Beta Reader Group discussion
Authors Seeking FREE Betas
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ATTENTION: Spammers and scammers in the group
These are the names and emails (as they share it in all their comments) of the offendants:Hayley (digihayleyxdavid@gmail.com)
Ola / Sam (samhorla3@gmail.com)
Helen (helenyzmary@gmail.com)
Debbykaay (debbieekenth@gmail.com)
Benjamin (davideebenjamin@gmail.com) (constantly changing email accounts)
Royal (odutayoroyal@gmail.com)
Reader (readeryusiroh@gmail.com)
May (maryxsolomon@gmail.com)
Julie Catherine (also goes by just Catherine) (damseyjulie@gmail.com)
Ibrahim Kemy (ibrahiimkemy@gmail.com)
Praise Tope (babajideoluwatola@gmail.com)
This list is growing by the minute, as they can keep making new accounts, possibly to get away with their misconduct. I will keep updating this list if needed.
Thank you for the heads up! May I share this list as well?
Bumping this up because those listed above are still trying this scam.If you’re looking for a free beta reader, do not send your work to these scammers.
Thank you Ronan.Bumping this post again. The scam attempts continue, please stay safe and be cautious of who you engage with.
Unfortunately the biggest consequence here is not being asked for payment, as you can always decline and report the person. The worst is that your hard work is being fed to AI, and once it’s there, it’ll remain there forever. Authors, be careful and try to avoid these scammers at all cost.
yup. Just got scammed. Had 4 people say they would do a free beta read. Three of them were e-mails from the list. I didn't even notice until I'd already left a review for one on Firverr to be nice and then got an almost identical Beta read "report" from one of the other emails addresses ALSO asking a favor to make a small purchase and leave a review.
I wish I'd seen this thread sooner. In regard to Damsey, she definitely uses AI. Some of the passages that are 'quoted', if you can call it that, look like they've been through Google translate at least twice, rendering them nonsensical.
It's clear that I cannot trust anyone one this site, which is a shame, as I don't have much time left and was hoping to get this book finished and out while I had the chance.
I'll have to let my kids figure it out.
I am so sorry to hear that! I think they're the same people using different emails. because their number is getting increased day by day. is there any way we can report their accounts or remove them from the group?
Does anyone know a site where one can find real beta readers? Fiverr seems to be cesspit, too.
My advice is to look for someone to swap your work with. I have found this to be really helpful, and if you put the effort in for their work, they’ll do the same for you.
The sad reality is that the vast majority of those offering to beta read for free, are trying some sort of scam.
Ronan Makes a good point. Is there a "Beta Swap" section in here? It might be more successful than "authors seeking free betas" since there will always be people who ruin things for the rest of us.While you're at it, beware the "free ARC reader" section of the message boards as well. They all want "physical ARCS" and when you send them, you often don't even get a review. I share .pdf ARCs now and then send physical copies of the book when it published as a "thank you."
Just sent my manuscript to two of the offendants from this list before coming accross this scammers/skimmers page. This really sucks. Have they been stealing work and passing it off as their own? This is another one of my main concerns.
Mod
The issues we've been dealing with, as far as I can tell, are:
-People spamming their contact info in the wrong sections. They are not even bothering to read the posts, the section or folder they're in, and just leaving their info. For example, the other day, someone was looking for some general feedback and advice on a query letter, and someone offered to read their manuscript, when this wasn't even what the individual was looking for.
-People offering a free beta read, but then going back after a couple of chapters and saying, "OK, if you'd like me to continue on, you'll have to pay me". They're lying to people in the free section.
-People using AI. This is a more complex topic and I don't know if all authors are against it or not, but I would think that if you're going to use AI, you would disclose this to the author.
Some of us in the community have been noticing these things and trying our best to clamp down on the behavior and call it out when we see it.
For those looking for betas, I would still recommend this site as well as Upwork.
Thanks everybody,
Lisa
Mod
This, of course, isn't everybody, but if you see the account was created in May or June of this year, just keep it in mind.
Mod
Personally, I think that the use of AI is the most problematic issue.On a basic level, people looking for beta readers want genuine feedback from another person. If they wanted feedback from an AI programme, they could easily access one on their own.
Secondly, and more importantly, there is a growing issue with creator’s content being fed into AI to train their systems. In most cases, this is done without creators’ consent. In turn, work is stolen with the view of using AI to write books, make music, and so on. The reason for this is that work created by AI is far cheaper to produce because you don’t have to pay creators to create. A beta reader that uses AI is feeding your writing into a system that uses it to make writing an even less commercially viable career.
Has anyone come across The Proof Queen? Just wondering, 'cause I've seen their comments following a similar pattern to the ones in the list. They've just emailed me even though I put my story in the Critique Swap section and have not offered a piece for swapping. I'm naturally suspicious of something for nothing
Maria wrote: "Has anyone come across The Proof Queen? Just wondering, 'cause I've seen their comments following a similar pattern to the ones in the list. They've just emailed me even though I put my story in th..."I haven't met this person, but I've encountered a few of these and in my experience, the best way to find out if someone is a true reader is to ask a few questions and clarify what you're seeking. Real people will answer one way or another and make sense while doing so. These scammers tend to give minimal or nonsensical responses when you get them off script. And if you're still not sure, do a sample first chapter swap, or a sample chapter read. If it isn't clear before this point, it usually clears up when you get their response to that chapter, and risks a lot less of your work.
Mod
A user by the name of Daniel has been constantly spamming his contact info. I don't know if he is pulling the "I'll read for free then pay me after 3 chapters" scam, but he is certainly all over the board, not responding to anybody about the fact that he's spamming. I didn't really want to do this and would have preferred for him to respond and perhaps have some kind of explanation but since he hasn't, I'm adding him to the list.
He appears to have a new account under a different name, but is using the same email.
User:
Daniel/Ben Email: davidwwelizabeth@gmail.com
As Olivia mentioned up above, we will continue to add to or edit this list for the community.
I know this is discouraging and it is frustrating to me personally but I hope to keep the community safe and fair for everybody by maintaining this list/thread.
Thank you,
Lisa
hayley requested access to my Google docs as editor
b.sandy1500@gmail.com provided a beta-read that is almost certainly AI-generated. (25-30 probability on a score of 1-AI, 100-human).
I wish Goodreads or Reedsy had a verified section of beta readers where authors could filter by genre, rates, and see community reviews.
Mod
Things have been crazy lately, but you could still check the "Paid services offered" for verified betas with lots of reviews on their thread and those with websites. We're not all bad eggs.
Thank you!
Mod
User: Christina
Email: oluwadamilareaderounmu06@gmail.com
EDIT: This person also appears to be using another account:
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1...
User: Dami
This person copied the majority of another user's listing to try and offer their own services.
If they have some explanation, it would be good to hear although I'm not sure what it would be because the plagiarism was pretty blatant.
I feel a bit like a hall monitor at this point, and I apologize if this is annoying, but I really am just trying to keep the community safe and organized. If I step on anybody's toes, please let me know.
Thanks everybody,
Lisa
Anna wrote: "I wish Goodreads or Reedsy had a verified section of beta readers where authors could filter by genre, rates, and see community reviews."That's great to know! I wasn't aware of that section as I'm a new author and trying to figure it all out.
Seconding this one:Daniel/Ben Email: davidwwelizabeth@gmail.com
This person offered to do a beta read for me before I came across this thread and it was clearly completely AI generated, though he denied it. Definitely avoid. Such a shame people do this.
If someone sends you a "beta-read" that you suspect was AI-generated, please send me a message on this site. I have software to estimate the probability (with alarming accuracy!) whether text was AI or Human generated. I'd need:
- The response from the "beta reader" (Do not send your story!)
- Any context you have about them, if any (their profile description or just the profile page is enough and I can get it).
In general, trust your gut: if it feels "off", it's probably "off'!
Mod
Thanks everybody who is contributing to the thread!
Just asking, how would you be able to tell the difference?
Hi everyone. Thanks so much for creating this topic. Unfortunately I have been scammed by Helen, whose name is listed here. I sent her my entire manuscript in pdf format via email, and a few days later she got back to me with a so-called “feedback” on my first two chapters. It was very obviously ai generated. By the way, does anyone have ideas about user “Abigael D”? I already suspect her a bit, specially since her profile was recently created and the email doesn’t match her own name, nor sounds genuine: davidooelizabeth(at)gmail(dot)com
Elena, in one of the above comments, there is an email with davidwwelizabeth, so maybe both of them are the same people with different email.
Yes, Elana. Definitely a scammer.I would suggest that anyone that posts a generic reply to your thread asking you to send your manuscript via email is a scammer.
This seems like an auto reply so posting here: Hello I'm interested in reading your manuscripts. Feel free to mail me at charliealexisqp@gmail.com
I think all of us should be very suspicious of anyone offering to beta who -*has just joined recently Goodreads, and
*has few or no books listed on their bookshelf
*has few or no details listed about themselves
*uses a generic name (Bill Brown, Alice Jane, etc.)
There seems to be a flood of these this last month.
It really saddens me that it has come to this, They have infested all spaces be it Facebook, GoodReads or twitter… mindlessly posting wherever they see the word beta read.
Shout out to all of you who is keeping the community safe and to the authors—
Please vet your readers, see if they are providing generic response, ask questions… A legit one would always answer them.
And always trust your GUTS!
Here's a good thing to do if you're not sure whether an account is legit: copy their profile picture (screenshot will do) and search for it in Google images. Many times, you'll find it's the face of a celebrity. If so: consider them a fake (or at the very best, not serious).I just had this happen on bsky.app. Someone reached out to beta-rad my book for $100. No web presence anywhere, no socials, and the profile picture was of a celebrity.
Hi Jonathan, it’s best to avoid members that reply to your post with a short message asking you to send an email with your manuscript. These members tend to reply to every post with the same message. They are almost certainly spammers and/or scammers, and will send you AI generated feedback with a request for payment.The truth is that the vast majority of trustworthy beta readers do it for a living, and offer paid services.
My advice would be to look for a critique swap where you and another author swap manuscripts. I have found this to be very useful in the past, and a great way to get genuine and attentive feedback.
I found this a little too late, but for what it's worth, Helen (helenyzmary@gmail.com) gave me some feedback and it absolutely sounded like AI to me.As someone staunchly anti-AI, knowing that my work was fed into a program leaves me feeling pretty gross.
I'd like to add these people to the list:The Proof Queen (theproofqueen01@gmail.com)
Grisma S. (grismareads@gmail.com)
Not sure if either of them used AI, but both asked for Fiverr reviews. Unfortunately I also got scammed by Damsey Julie and Hayley David.
Nick wrote: "I'd like to add these people to the list:The Proof Queen (theproofqueen01@gmail.com)
Grisma S. (grismareads@gmail.com)
Not sure if either of them used AI, but both asked for Fiverr reviews. Unfo..."
The proof queen is my friend and she only asked for the Fiverr review just for you to support her and you came here to put down her name simple because she asked you that. That's kinda unthoughtful of you.
Mod
You joined in June, and I believe TheProofQueen is a recent account as well. To be honest, I find that kind of suspect.
I joined recently, yeah, to find beta readers for my book, but proof Queen happened to beta read my manuscript, which she asked for a Fiverr review, and I did because what she did to my manuscript was more than gold. I truly appreciate her. I really don't find it weird to thank my beta readers with that.
Mod
I'm also slightly put off by the fact you first mentioned her as a friend and then said you got a beta read from her.
In any event, if she shouldn't be on the list, then that is something that the community at large should discuss but there was at least one user here who felt that she should be. I'm not sure what to make of that.
Author wrote: "I joined recently, yeah, to find beta readers for my book, but proof Queen happened to beta read my manuscript, which she asked for a Fiverr review, and I did because what she did to my manuscript ..."I’m the OP of this thread. Let me be very clear: this folder of the group is for FREE SERVICES ONLY. If someone is requesting Fiverr reviews, which require PAYMENT to be made, then that person is violating the rules of this group and anyone affected has all the right to call them out. If someone wants a testimonial for a FREE SERVICE, they can request the author to write it for free on the reader’s thread on the “Betas offering free services” folder.
They can also put up a free website and add the testimonials of the authors there, provided via email or any other social media AT NO EXTRA COST. There is no excuse for these people to be asking for PAID testimonials in a folder that is supposed to be FREE. All members of this group are kindly invited to abide by its rules or leave.
Liz, she wasn't, actually. We became close after she beta read my book, but trust me, Proof Queen is an excellent beta reader, and I really appreciate her.
Mod
I took a quick look at Author Sage's comment history because I wanted to trace the evidence of the manuscript The Proof Queen supposedly helped them with.Author Sage has never posted a request for beta reading on these boards. However, they have posted replies offering their own free beta reading services. The style of these replies is almost identical to The Proof Queen and other known spammers/scammers.
I think it might be worthwhile to add Author Sage to the list of dubious beta readers. Their email is editsage32@gmail.com
Lost wrote: "I've also just sent my manuscript to davidooelizabeth@gmail.com. They seem suspicious, but I'd have to see their feedback before making any decision.I did find a great beta here, The Proof Queen, ..."
davidooelizabeth@gmail.com scammer
Liz wrote: "Just a note: according to another thread, the Julie Catherine listed here now uses catherinejulie31@gmail.com as her email."I sent a chapter of my new novel to catherinejulie31@gmail.com. She has never asked me for a review on Fiverr. She never asked for money, and I’ve been sending it to her chapter by chapter. I do not believe this is AI-generated; it’s been helpful so far.
She offered to do a cover for one of my books. I haven’t taken her up on that yet, but I have no complaints about this person.
I have no idea why everyone uses one of the most insecure email systems on the planet, namely Gmail and Hotmail. Several free, secure email systems do not tolerate spam or spoofing. Protonmail is probably the best.
Mod
Specifically, these scammers:
- Contact authors claiming to review the first three chapters, but the feedback is generated by AI, not by actual readers.
- Request testimonials and then direct you to Fiverr links requiring payment to leave reviews.
- Continue to ask for payments for reading or feedback, even in designated free service folders.
If you've had a negative experience with these scammers, please share your story here. Let’s work together to keep our group a safe and supportive space for genuine authors and beta readers.