Beta Reader Lounge

Welcome to the Beta Reader Lounge.

This is the area for those wishing to request the services of a beta reader.

A beta reader is a person who reads your work with the intent of providing guidance and advice on how you may be able to improve your piece before it goes out to submission. It is always advisable to consult with the beta reader on the expectations the writer has for a particular piece of work. It may include 'tightening of the plot', 'characterisation', 'spelling', 'grammar' and/or 'continuity. Please note that a beta reader's job is to offer an honest opinion, not fix your manuscript. They are not unpaid editors or copy editors.

Generally, a beta reader makes a committment to comment on an entire story (short, novella, novel) or poem. How that works is an agreement between the writer and the beta ie. you may break it up into chapter length reads as you go, or wait until the story is finished. However, it is courtesy to ensure the work is thoroughly edited by the writer before sending it to the beta reader.

There is an unwritten rule (along the lines of courtesy) that when you have something read and commented on by a beta reader, you will return the favour if requested. This is something that should be discussed up front with the beta reader.

Guidelines for requesting a beta reader on this board

* This board is a place to request a beta reader, not to offer your services. If you are keen to be a beta reader, please wait until a request has been posted and contact that person via Private Message.

* You must have at least 50 posts under your belt before requesting a beta reader. We are a community committed to helping each other improve our writing and would like to avoid users just dropping in to get feedback before vanishing.

* Describe your genre and length of the work when posting. Include a short synopsis and if relevant, what aspects of your writing you are particularly looking at improving.

* If you wish to be a beta reader, contact the member who has posted the request via Private Message to discuss what is involved, timeframes required etc.

* Once it is all agreed to, the member who posted the request should post that they have found a match and a moderator will come along and lock the thread.

JJ