Authors and Editors: Advice for Beta Readers and Beta Reading

Chao- It's pretty cool that FF.net and FP.com have been operating a program that allows users to exchange documents for editing and/or proofreading and/or author collaberation. Writing is fun, but sometimes it's good to have a little extra help. And when authors look for help, they find beta readers. A previous entry had been done for authors looking for beta readers; this entry is for those who are or would like to be beta readers.

Reasons Why Authors Hire Beta Readers:

• You list ourselves through a Beta profile
• You have experience writing fan fics
• They enjoy speaking with you
• They trust your judgement

Chao- Understand that sometimes it's not easy to for writers to seek beta readers. Some of us can get defensive about our writing; some writers see plots and characters as children while others spend a great amount of time on the art. And some people take criticism a little too much. While it is important to give honest opinions and critiques, there are ways to upset your clients.

Reasons Beta Readers Lose Business:

• You had enforced your own writing style over the authors'
• You took too long to write back to your authors
• You forgot about them
• What you provided was weak, poor, contradictory or inconsistent edits
• You wrote mean comments to the author
• You have a personal issue with the author or vice versa

Chao- Like with any collaborate projects, stuff happens. You may lose Internet connection; you second guess yourself for a basic edit; you question if characters are OOC or not. It can be OK to stop beta reading for an author.

Reasons for Beta Readers to Quit:

• An author has asked for help but ignored your Beta profile
• An author wants you to review a fan fic with a story and/or characters you are unfamiliar with
• You are asked with a subject you are uncomfortable with

Chao- All and all, remember to use online or printed grammar books or style guides. Read your given piece once just for reading, and then go back another time for grammar edits and another for story edits. And remember to keep in touch with your clients. Hope this helped those looking to be beta readers!