Beta Reading
Hiring someone to Beta Read your novel is a relatively new concept to indie authors. Why pay for something when ostensibly, you can find almost anyone who reads online to do it for you — for free?
While yes, if you can assemble a dedicated reader group who will read your manuscript cover to cover, leave detailed feedback and provide you with the direction you need to continue shaping your story, use them!
BUT, if you feel :
like you’ve exhausted your pool of reader friends
you have to chase down your readers to get their feedback
you aren’t getting any useful feedback
Then maybe it’s time to hire someone. This is where I come in. I will read your manuscript and provide detailed, in-line feedback, light editing suggestions (i.e. word choices, sentence structure to complement your authorial voice) when you need it.
So you’ve started writing your story and you find yourself stuck. What now? Who do you turn to if you haven’t built up a network of authors to lean on and ask questions?
Me, you can lean on me.
The First Five
The First Five service is aimed at authors who are in the first/second draft process of their writing journey and feel stuck and need a boost. What kind of problems could that look like?
you’ve written yourself into a corner and you don’t know how to get out
you feel like you aren’t getting where you need to be fast enough
your characters feel one dimensional and lifeless
you aren’t sure if you started in the right place
I will take the first five pages, or the first 5,000 words of whatever problem you’re trying to solve and provide you with some solid advice on where the friction might be, how to resolve it (with attached resources and examples).
What you get
detailed, in-line notes in either Google Docs, MS Word or PDF
light editing for things such as: sentence structure, narrative structure, character development and worldbuilding
a Reader Report detailing an overview of what I liked, what I think needs more work (with attached resources for you to review when applicable) and what I would recommend you take as next steps in the drafting process.
Ok, so you’ve decided to hire me, fantastic!
I understand how much of an expense this can be and do my best to ensure you get the value associated with what you’re paying for. You can expect to receive the following for each service:
What it costs*
>100,000 words: 0.008¢/word
25,000 words—99,999 words: 0.005¢/word
<25,000 words: 0.004¢/word
Beta Reading:
The First Five:
5,000 words: 0.015¢/word
*A non-refundable retainer of 50% of the quoted fee is required for me to begin reading. The remaining amount will be due upon completed reading. All notes and reports will be withheld until the balance is paid.
*Prices are in CAD, invoices will be in CAD. Payment can be made in any currency accepted by Paypal
*Turnaround time is dependent on the size of the manuscript but a good estimate would be approximately one week (1) per 10,000 words — a full length estimate will be provided with a quote when you contract my services.
The benefit to hiring a Beta Reader is two-fold:
You are guaranteed feedback
You’ll get this feedback in a timely manner
As my time is limited, I only take on one (1) to two (2) Beta Reading clients at a time. This ensures that you have my undivided attention while I read your manuscript. I read for you and only you when you hire me.
I have been a lifelong reader and while I have nothing officially published as of yet, I work with two critique groups on my own manuscript and regularly study the publishing industry, trends and common pitfalls to stay abreast of what is new, what is changing and how to avoid problems later down the line.
