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Beta Reader not responding
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Dylan
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Aug 01, 2017 03:10PM
Has anyone else had problems with a Beta reader being sent a manuscript and then simply not responding at all? This makes me very suspicious and I have no idea what has happened to my manuscript. I'd like to call her out but if it's a genuine scenario whereby she couldn't respond that would not be cool. However, if she's receiving manuscripts from others and then disappearing that is not cool either! Anyone else had a problem like this?
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How did you find her? Did she have testimonials, or a presence on social media? how long has she been uncommunicative? Is she silent everywhere?
It's happened to me with someone off Goodreads. There was great communication between us but after I sent my work I emailed her because I hadn't heard anything. She responded by saying she was going to start that day. Needless to say I never heard from her again. What annoys me is why not just say something's cropped up? Or, sorry it's not for me? She was unpaid but I've found two really good unpaid betas here who really helped me out. I hear what you're saying - you're concerned about your manuscript. That's why I upload mine to MYOWS before sending it out. Gives me peace of mind. They're a free copyright service.
Emma wrote: "How did you find her? Did she have testimonials, or a presence on social media? how long has she been uncommunicative? Is she silent everywhere?"
I posted what I was looking for and she said she'd Beta read. I was naive and just sent it to her grateful to have had a response. She's been quiet for many months now despite repeated emails to her.
Lia wrote: "It's happened to me with someone off Goodreads. There was great communication between us but after I sent my work I emailed her because I hadn't heard anything. She responded by saying she was goin..."I'm glad you found someone good and thanks for the tip of MYOWS - really appreciate that.
You're welcome ... I recommend MYOWS whenever I can because it's a great idea
Yes, I have. And not just once, either. I understand that beta readers have their own work to attend to, but at the same time, I really feel they should at least send an email if they back out of a project or are anticipating a delay in their turnaround times.
I wouldn't worry about your manuscript. What would be the point of worrying? If you're worried someone would steal it then you would have to beta like J.K. Rowling must, with a bunch of people locked in a room and not allowed to leave with the script. You could try sending out a few chapters at a time if it makes you feel better. The likelihood is he or she started it and just didn't like it, be it the genre, the plot, the characters etc, and didn't want to tell you. The good thing about this is you can just say well they aren't my target audience. They should never have been your beta reader to begin with. Or else it's possible they've never done it before and didn't realize how much work it would be or how rough the draft might be.
I would just take it with a grain of salt and move on, that's why you want multiple betas.
Lia wrote: "It's happened to me with someone off Goodreads. There was great communication between us but after I sent my work I emailed her because I hadn't heard anything. She responded by saying she was goin..."Thanks for the tip on MYOWS. I've never heard of that, but that's absolutely brilliant!
I agree with Rebecca. I wouldn't worry about your manuscript. Once you write something (i.e. fix your writing into tangible form), you have copyright protection, even without taking another step. Your beta probably didn't like the work, or something else came up. And yes, they should have told you, but it is what it is. Disappearing seems unfortunately common among beta readers.Suggestion? Once a week, or whenever making big changes, save a copy of your manuscript, and archive it to a place like Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud, etc. Since Word documents are small in size, you could save thousands of revisions even using the free space most of these places offer.
Saving your work to the cloud gives you access to your old drafts (you never know when you might change your mind on something and want to revisit something you might have cut); it provides VERY good evidence if someone WERE to steal your work (you have multiple time-stamped drafts going back months if not years); and your work is backed up somewhere in case your computer ever crashes.
The venerable SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, est. 1965 and the founder of the Nebulas) has a really comprehensive article on copyright:http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/f...
To echo Rebecca and J.R.:
The Berne convention guarantees copyright protection without requiring authors to take any additional steps, such as registering their copyrights. As a result, many countries have no formal copyright registration process. In those that do, registration is voluntary, and is generally intended only to provide prima facie evidence of authorship.Also, wrt fee-based copyright registration services, the SFWA recommends the following:
The United States is an exception. As in all Berne signatory countries, registration is voluntary (you don’t need to register in order to have protection), but to sue in court if your work is infringed, you must previously have registered your copyright with the US Copyright Office. (You can sue for actual damages [the monetary loss caused by the infringement], the infringer’s additional profits on the use of your work, statutory damages [up to a limit of $150,000], and attorneys’ fees.)
(http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/f...)
In the USA, there are a number of online services that will register copyright for you with the US Copyright Office, for a fee. You can even purchase software that provides you with addresses and copyright forms.
Don’t waste your money. It isn’t difficult to register copyright yourself, and it will cost you a good deal less than the services (currently, registration costs between $35 and $65, depending on whether you register online or on paper). For freelancers and others wanting to register more than one piece or work, the US Copyright Office offers a multiple-registration option.
(http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/f...)
Just to add to Alex's post....If someone were to pirate your unpublished and unregistered manuscript, you would still have recourse. The law requires your work to be registered before you bring a lawsuit; however, the law also allows you to register your work even after it's been infringed. The difference between registering before the infringement occurs and after is the damages available. If you register the work AFTER it has been infringed, you can only seek "actual damages." If you register the work BEFORE, you can seek actual damages, statutory damages (these are automatic damages where you don't have to prove you lost anything), and the infringer can have to pay your attorney fees.
This is intended as general advice; obviously, if you have specific questions, consult a lawyer versed in copyright law.
Again, though, I highly doubt anything nefarious has happened to your manuscript. Your beta reader probably just flaked on you, unfortunately.
I've resisted commenting on this thread, but JR has pushed me over the edge (thanks JR!). I've been a beta reader for a number of writers who have never responded to my comments, not even to acknowledge the receipt (I'll generally send a second email, without an attachment, asking if they got my comments). I doubt I'll ever hear back from them, so no concerns about spending my time in the future, but I did want to point out ghosting goes both ways.For some works, I might spend 3-4 hours reading, sometimes even longer, then another 30-60 minutes composing my thoughts, so it's a non-trivial investment of my free time (and I beta for free; my way of giving back to the community). I get that my feedback may at times be useless, because I'm not the right audience or I've mistakenly taken the wrong tack when reading it. As an author, when I get those sorts of responses, I at least acknowledge their effort and thank them for their time.
perhaps commitments would be better fulfilled through a mechanism like a contract! doesnt have to be formal, and can define any 'consequences' for failures. and serve both parties well. my thought is that if one is not REALLY specific about expectations if not clear about the exchange value being invoked, people are more likely to comply with their agreements...
The problem in the free beta context is a contract requires offer, acceptance, and consideration. When someone promises to read for you for free, there is no consideration and thus no legally enforceable contract. You can get your beta reader to promise you the sun, moon, and stars, but unless you give them something of value in return, there's no way for you to enforce the agreement.(And really--why would anyone who is agreeing to give up their time as a favor to an author agree to a bunch of conditions? A free beta read is a gift from the beta reader to the author.)
Can Someone help me Beta Reading my story?
Yeah, this happened to me to but they deleted their email and everything. I laughed and was a little worried but then I realized I am not that good of writer so, if they try to steal my work. Good Luck, they will be re-writing for centuries.
Jonas, are you participating in PitchWars? Their forum might be another good source of beta readers and/or critique partners.
Martha, I don't know what Pitchwars is? I will check it out. Thank you!
Unkillbilly wrote: "perhaps commitments would be better fulfilled through a mechanism like a contract! doesnt have to be formal, and can define any 'consequences' for failures. and serve both parties well. my thought ..."I wouldn't bother with a contract, but at least an email with expectations. For example: Yes, I'll read your 100K TITLE or GENRE book. It should take me X amount of time to read and respond. You should hear from me by THIS date.
That way there is no confusion. If that doesn't work for the author and/or beta, renegotiate or move on. Most people now-a-days are lazy and a bit rude. I wouldn't worry too much about a 'lost' ms, if they're too lazy to contact the author about it, they're too lazy to figure out how to steal it.
Good luck, Jonas. I hope you find an honest beta reader.
