your manuscript.

Further reading
What is the developmental editing service?
What is the manuscript critique service?
How to find the right editor for your fiction story
9 important questions editors ask authors before working with them
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The manuscript critique (also known as manuscript evaluation or manuscript assessment) service is a less intensive version of the developmental editing service. (If you are not sure what the developmental editing service includes, read what the developmental editing service is.)

The manuscript critique addresses the manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses and provides comprehensive feedback on the following issues:

• theme
• story structure
• characters (goals, motivations, conflict, character development)
• point of view
• pacing
• setting
• genre conventions
• scene vs narrative summary (show vs tell)
• dialogue

It does not address line editing or copyediting issues such as grammar, spelling or punctuation.

The editor reads the manuscript and provides constructive feedback in an editorial report. The main difference between the developmental editing service and the manuscript critique service is that the developmental editing service includes margin suggestions (comments) in the manuscript document and an editorial report, while the manuscript critique service includes only an editorial report.
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Free sample edits
The editing process
5 reasons to choose the manuscript critique service
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Free sample edits
Most editors (especially copy editors and proofreaders) offer sample edits. However, it is difficult for developmental editors to offer sample edits because the big-picture issues of a manuscript can cover several pages or chapters.

My solution is to ask authors to send me their completed manuscripts. I read chapters from the beginning, middle and end of the manuscript to get a general idea of the story and identify potential issues. I perform a free sample edit on the first 1,000 words of their manuscript (4-5 pages).

I explain to the authors that the purpose of the sample edit is to:

• assess the author’s writing style, and identify potential big-picture storytelling issues.
• set scope expectations and ensure that my style of feedback aligns with what the author is looking for. 

For the manuscript critique service, the author gets only an editorial report of the first 1,000 words of their manuscript. I might provide more feedback on the editorial report than a 1,000-word manuscript typically needs to give the author an idea of my editing style and make sure that it aligns with their expectations.

The editing process
First read-through
The editor reads the entire manuscript as quickly and as comfortably as possible to gain a general understanding of the story and to write down basic information about each chapter.

Edit the manuscript
The editor reads the entire manuscript the second time slowly and carefully and takes extensive notes in an editorial report to guide the author.

Review and send documents
The editor finishes writing the editorial report and sends it to the author.

Author review
The author reviews the editorial report and asks the editor any questions they may have through email or a video call.

5 reasons to choose the manuscript critique service
You are a new author who needs to learn more about the writing craft 
If you are a new author without a lot of writing craft knowledge, then the manuscript critique service might be the right service for you.

The editorial report of the manuscript critique service gives you an overview of the most important big-picture storytelling issues that cover multiple chapters in your manuscript without overwhelming you with detailed page edits. It states the big-picture storytelling issues and offers solutions to guide you in how to further improve your story.

You are an established author who is confident in their writing-craft knowledge 
If you are a published author with a fair amount of knowledge of the writing, editing and publishing process, then the manuscript critique service might be the right service for you.

Established authors usually don’t need detailed page edits and thorough guidance. An editorial report addressing and providing solutions to the big-picture storytelling issues of their story seems more suitable to their level of writing craft knowledge and editing experience.

You have not received any offers from publishers/agents
You have sent your manuscript to multiple publishers and agents and haven’t received any positive responses yet. You feel frustrated and overwhelmed thinking that you will never publish your manuscript.

Go back to the rejection letters sent by the publishers and the agents. Read them carefully and note down common issues that they mentioned in their rejection letters e.g lack of character development or slow pacing. They will probably be issues that cover several pages and chapters of your story rather than just one or two chapters.

Hire a developmental editor to edit your story and provide constructive feedback to help you improve these issues. As a result, you will have an improved manuscript with a higher chance of getting published.

You are too close to your own story and you need another pair of (professional) eyes 
You are struck. That’s it. You have rewritten and edited your story multiple times, and you don’t know how to further improve it. You probably feel that something is missing but you can’t pinpoint what exactly that is.

Hiring a developmental editor will help you identify the big-picture issues of your manuscript and provide honest feedback in an editorial report to help you improve your story.

You don’t have the budget for a full developmental editing service
​Developmental editing services are typically more expensive than copyediting and proofreading services because of the intensive feedback the editor provides. Many authors are reluctant to hire an editor for their story because of the cost of the service.

If you are an author with a limited budget, then the manuscript critique service (a less intensive and cheaper version of the developmental editing service) might be the right one for you.

If you are not sure how much the manuscript critique service costs, you can look the EFA’s editorial rates and estimate how much the service can cost. The rates published on the EFA website can give the author a rough idea of what the cost of different editing services are.

If you want to learn more information about hiring an editor, read how to find the right editor for your fiction book and 9 questions editors ask authors before working with them.

Every editor’s circumstances are different and the cost of the service depends on a lot of factors such as the manuscript’s turnaround time and the editor’s training and experience.

As a new developmental editor, I offer significantly lower rates than those of the EFA to get honest testimonials from authors and grow my portfolio.

Every editing project is unique. Contact editors and get a no-obligation quote based on the specific needs of your manuscript. 

I am ready to discuss my book and the editing service I need. How do I do that?
Check out my editing services and fill in this form to contact me. I will respond to you as soon as possible with a customised quote!

Further reading
What is developmental editing (vs other kinds of editing)?
How to find the right editor for your fiction story
9 important questions editors ask authors before working with them