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

Lin’s comments from the Beta Reader Group group.

To answer your final point - yes, if you're self publishing, you do need both. Self publishing doesn't mean publishing cheaply, it means you bear the costs yourself rather than finding a publisher willing to invest. You do, of course, keep much more control over the project - and the profits.

Books published by publishing companies go through the same process, but it is sponsored by the company - although many expect you to have done all the prep work like editing before they will take your work on anyway these days.

The ideal is to build up a team of beta readers whom you can trust to give honest, helpful feedback, so keep notes on who you ask and how helpful they are.

And good luck!

All these people can offer help; some are free, some (especially editors) are paid, and ideally you need beta reader(s) and an editor.

Alpha readers will read in order to offer suggestions on structure - this can be tricky to do, though, so check if your manuscript is raw that the reader is prepared to take it on. Good alpha readers are rare, but this is a role that editors can also do.

Beta readers read a book that is nearly ready for publication, and will offer feedback as to whether the characters, plotline and general story work, and any weak/strong areas.

An editor can take on the same role as alpha reader, and help you shape your story if needed (it's called structural or substantive editing). He/she can also copyedit (go through your work making sure it flows well, has sound sentence structure/grammar/spelling and is generally high quality).

Ideally you'll use alpha readers if you can get them, then beta readers. Then you'll use an editor - the more work you've put in first, the less work the editor has to do, which could well affect the cost.

Then the final stage is proofreading - checking for any remaining errors - for which you'll either use a separate proofreader or your editor (editor might be cheaper as it might be part of a package deal; proofreader offers a fresh pair of eyes).

Lin
www.coinlea.co.uk

Just out of interest, K.P., have you ever tried a sample edit, to see what an edit could add to the mix?

I've found as an editor who beta reads for a fee (which earns discount on editing/proofing services) that I have to offer a list. If someone requests a read I can add them to the list and let them know when I'm likely to get to theirs. Often I'll then request the file when I'm ready, so they can continue editing in the meantime and they know when I start. If I post asking for reads I usually get several at once, but this way I get a steady stream of people who find me via my website or this site. I'd love to do more, and more quickly, but I have to allow time for earning money to pay the bills.

How do you manage to use so many?

Usually I'll get at least a thank you from the author, and often we have a discussion about one or more points. Then there are those who return the manuscript for me to edit, of course :). It's very rare to get nothing at all. I think in the year or more I've been beta reading I've had one no response and one thank you with no follow up.

To be honest, a lot depends on a book - I've rattled through a 250k book in a week, because it was very close to finished quality, while I've struggled to read another book a quarter the size in a lot longer time.
But the author needs to recognize that they need to allow time for a careful read, plus time to make any alterations they consider necessary after the read.
Having said that - two weeks for a book is short but not unheard of; it all depends on your availability whether you feel able to take it on. I'm sure I've seen people on here who reckon they can do a book in a day... :)

In my experience, new writers often do ask for beta readers when they are still, strictly speaking, at the alpha stage. Whether this is because they misunderstand the purpose of a beta reader or the distinction between alpha and beta, or because they underestimate the stage of their own work, is a matter for discussion :)

This is, however, why my heart sinks every time I see an appeal for beta readers with "a fast turnaround because I'm publishing next week/month"!

This is an interesting blog post by a friend of mine, explaining where beta readers, editors and proofreaders fit in with the publishing process.
http://libroediting.com/2014/05/22/do...

I'm not completely sure what your issue is, but if it's keeping a timeline straight, there's software called aeon timeline that's great at helping you plan.

I'm sorry but I have to echo previous comments. Editing is a highly skilled job; it's not something you just walk into after beta reading for a while, and it's important that you can show you're capable of a high level of accuracy in writing. Random capital letters do not give a good impression! Demonstrating your abilities and building up experience and a set of testimonials is one way to proceed. There are also editing courses available.

Steven - that is the ideal stage. Any earlier and it's more like an alpha read.

I charge for beta reading, but as an editor I can then offer a discount on editing work, so it's worth looking into what other services might be offered. Generally, offering a beta read first provides a good introduction to my services and the way I work, and the discount covers the original beta fee.
I have a waiting list though!

I use scrivener with Dropbox and have never had issues - I frequently switch between PC and laptop, so find it useful. And it's worth at least looking into scrivener if you jump around in your manuscript, as it works in scenes/chapters and moves easily into and out of a long document version, whereas it's much more fiddly to jump around like that in Word.

That's a pretty big novel for a fast turnaround - and please don't expect beta readers to proofread or edit for you!

Hiya

Sounds like the sort of project I'd be interested in working on - the down side is that as an editor I make a small fee for my beta reads (but they are thorough); the up side is that I offer a discount on editing/ proofreading for anyone who's paid for beta read.
If you're interested in using my services, please check out the information on my website www.coinlea.co.uk and you can find a link to email me direct through there.

I hate the phone keyboard! Dick Francis wrote a novel where the whole book was a flashback and it worked well. But that's the secret - it has to work. And that's in the writing as well as the story itself.

Simple answer: yes. I seem to remember of D

Hi Tiffany, that sounds like the sort of project I enjoy working on, but as an editor/proofreader I do charge a little for my services to justify the time spent and I do have a short waiting list. Still, if you're interested in hearing more about my services you can find details at www.coinlea.co.uk and I'd be pleased to squeeze you in if I can.

As a professional editor, I feel the service I offer is partway between a casual beta read and a full evaluation, and I charge what I feel I need to in order to justify the time spent, but I do offer writers a discount on editing services. I've just had to raise my fees due to high demand, but I still offer good value for new writers.