Lin’s Comments (group member since May 06, 2013)

Lin’s comments from the Beta Reader Group group.

http://www.editors.ca/hire/guidelines... this for example gives guidelines for Canada, and similar guidelines exist for other countries. You do not want to risk anything by getting unapproved help.

I recommend you check what the rules are at your uni for help like that. They might well have a list of approved editors and proofreaders who know what is and isn't allowed. It's not something you should be asking a volunteer to do.

I've written several posts about beta reading on my business blog. Here's the latest:
http://www.coinlea.co.uk/how-can-i-te...

I assume that you're writing in US English, because of the offer including dollars - it would be helpful for potential editors if you give more information about your work and what sort of editing you want. I work in UK English, and my website is www.coinlea.co.uk.

Please ensure you post in the right board, then you're more likely to find people. This is the general discussion board, not the seeking betas board :)

Matthew could you please post this in the right board? This is the general discussion board, not the seeking betas board.
Thanks.

The "it wasn't working" worries me - how about "for the first time it failed him"?
And the Now isn't necessarily wrong. It's the now from his point of time.
And yes, consider who's telling us the story. How do they know both what he looks like and how he's feeling? Who is deciding that he looks impressive?
I'm interested to know why the technique is failing him (see why I added the "for the first time" bit?) and what the problem is, but I have no indication of where the story is going to go from there yet.

Different people will always approach beta reading differently. It can be helpful when an author gives a list of questions. If not, then the reader should at least be indicating comments like "I didn't understand..." "how did..." "I really enjoyed..." " I got bored when..." (bonus points: "because..."). "I felt xxx was realistic/unbelievable/horrible/far too nice...". And yes, it's always great to hear that they couldn't put it down :) (but not as useful as more specific feedback)

If you're thinking of publishing somewhere like createspace, then check out their sizes. There is a whole list of standard sizes. You can download a free template there with the bleed areas marked. As to the spine, that depends on the printer, the paper and the number of pages.

The point that needs to be understood is that there is a vast difference in the help to be received from a fellow writer or from an editor. By all means make the decision that you're not going to pay for proper editing, but don't assume the price you pay is the only difference. If you're writing for pleasure, that's one thing, but if you're publishing and expecting the public to buy and enjoy your book, then some investment is needed. Otherwise, we get more and more poor quality stuff published and sold cheaper and cheaper, and the whole business becomes a race to the bottom.

I appreciate the post, but in answer to your subject line - an author is someone who writes. An editor is someone who edits. There's nothing to say that an author can automatically edit. On the other hand, most editors I know have undergone extensive training and experience.
Can we please respect the fact that editing is a highly skilled job in its own right?

There is now a new folder on this board for people to post requests for paid services. This is in response to a few requests from users.
PLEASE use the boards sensibly. Please make sure if you're seeking paid services that you are clear in what you want. Please make sure if you're offering paid services that you have the experience and skills required.
And above all, play nice :)

Lin

As we've had a few requests, this folder is to be used for people requesting information on PAID services - beta reading, editing, proofreading etc.
If you would like information on paid services, please be clear in what you're looking for.
If you reply to a post on here, PLEASE make sure you're capable of providing the service requested. In particular, please do NOT offer to edit if you are not a trained editor.
DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, CONTACT SOMEONE DIRECTLY TO OFFER YOUR SERVICES unless asked. We have had complaints about some people spamming personal email addresses with details of paid services.

Bumping isn't the issue - consider it lucky :)

Just please don't start new threads within a month.

Edited to add: please don't bump your own posts to get around the one month rule. Others commenting on it is okay, of course.

One technical error I'm seeing more and more is around speech marks. "It's driving me mad." She said. If it's a tag following, it's part of the same sentence and needs to be punctuated accordingly. "It's driving me mad," she said.

It pays to learn tenses thoroughly, as used effectively they are yet another tool in the writer's toolbox. One thing I would say is to beware of 3rd person present - personally I hate it, and I've heard the same from many others. It feels to me like someone else is watching TV and they're narrating what they see on the screen. Dropping it into the past tense feels much more natural to read. First person present, however, can pull the reader into the story, as they're hearing the thoughts in the narrator's head.

Don't be afraid to send a chase-up message if you don't hear anything. I heard back from someone this week asking what had happened, but I had sent her the report two days previously! Because she asked, I was able to resend and all was well, but somehow the message got lost.

Is there any way to drip feed things? Another alternative is to bring it out in an argument between characters. Without looking at the overall structure it's hard to give specific advice, but just make sure that you're getting as much across in the background as you can, and info dumping as little as you can get away with. Leave the reader to work things out if they can.

At the risk of repeating myself - I'm working my way through a stack of openings at the moment. I'm happy to take on others, but please follow the procedure I've given above to submit them. I don't have the time or energy to chase up posts on here to tell them exactly the same thing - please send to my work email address, which is accessible via my website. On the way, please take a look at my blog on the site, which has several articles about making the most of beta reading, and about the way I work.

I have sent warning messages to those I spot posting more frequently, and I'm starting to delete messages that break the rules.
Frequent offenders will be banned completely.