Beta Reader Group discussion
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Beta Reader Not Replying
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Julie
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Aug 22, 2016 11:44AM
Hi, I am wondering what happens if you send part of your book or manuscript to a beta reader and then don't hear from them? I sent half of my book in an email and then sent follow up emails just to confirm she received it and have heard nothing. This person has not posted anything new on the Goodreads site either. It has been over a month. I didn't expect a fast return on the read but I am concerned that I have heard nothing at all from her
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Maybe he/she has a problem. It does happen.
It could be many things. The beta reader could have been suddenly sick (or could have died). It happens. It's life. :( The beta reader was just wanting a free read. That happens more often than not.
Or maybe he or she discovered they wouldn't be able to do it. Maybe they didn't like something but were afraid to tell you. :/
It happens from time to time. You'll get used to it.(Says someone who still gets annoyed when a beta reader seems to have died or something)
Thanks for your responses, I dont mind if she didn't want to critique it or didn't like it but some kind of reply would be nice. I guess I'm being paranoid that I will see my book show up somewhere (which I realize is a little conceited of me) but I guess we're all pretty protective of what we write
Nobody is going to steal your book. Trust me.It doesn't happen like a lot of new writers who are sharing their work for the first time think it will happen.
With that said, good beta readers are rare. A lot won't even read it or some won't like it and aren't sure how to tell you.
Beta reading is hard work, and sometimes you can come across some who will do it for free and will actually be of very good help.
But if you want reliable help, I suggest paying a beta reader. Some come really cheap and will give you back the best feedback.
Never understood those who say you should never pay for beta reading. As someone who has had a lot of betas, I found the paid one's the most helpful.
Thank you Danielle. That does make me feel better. I have found another beta reader and she seems great. I am so ready to get my novel finished. I started it a long eight years ago!
You say that beta reading is hard work, and I agree. However, if one charges for beta reading, that hard work should not "come real cheap." I am retired from employment as a copy editor at an international nonprofit organization. I am a blogger. I am also a beta reader. I beta read only cozy mysteries and sweet romances (to approximately 60,000 words). I have received positive feedback so far, so I must be doing something right even though I do not charge.
I prefer to beta read the works of authors who have published at least one e-novel. However, I would take a look at a new author's work. If I didn't think the work was ready for a beta read, I would gently tell him or her. And if something in a novel seems "off" to me, I will let the author know.
Hi Judith,I have a romantic suspense novel of 52000 words and am looking for a beta reader. I have a few self published stories and a blog. The story has been edited but it still needs work. If interested, email me at mappadoo@bigpond.net.au
Lucy Appadoo
I've had the same thing happen and it's very frustrating. I sent a few emails, but nothing back. Of course, it's possible that something happened to them and they are unable to respond but also possible that something else came up in their life and they've put you on the back burner. I know your pain, it's very frustrating to not know and have no word. And while so many will say not to worry about your book and that no one will steal it, it can be upsetting to have a copy of your book out. I know that many of the seasoned authors will chide you for worrying about your content, but I think it's a common concern. I hope you hear back from them, but I've still never heard from mine. If it was a college student, school may have started and they are busy with class stuff. No excuse for not returning your email, but also a possibility. It seems like the college students are in and out and have hectic schedules. I hope you do hear back from them soon, just for your peace of mind.
Thank you Sebastien. She is young, only 17. Another reason I was concerned was that her email address sounded a little off, like it wasn't a personal address. An alarm went off in my head but then I sent it anyway (half of it, at least not the whole thing). Next time I need to listen to myself!
Julie, sounds like you may have found the reason. :) The beta that I came in contact recently was a college student. I'm not saying all college students would behave the same and ditch you, of course, some wouldn't. But in my case, I can only guess that she suddenly didn't have time. I hadn't even sent the manuscript yet, so couldn't have been the book. Who knows, maybe she didn't like something in my email. I guess we are left to wonder. :) Have a great day!
Searching for Betas for 75 page, non-fiction, self-help. "Life Hack: Stop The Brain Chatter".
Fourth Draft available for critique on Saturday, September 10.
About: My personal understanding of how the Universal Law works and how it can work for others. Through simplistic explanations and concrete, realistic examples, I help people understand how to stop the brain chatter to unblock the path to self-love and fulfillment. I've done this myself and I want to share my experiences using plain language. Thanks in advance for your time.
Hi Julie,Don't feel too bad. It happens even to the best of us, sometimes even with paid beta readers. However, most of the time, established companies (like mine) will always make sure you get what you paid for. We have openings for beta readings if you still need some.
Thank you!
-Rachel
The same thing has just happened to me. I sent out my manuscript to a beta reader a little over a month ago and still haven't heard a peep. It's good to know I'm not the only one.
Believe it or not, it's actually routine for a beta reader to disappear without saying a word to an author. This is why I feel it's best practice to request that several people become your beta reader. That way if some of your betas don't come through and deliver their feedback, you can count on the rest of them to do so.As a rule of thumb, I never settle for less than 6 pr 7 beta readers for this very reason. If half of them disappear and never give me their feedback, I can trust that the other 3 will help me out. Always shoot to get twice as many beta readers as you really need to avoid ending up being screwed by the betas who never deliver their report.
I had a lot of trouble finding reliable Betas. I'd give them a few chapters, then poof. Sometimes it looked like they might actually be able to give me good information and then they stopped responding. In a way I guess I feel better knowing its common. I thought maybe my writing just sucked that bad.
I think that's why more people are paying for betas. Given the often vocal view that people shouldn't pay, I was surprised how many people offer a paid-for service, and equally, how many people are willing to pay. The author knows (or should know) what they are going to get in terms of a report ie pages/words, areas to be looked at, specific personal requirements, whether or not any proofing errors will be highlighted and – a timescale, usually a week or two, depending on commitments. Prices seem to range from around $50–100. In a way, it's good value if the person is a professional editor, it's a sort of cheap MS evaluation and can give an author a pointer about how much editing is needed.
The other advantage is that they are more likely to be independent and objective. I know people who use the same betas all the time and I wonder how honest they really are. Mind you, I read about one (paid-for) beta recently, and the comment went along the lines of 'not for the faint-hearted, it would have been nice if he could have found something good in the book'! And that's important, because beta reading isn't just about finding fault, it's important to point out the strengths.
I gave up on free betas even though I had a few very good ones. Too many disappeared, and the good ones were quickly swamped.I've settled for paying - I save up for each which gives me time to get the book better prepared. Considering the cost of editing, paying betas isn't too bad.
I've just let my neighbour's teenage kids have a book to beta, because they were interested in the story concept - it is YA (yes, I asked their Mums and Dads) I'm not expecting speed or a neat report, and I'll still pay a beta for those.
I settled on Entrada in the end, three reports from three readers in detailed reports. That suits me, even if the three never agree :-(
Hi Vance I agree, often the free beta readers aren't very dependable but then they are free. What happens is you set up the beta-read and then what I've found is the reader sort of drops out of touch and doesn't respond to f/ups.
Like all of us they get busy doing other things and never follow up. There's really no incentive for them to do it in an efficient manner, whereas when someone is being paid for it, they have more of a sense of responsibility to complete the work in a timely fashion.
When getting evaluations of my work, I try to do a combination of paid and free. I'll check out sample reports by those who charge, and try to find someone who is fast and reliable and whose evaluations and notes are really helpful, at least that speak to me in a meaningful way.
I've tried to get friends and family to read my stuff - that's something that worked a lot better years ago, now people are insanely busy. Time is more at a premium than ever before, as someone said, 'attention is the new economy.'
I believe its important to get at least 6-10 evaluations on each work; maybe five paid and five free, if you can, then you can sift through what is subjective opinion, what is fact, and identify common denominators that arise as questions or problems in order to identify strengths and weaknesses.
This group is a fantastic resource for both paid and free readers, I'm so grateful I found it but like anything of value it takes patience and diligence to work it effectively.
Danielle wrote: "Nobody is going to steal your book. Trust me.It doesn't happen like a lot of new writers who are sharing their work for the first time think it will happen.
With that said, good beta readers are r..."
What do you think a fair price is for a good beta?
India wrote: "What do you think a fair price is for a good beta?"It varies. You can find beta readers who charge as little as $15.00 for their services. The better ones will charge more of course (and will likely charge by the word count). I personally wouldn't spend $100.00 on a beta reader unless my book is very long (150k+) or/and I want to use one of the elite beta readers who offer an indepth manuscript critique like the ones editors give.
Before you decide to pay for a beta reader, you need to have an idea of what it is your looking to get from them. If it's to get reader level insight, then definitely stay away from spending too much on a beta read. However, if you really want a beta reader who performs editor-level analysis, then spending $100-150 isn't a bad deal, especially if you don't plan on paying for a developmental edit.
India wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Nobody is going to steal your book. Trust me.It doesn't happen like a lot of new writers who are sharing their work for the first time think it will happen.
With that said, good b..."
Hey, India. I just started beta-ing and editing for others on Fiverr. I charge $5 for 25,000 words. So $15 for a 75,000 word manuscript for beta reading.
https://www.fiverr.com/danielleeledge...
When I was looking for betas, I paid up to a hundred for some, and as low as $15 for others. They each gave me very useful advice.
Mcurran wrote: "Hi Vance I agree, often the free beta readers aren't very dependable but then they are free. What happens is you set up the beta-read and then what I've found is the reader sort of drops out of t..."
As Mcurran said, ask for and get a sample feedback/beta reading report from a potential paid beta reader. Experienced readers will have no problem sharing their work and will give you a good idea if they are a good fit.
Now the obvious - make sure you have someone that is interested in your genre. You are not going to get great feedback on your superhero fantasy from a beta that prefers historical fiction...
Kevis wrote: "India wrote: "What do you think a fair price is for a good beta?"It varies. You can find beta readers who charge as little as $15.00 for their services. The better ones will charge more of course..."
Thanks so much for all this great info! All my books go through professional editing after my beta corrections so I am looking for more of storyline/characters issues etc.
Danielle wrote: "India wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Nobody is going to steal your book. Trust me.It doesn't happen like a lot of new writers who are sharing their work for the first time think it will happen.
With tha..."
Thank you! I will check out your link :)
Mod
Beta reading is time-consuming, and the fee I charge doesn't cover all the time spent, but it does bring in a little money, and it's an introduction to my services as an editor/proofreader.
My site is www.coinlea/co.uk
http://www.coinlea.co.uk/my-beta-read...
I do beta reads but sometimes life does get in the way - iillness, time constraints, hateful computers, etc. Sometimes I get so much work I lose emails. It helps to have more than one beta in case one drops off.
I"m certainly sympathetic to life events and I know many betas perform a critically important task and most of them do it for free. It has happened to me a few times lately. Even editors from here that post a message saying "I'm available." Just in the past few months here I've had one beta reader that just vanished without a word, and an editor that also never replied. Again, I've had great beta readers here but it very upsetting when people just vanish, but I know life happensI recently had a paid editor that disappeared for a few months, then just reappeared. My general feeling is that barring some horrific event in their life, it doesn't take a minute to write, "Really busy right now, but I will get back to you." Some communication is better than nothing IMHO.
Beta readers are so important to the process, and I've been really lucky to become friends with everyone that I've encountered. I guess just every once in a while something happens and you get a beta or editor that disappears without a word and you're left wondering what happened.
Sebastien wrote: "I"m certainly sympathetic to life events and I know many betas perform a critically important task and most of them do it for free. It has happened to me a few times lately. Even editors from here ..."This dropping out without a trace seems to be happening more and more in this digital age. I absolutely agree, it does not take much effort to simply send an email to someone if you are not going to be available for a time due to personal reasons.
But everyone deals with reality in their own way. Some are simply 'out of sight, out of mind' type of personalities, where if something is not in front of them it vanishes from their conscious awareness.
To those of us who are supremely conscientious, it's appalling when others are not so, but I believe it's because we all have different levels of cognizance.
At any rate, people who are being paid to do a service should be responsible, considerate of others and finish out their commitments in a time-efficient manner, but we live in an imperfect world and human beings are ever complicated , unpredictable souls, which makes writing and reading about them [us] so compelling.
Mcurran wrote: "Sebastien wrote: "I"m certainly sympathetic to life events and I know many betas perform a critically important task and most of them do it for free. It has happened to me a few times lately. Even ..."Well said :)
Just to redress the balance: what if the author chivvies up the free beta reader to get a swift turnaround then doesn't say thank you when the beta read conclusions are reported back? I've done two now and found the task interesting but time consuming. I've tried to be honest without being insulting. Even where the author feels offended by a constructive critique s/he ought at least to acknowledge the effort involved.
Gerard wrote: "Just to redress the balance: what if the author chivvies up the free beta reader to get a swift turnaround then doesn't say thank you when the beta read conclusions are reported back? I've done two..."I agree. A quick 'thank you' isn't that hard to write down. Besides, betas usually work hard on their projects.
One more thing: I recently worked with a critique partner whose emails got lost in the spam filter. Just a warning to some of you CPs, authors and betas out there...
Gerard wrote: "Just to redress the balance: what if the author chivvies up the free beta reader to get a swift turnaround then doesn't say thank you when the beta read conclusions are reported back? I've done two..."I agree, it is no small task to read and provide the information. The information I get from a beta reader is really critical for me. A great beta reader can really help and I've gotten great feedback. A new pair of eyes is really important. It seems that when I read my own work, my mind often fills in the gaps because of course, I know what I meant. A beta can find gaps and so much more.
Good beta reading and thoughtful critique work is time consuming and often difficult. Trying to walk the line between being critical in a helpful way without sounding insulting is tough. I've tried doing some beta reading and giving notes a few times when doing swaps and I'm not anxious to do it again.
But, keeping to the thread, I think out of common courtesy if someone has done a free read and given notes they deserve a thanks, at least, even if the author doesn't agree with the critique.
Personally, I think the silence says it all. If an author doesn't say thank you after you've helped them out, I can't help but think it's because they were upset with your feedback.The truth is, not everyone claiming to have need of a beta reader really wants critical feedback. Some writers simply want someone to pat them on the back and tell them they did a great job.
I can honestly sympathize with them. Who wants to spends weeks, months, or even years on a book only to have someone tell you it's time to go back to the drawing board? If they're looking for moral support, I don't think they should look for a beta reader to get that.
It's better for the author to find out that there are problems with their book before they publish. Because once the book goes up for sale, their mistakes are laid bare for the world to see and the damage is done. All you have to do is look at all those books on Amazon that's never even sold a single copy to understand what I'm talking about.
Knowing if your product works is key to sales. If your beta readers tell you your book isn't working, there's a good chance it isn't the beta reader who is wrong. But some authors would rather blame their beta reader for not being smart enough to understand the amazing work they've produced and it shows in their contempt by not even offering a simple thank you to show their gratitude of the effort made on their behalf.
Kevis wrote: "Personally, I think the silence says it all. If an author doesn't say thank you after you've helped them out, I can't help but think it's because they were upset with your feedback.The truth is, ..."
Well said. But it still hurts to know one has offended someone. If we didn't have feelings we wouldn't (shouldn't?) be aspiring authors.
Thanks everyone for adding your thoughts to my original post. I agree that a quick email saying they are too busy, etc. would be nice. And I definitely agree that after a beta reader spends all that time on your work, a thank you is warranted, even if you don't agree with what they have said
A BETA is invaluable! Period! I have found one that I treasure and so didn't charge me and I found her from this site! She was the only one who answered my post as well. That was something. THE ONLY ONE! Not all stories are Paranormal or romance. Some are not of your liking but still need to be read and critiqued. I am so glad I found my Beta. And she is now helping me with my second book. Now what do I do for her? Well, I happen to be in I'd say over 100 author groups and I pass out her name for business. I sell her business, that is what I do for her. You never know who your going to meet or what they can do for you, so remember to answer that email and don't just take that job and forget about it or never respond. That author could be your bread and butter.
Kevis wrote: "India wrote: "What do you think a fair price is for a good beta?"It varies. You can find beta readers who charge as little as $15.00 for their services. The better ones will charge more of course..."
This is so well said. Beta-Readers are invaluable. The topic of payment seems to be controversial in the community. I personally have a small team of them as each reader brings something unique.
I think Beta-Readers deserve to be compensated one way or another, be it through paid services (editors offer excellent feedback btw), or through gifted compensation - I often send gift packages once the book is published to my readers to thank them for the time and effort they offer. I charge a nominal fee ($60 for novel) for a Beta-Read and as an editor, the feedback I offer is everything from reader reception, to logical inconsistencies, to grammar and punctuation and developmental ideas. It's essentially a mini sampler edit of all the services I offer at a lower price. Non-editorial beta-readers offer a different, but valuable perspective - a reader only perspective.
The difference is a paid, professional editor who beta-reads should be offering an expected level of service and communication (i.e. not bailing and going radio-silenced).
To protect yourself as an author, I recommend a short contract, with contact information be signed by anyone who beta-reads for you. This way expectations can be clearly outlined from the beginning.
I once sent my manuscript to 3 consecutive betas (advertising in this Goodreads beta group) who I never heard back from again. It put me off for a long while. I have since found a number of fabulous paid and unpaid betas, though the reliable unpaid ones tend to be swamped - The unpaid betas are often heading for a career in the literary world, so I always try to give them feedback on what I found most helpful about their report.
There are some very good paid betas with reasonable charges if you hunt around.
I agree with majority. I gave up on the free beta-reading....I had a great experience on fiverr and reedsy. Most of them are Goodreads members, too.
I also agree that it's a two way street. If you find one that you're happy with, not only thank them, but spread the word. Get them more jobs. I did that for all my betas and they're very grateful and busy beyond. One told me to stop giving her name out, because she is swamped until 2018. I said, she better not. :-)))
Gerard wrote: "Just to redress the balance: what if the author chivvies up the free beta reader to get a swift turnaround then doesn't say thank you when the beta read conclusions are reported back? I've done two..."I hear this all the time. What is up with the overly sensitive?? It's almost a generational epidemic!
I LOVE criticism, I welcome it even if it stings a little. That is the only way to improve. Aspiring authors should really read some biographies of artists. You have to develop a thick skin if you want to survive in this sea. :-))
