Beta Reader Group discussion
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Helping SFF/PNR authors create seamless escapes from reality. Copyediting, Proofreading & Beta Reading. Booking 2026 now. See testimonials in this post.
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Sue was very pleasant to work with, always kept me up-to-date on how things were going and provided me with a detailed report on the promised date. She noticed everything from small details to broader themes and offered helpful suggestions for improvement and fixes. I would be happy to work with Sue again in the future.
I was looking for a beta reader for a short story on a deadline, and Sue volunteered to read it. I was impressed by her quick turnaround and the completed detailed worksheet of the breakdown of my work. She provided feedback on the hook, plot holes, and logic, flow, and tension, point of view, continuity and consistency, characters from the main to the secondary, and pinpointed aspects other readers had not picked up on. Sue also provided feedback on believability, info dumps, complex scenes, ending, overused or repeated words, trigger warnings, and of course, she gave her overhaul final thoughts. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better beta reader and such short notice. Thanks, Sue!
Sue was wonderful to work with. She was very efficient and detailed. I received a thorough report back from her that helped me improve my story greatly. I would enjoy working with her again.
I asked Sue for a review of a short story (5K words) that I was looking to submit quickly. She provided my story back with notes in the margins, noting questions and feedback, and a professional report that gave me all the immediate information I needed to polish my work for my submittal. The report was timely (the turnaround was completely WAY before she said she'd get it back to me even), contained great insight about how she connected to the story and the characters, and was exactly what I needed. I highly recommend Sue as a Beta reader to get you clear, honest, feedback on your work.
I have not used a beta reader that I didn't know previously, but Sue made it a very enjoyable experience! They gave me feedback well before the deadline in a short, professional report and answered the questions I had posed in my instructions. Not only were the comments helpful, but Sue also gave plenty of praise in addition to the suggestions. I would definitely work with Sue again if given the opportunity.
I had the pleasure of working with Susan on my novel, "Laviro and the Fate of the Universe."One of the reasons I opted for Susan, was because she mentioned that she wasn't going to tell me what I wanted to hear but what I needed to hear.
If anyone aspires to become an accomplished writer, it is imperative to find someone who will tell it like it is.
Although Susan saw some issues in my manuscript that she brought to light, she did it in an appropriate and respectful way. Nothing she said made me feel bad or belittled as a writer.
I could tell Susan read everything with a keen eye. She caught a lot, if not all, of the hints I dropped. I've had betas skim before, and Susan is not one to skim anything.
I had a ton of fun reading her comments. (I definitely giggled some.) I appreciated all of her compliments and, equally, her pointing out my potential plot holes and issues readers may have.
Susan was always quick to respond, answered all of my questions, and gave me lots of valuable feedback.
I highly recommend using her as a Beta Reader and exploring the other services she offers.
I'll definitely be hiring her again in the future! :)
It was great working with you, Sue! I know I'll request your services again! Thank you so much for all the time, thought, and effort you put into Beta Reading for me! It was a wonderful experience! :)
I, Nicole Bible, give Susan McKerns permission to use my review on her website or anywhere else she may like. <-- You can obviously leave this part out on your website! XD
Thread bump! <3I love the new addition to your ad!
Sue said, "Fair warning – I’m a Zoom newbie, but I promise to wear clothes."
Making me giggle again! You're awesome, Sue! :D
Fun + thorough + will tell you like it is with kindness and respect = The perfect Beta! :D
i am interested in your service, but do your interest include an urban fantasy more focused on the self discovery of a gay teen?
Javonni: Short answer: Yes. I've messaged you with a more in-depth answer. - Sue
Sue just proofread my novel for me and she did a fantastic job. She's very professional and is always willing to go the extra mile to make sure she does it right. If you have a question, she'll answer it right away and makes you feel like your manuscript is important to her. It was great working with her and would do it again. Thanks Sue!- Rebecca
Wow! I couldn't be more delighted I found Sue to Beta read my second in the series novel. I handed her a fifty lb sack of words (154,000 of them), and she handed me back a wonderfully concise, very diplomatic "I'll tell you what you need to hear" report in a very timely, ahead of schedule turnaround. It is clear to me she read every word of it. She picked up on even the more subtle references.Great Beta Reader! I would not hesitate to recommend her services.
Sue is great to work with. She responds quickly and I could tell she took an interest in my novel. Her comments were 'on-point' and I had to laugh out loud at some of them. Her diplomacy nonetheless drove home the points she wanted to get across. It was clear she wanted to help make my work the best it could be.
Thanks so much, Sue
I have worked with Sue on various numbers of books of different genre and she is always honest, professional and friendly. I would highly recommend her ( and I have) to anyone needing a good beta reader who not only cares but knows what she is doing.Helen G Huntley
The Pretense of Control
Sue wrote: "Welcome. I see you have started the dreaded hunt for a paid beta reader for your manuscript. I know you are looking at other betas and trying to find the right fit for you and your story, and that’..."Sue provided everything I was looking for out of a beta reader. She wrote me a beta report of all the things that work in the story and could be improved upon, and did something very important, which was separate her own thoughts from what she thought general audiences might enjoy, which gave me great perspective. Additionally, she addressed my specific concerns that I'd asked her to cover, and I could tell she wasn't just 'filling in sections,' rather, her criticisms and advice was genuine and well thought out.
In addition to this report, she also went through my document and added in line comments on particular lines, paragraphs, and chapters. This took me from generality to specific, and helped me see exactly where I could improve, rather than the macro-level concepts that I could do better at. To me, these comments were even more helpful than the beta report.
I'd highly recommend Sue as a beta reader!
-Brad Thomas
After making significant changes to my first chapter, I needed another set of eyes to read it over with a fresh perspective (someone other than a critique partner who has read countless versions). Sue's comments were not only insightful, but she also helped me spot something that I hadn't thought of. She left comments in the MS itself and also wrote up a detailed reader report, which identified plot holes & logic, flow/tension, POV, continuity/consistency, main character, and MORE. There were about 5+ other categories she made notes on! I found this super helpful and while other betas have broken down their reports in similar ways, from my experience at least, I really preferred this breakdown because it highlighted many of my main concerns as a writer. Thank you, Sue!
I just finished working with Sue for the first time, and it won't be the last! She went above and beyond with her inciteful comments in the draft I sent her, and her summary was spot on. Scheduling was easy and the turn-around was quick. There was good, timely communication throughout the process. I highly recommend her services!
Sue started beta reading for me last year before she started her business and was fantastic. I was happy to hear she was going to go pro and I have continued to support her on her journey. She is a great communicator which is very important to me. This last book I published, she beta read then, right before I was ready to publish and had made some changes, some of which she had suggested, I sent it in for her to proofread. She did a fantastic job and it gave me the confidence to publish the book once I made the proper edits. I believe she is passionate about what she does and I appreciate her working with me. Helen G Huntley
www.authorhelenhuntley.com
I contrated with Sue McKerns with both beta and proofreading for my first-in-series space opera, Half Human. She delivered with meticulous professional integrity! McKerns' services are the best value I've found my entire writing career. She goes above and beyond. I plan to use Otterville Overhaul for all my future proofreading needs.
Working with Sue has been a very positive experience. From our first interaction Sue was responsive and professional, always clear about timelines and deliverables. At the end of her assessment she provided feedback that was constructive and actionable. Sue has a sharp eye for details and inconsistencies that may pass overlooked by the average reader. She will normally bring attention to these points by asking a question which suddenly uncovers a disconnect in the elements of the setting or the way the characters interact. Other times she will highlight the specific parts of the manuscript that require a reassessment.
Beyond Sue’s ability to identify errors and improvement opportunities, I found Sue particularly good at describing the things that did work for her as a reader. Often betas focus too much on the development points, leaving the writer clueless about which elements of the story (or which specific parts of the manuscript) helped in building a connection with the characters or maintaining the tension and flow.
Overall it has been a pleasure working with Sue and I would recommend her to anyone looking for an experienced beta reader.
Sue is an absolute pleasure to work with! I used her beta reading services for my upcoming dark fantasy novel, and it was a great experience. She is meticulous, thorough, and highly professional--she'll highlight what is working as well as what needs more work, and she's not disparaging with her comments. I never got the sense that she wanted to turn my story into something else but rather help it become the best version of itself.On top of this, from our conversations, I could tell that she is passionate about her work and genuinely enjoys reading critically and working with her clients. I've already booked her a prequel story and would absolutely love to do so again for future projects. If your project is a fit, I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for an experienced beta reader who will give you in-depth feedback.
- HG Birde
Sue is everything I look for in an editor. I worked with her on my blurb for an upcoming novel and, though the blurb was short, she put a great deal of thought into her feedback. I can very much tell that Sue cares greatly about her work and desires to make your writing the best it can be for you--rather than turn it into somebody else's. I would 100% recommend her if you're looking for a copyeditor, and I'll definitely be pursuing her services again in the future.
Thank you for your kind words, Hg. I enjoyed working with you on this project. And you are right, my goal when editing is to help you tell your story in your words. If more than a tweak is needed, I'll explain what the issue is and try to provide options so you can choose how to handle it.
I look forward to working with you on your next project.
This past month, Sue helped me parse my 145k Fantasy novel. The book is a massive project, but she paid close attention to details and asked insightful questions about character motivation, magical consistency, and plot logic. I was able to see where I needed to be clearer to ensure the reader kept track of many moving elements. In addition, Sue was kind, quick with her turnaround, and accomodating when it came to questions I had about her commentary. I can’t recommend her work enough. Thanks Sue!
I first learned about Sue’s services from a post in Goodreads. From what others had said about her, I figured it would be a good investment.When I first engaged her, she offered a free first chapter evaluation. The feedback I got from that alone was immensely helpful and helped me chase after 2 key observations. Once those changes were addressed, I submitted the whole manuscript for a beta read at the pre-arranged time.
The resulting feedback returned in the form of two things: 1) a general report, and 2) specific in-line comments in the manuscript.
The general report was an excellent means of seeing how she perceived the story. The feedback there helped confirm what broad things were working and which were not.
But let me share the numbers, since that is a great way to quantify the effect she had. (I collected these as an effort to calculate an objective benefit.)
Regarding the in-line comments, they numbered 136 and produced 941 actionable tasks for me to address, which covered a number of areas, including difficult passages, confusion regarding events, plot holes in the form of details I overlooked or never considered, word choice, and POV mishaps. While some were easy fixes, others were more involved. Some chapters lost words, others gained, with the average net gain per chapter being around +267 words, and the largest single chapter gain being in the 2-3,000 word range. In addition, she exposed a couple of tendencies I was not aware of—another huge takeaway.
Communications with her were fantastic, and she was always quick to reply. There were several rounds of such interchanges, and it all went smoothly.
Having chosen her because of what I read on Goodreads regarding her services, I admit that she not only delivered on what she promised, but went above and beyond my expectations. The end result (now that I’m done with all the changes) is a book that is better and more polished than what it was before. Not only that, but I learned some things from her reactions and feedback.
I highly recommend her services, and I already have a tentative schedule for her to beta read my next book.
Thank you, Sue, for the feedback you gave on my manuscript!
You've finally managed to get your story out of your head and all written out. Problem #1: You are a storyteller, not a grammar nerd. Problem #2: It's nearly impossible for you to read your story objectively (and you've read and re-read it so many times), so you're gonna miss some issues.That's okay. I've got you covered. With multiple certificate editing courses under my belt and decades of practical experience, I can help with your technical writing issues. I've also been reading SFF/PNR for 40+ years, so I can talk about generation ships, orc v. elf v. dwarf, sex scenes, shifters and the applicable laws of physics, hard v. soft magic systems, and so on, ... and on and on and on.
Find the boring but well organized details you'll need to know about my services and how to hire me on my website: https://otterville.my.canva.site/. Then DM or email (suemckerns@gmail.com) and we can discuss your project (the fun stuff).
Check my Goodreads profile for my reading interests.
See author reviews above and below in this thread or on my website.
Am I the right editor for you? See for yourself. Get one of my free samples or a first chapter critique ($100.00).
You can DM or email (suemckerns@gmail.com) me with any questions. - Sue
I've had the pleasure of working with Sue on my entire Spaceship Huey Adventures series. She really delivers, on time and with high quality results. I've used both her beta reading and proofreading services, and as a result my entire series is better for it. She's helped me to become a better writer! She's become an essential part in my writing and publishing process. Highly recommended!-John Hundley, author
Sue was a beta reader for my epic fantasy MS. (over 200k words)It was truly a pleasure to work with her. Never before had I received such detailed and comprehensive feedback. She was quick and responsive in her communication, and her feedback clear and well thought out. For my MS, she gave me very constructive and valuable feedback within each chapter, and well documented summary for the book as a whole. Obviously well versed in fantasy, she helped me immensely in navigating and avoiding some of the common pitfalls inherent to the genre as well as pointing out the strengths and weaknesses for the MS. I especially enjoyed the little personal touches that she included such as her feelings (and POV) as a reader, plot issues, and explaining potential problem areas. (Too wordy, too slow in development, character issues, plot holes, etc.)
She clearly put a lot of time and work into providing helpful feedback and I would definitely recommend her services. Afterwards, I could only send the reply, “this is obviously not in my best interest, but you charge far too little for the services you provide.”
V. Rud
That's okay. I've got you covered. With multiple certificate editing courses under my belt and decades of practical experience, I can help with your technical writing issues. I've also been reading SFF/PNR for 40+ years, so I can talk about generation ships, orc v. elf v. dwarf, sex scenes, shifters and the applicable laws of physics, hard v. soft magic systems, and so on, ... and on and on and on.
Am I the right editor for you? See for yourself. Get one of my free samples or a first chapter critique ($100.00).
Find the boring but well organized details you'll need to know about my services and how to hire me on my website: https://otterville.my.canva.site/. Then email me and we can discuss your project (the fun stuff).
Check my Goodreads profile for my reading interests.
See author reviews below in this thread or on my website.
You can DM or email (suemckerns@gmail.com) me with any questions. - Sue