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Hello Everyone!

I wanted to introduce myself as a new moderator of this group and specifically the 'Authors Seeking FREE Betas' Board. So if anyone has any issues, concerns, or complaints, please message me and I will be happy to help you out.

Just to reiterate the expectations on this particular board: Please do not post if you are offering a paid service. ALSO, please refrain from commenting on a post and then messaging an author with a paid service. This is not respectful to the author. Authors, if you are willing to entertain paid options, please also post in the other folder.

Anyone having issues with private/public solicitations or any other disrespectful or unprofessional behavior is urged to email myself or one of the moderates. I have noticed issues on this board and I hope that faith in this group has not deteriorated too much.

Also as a general note, please know that writers on this board have varying skill levels, from beginner to professional. Please be kind and courteous when giving feedback. Any person who insults, demeans or verbally attacks a person on this board will be removed. Please operate within the board with respect and consideration for the varying skill levels present here.

Questions, comments, feedback? Send me a message! I'd love to hear from you :)

Dakota

Congrats, Dakota. Glad to have you on board as our newest moderator. I know you'll help to keep things running smoothly around here. Cheers!

Thanks! Let me know if you need anything

Dakota wrote: "Thanks! Let me know if you need anything"

I'll definitely do that. Thanks.

Yay!

I like your enthusiasm Alex. Let me know if you need anything

Go, Dakota!

But one question. Where do swap offers belong?

Martin wrote: "Go, Dakota!

But one question. Where do swap offers belong?"

That would be the "critique partners and swaps" folder :)

But we paid-fors can actually join in the discussions can't we? Without advertising ourselves or pm-ing?

absolutely! Let me say this: Please join the discussions, offer advice, etc. The *only* limitation is that please do not solicit authors on the free boards. If you would like to offer a free read/edit/whatever also feel free. Just please do it without any suggestion or solicitation that makes the author feel like they should buy your paid services as well. Does that make sense?

Hi Dakota,

I'm just seeing this post and I have posted paid services before, so I apologize if I upset anyone!

Looking over the boards, I see that there is one for readers to offer paid services but not one for writers who are willing to consider paid services. Is the paid reader board the one you're referring to for writers to post to if they want? I think it might be useful to have one specifically for writers because while I definitely don't want to bother anyone not looking for a paid editor, I have connected with a lot of writers who were happy to find and use my service. Just a thought!

How do I submit work for Betas to read? I have written a literary
mystery, OUT OF ICELAND which I am interested in submitting to
Betas.

Ann wrote: "How do I submit work for Betas to read? I have written a literary
mystery, OUT OF ICELAND which I am interested in submitting to
Betas."

Just post a new topic under authors seeking free betas board with details about your story and how many betas you would like. Good luck on your story. Let me know if you need anything :)

Thank you! Where is the free betas board? I was looking for it
on the site and I could not find it!

Ann wrote: "Thank you! Where is the free betas board? I was looking for it
on the site and I could not find it!"

this post is on that board. so back out or go here:
/topic/group...

and then just click 'new topic' on the top of the list of postings (small letters so you might need to look hard to find it) and then you should be good from there :)

Thank you very much.

Hi Dakota

I think it's totally valid that paid-fors do not invade free requirement space. No issue with that.

However, there are some people who aren't getting free beta offers, so is it worth reminding people, there are cheap betas out there? And it might be worth a punt? Just, make sure you know what you are getting. Eg, my free betas are a page or two, my paid for ones are 10�20.

You don't want to pay twenty bucks for a page.

And, I am busy atm so, very much not a punt.

Roughseasinthemed wrote: "Hi Dakota

I think it's totally valid that paid-fors do not invade free requirement space. No issue with that.

However, there are some people who aren't getting free beta offers, so is it worth re..."

Hello!

While that is a good point, that kind of post would be more appropriate on the discussion board, rather than the authors seeking free betas board. Though, we do have a free betas offering services board and, if anyone is interested, I can offer other avenues to find free betas. Personally, I'd love to take on those projects that really need betas but are unable to find a suitable match. However, that's not something I can do for another month or so--have to finish my current projects first :)

So if you, or anyone else, can contact me for some alternatives or a beta read if you don't mind waiting. During the beta stage is a great time to start networking as an author. You never know what might become of your efforts :)

In which case, if you think it is worth putting on discussion please copy across.

It seemed relevant on here as I have seen authors failing to get readers.

Yes, I noticed this too, but I'm not going to disrespect the rules of the board. That wouldn't be fair. Thank you for reaching out, I appreciate the effort to help :)

Thank you for sharing the authors blog post regarding beta readers and reviewers. Recently I've been so frustrated at some of the ARCs with errors so distracting that I want to throw my hands in the air. I'm not talking about strict grammar rules and whether or not to use the Oxford comma. Sometimes the character's name changes, or the length of time between events is inconsistently reported. I've even seen titles misspelled. I've read stories recently that appear to have been written by an author with English as a second language. At the time of ARC review the publish date is imminent and it is too late for large-scale rewrite or correction. I feel badly because it feels like burning dinner...it could have had such good taste but it is too late now. Just my strong recommendation for finding and using beta readers.

Dakota, who is the man in the photo? If it is Jim Horne, I knew him.

Thank you Dakota :-)

Hello! Say, what's the best approach now that my request for a beta has dropped off the current page? It seems rude to keep reposting to keep it active :) But, in the absence of a search function for within this group does this mean anyone looking for a particular genre must scroll and scroll? Bit of a dilemma.

Dakota wrote: "Hello Everyone!

I wanted to introduce myself as a new moderator of this group and specifically the 'Authors Seeking FREE Betas' Board. So if anyone has any issues, concerns, or complaints, please..."

Hello Dakota,
I am a first time author, about to hand in my final manuscript to the publisher, but am reluctant to do so for a few reasons (length, flow, repetition etc.) I wrote the book for my daughters. It is a nonfiction book called Be Who You Are, a song for my children. It's basically a book about life inside and out—partly spiritual in nature. I just stumbled upon this group, and was wondering if you had any suggestions on how or if to get beta readers for my book. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much. Jimmy

Hello,

I’m looking for Beta readers to read my 80,000 word manuscript. I am about to hand it in to the publisher but am reluctant to do so because of concerns about length flow etc. It is a non-fiction book called Be Who You Are, a song for my children. I wrote it for my kids as they were leaving the house and headed to college. I didn’t want the challenges of life to suck the authenticity out of them. It’s basically about life inside and out. Would anyone out there be interested in beta reading this? Any advice or input either way would be appreciated. Thank you! This is really a cool group! Best! Jimmy Below is book summary

I see who you are.

I see your perfect happiness.
I see why.
I see how.

I don’t believe. I know! I know! I know!
My purpose, my intention, my prayer for this book, is to help you see what I see.

Dead man walking: That’s how many people live their lives. They’ve let their unrepeatable voice drowned into the soul-sucking yelp of conformity.

The symptoms are bad moods, blank stares, high stress, low cash, wounded passion, dead dreams, over eating, under achieving, lack of love, lack of drive, outer lies and inner hell.

The cure is powerfully simple: Be Who You Are—Inside and Out—No Matter What!

As his children made their way out of the nest and into the world, musician Jimmy Brandmeier was determined to protect their authenticity. So he did what he does; he wrote a song. But his message was bigger than a ballad could hold. Each line spun like a thread weaving into prose that became Be Who You Are: A Song for My Children.

In this uniquely intimate, humorous, and spiritual book, Brandmeier guides his children down the inner and outer roads of life with laser-beam clarity.

How do you stay happy no matter what happens?
Imagine the life you want and live the life you’ve imagined?
Create inner wealth and financial independence?

His answer is liberating and clear . . . Reach the Point.

This book will guide you around the Big Mistake to the Point of Life, like only a loving father can—home to who you are, inside and out, no matter what, no matter how far

Ariana wrote: "Hi Dakota,

I have a quick question about this group. I'm trying to post under "Authors seeking Betas" but it's telling me I need to verify my email first and won't let me post. The problem is, I'v..."

Hi, I had this problem to. You should contact the goodreads people, it's in the help section.

Hello. My name is Troy and I wanted to get some help with a project.

I have about ten chapters of a first draft of novel and I want to see if I can get some thoughts on what I already have before I add more to it.

It is genre is urban fantasy/ erotica

I posted the first chapter on my blog at

Could I get some help?

Also, I think that you really need to start deleting some of the posts in the beta folder. Some of these people asking for beta readers are four years old it takes attention away from people who need help now.

Hi Troy, I've seen your various posts in GR, I'm obviously a member of the same sites. I've just looked at your first chapter and (a) Dis is interesting enough to keep me reading, (b) I chuckled a couple of times. Grammatical errors and typos throughout but I guess (a) is what you want to hear?

Lia wrote: "Hi Troy, I've seen your various posts in GR, I'm obviously a member of the same sites. I've just looked at your first chapter and (a) Dis is interesting enough to keep me reading, (b) I chuckled a ..."

Yeah, I'm pretty bad at spelling but that's what editors and proof readers are for. I prefer to write, which is why I need a beta reader. I don't want to keep writing if I have to toss it in the rubbish.

I've done that before and it sucks.

Would you be interested in reading more chapters?

I'm time strapped (who isn't?) at the moment but I'll take another couple of chapters and see how we go. I don't want to commit to it all in case I let you down. Send to [email protected] and we'll take it from there. Let me know if you have anything specific you'd like me to check.

Is Dakota even doing this anymore? There is no questions or answers section, there are folders from 4 years ago that have not been closed.

Yay!!! I hope I can beta read for some people as well as get some beta readers from here!!!

Hi, I'm new here. When trying to post a new topic in the Free Beta Readers section, it says I must verify my email. But I don't see how to do that. Can anyone help me?

Thanks,

Michele

Well, I have tried posting in "Authors Looking For Free Beta Readers," and can't post due to a "must verify email" message I can't figure out. I logged out/back in, reposted again and again - So here's my message:

Hi,

I'm looking for Beta readers who enjoy memoir/story collections, and would be interested in reading my manuscript.

I have a 60,000 word, non fiction story compilation/memoir called "Craving Normal" - a collection of stories about being born to suburbanites who veered way off and transformed into nude-beach-loving, world-traveling-hippies, and other adventures of growing up during the “Me Generation,� and beyond. They're all separate tales covering many decades.

If you're interested, I have more info in my Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ profile. I also started a website for my book - even though it's still a work-in-progess - to get a jump on book promo, where you can find out a bit more, to see if you might want to read it.

Thanks,

Michele

Hi Everyone!!

I've written a bunch of short stories for kids above 8. I request your invaluable help to review these.
I got a few kids to review them, and I did get some feedback, which I tried to incorporate.
If anyone can read about 12 - 18 pages, please do let me know!

Best Regards,
Puloma

I have written a cross genre 99k novel and would be interested in beta readers.

Thanks

Jamal

Hello everyone,
I am new here and I have some questions about beta readers. If it's not the correct section I am sorry.
Do beta readers sign a contract with the author to ensure there is no copyright violation? What are the attributes of a beta reader and what a beta reader should do? How much time can the writer expect the beta reader to get back to him/her?

Thank you

Marie

Hello Marie,

There is a forum for 'Discussion' here:

/topic/group...

I have very occasionally signed an agreement with a reader of my writing, and have never asked any writer to sign an agreement when I've read. A beta reader is a stand in for a paid reader, and, as such, are not expected to provide any editing (though a number do). For me, the best feedback from a reader is where the story lagged, which characters were liked most, least, were there plot holes, that sort of thing. If they tired of reading it, I only ask them to let me know where and why. I've had readers take 4-6 weeks to get back to me, though some are much faster (and one was overnight). When I'm reading, it depends on how long my queue length is (as I type this, it's over 300K). I probably average 10-20K a day, so right now, if I added someone, it would be more than a month before I'd likely get back to them.

Keith wrote: "Hello Marie,

There is a forum for 'Discussion' here:

/topic/group...

I have very occasionally signed an agreement with a reader of my writing, ..."

Thank you! I will ask in the discussion too but I found your suggestions very helpful. Thank you!

How do I post for beta readers on this site, I can find EVERTHING else but this important information. Maybe there could be a button or something called "beta requests? that people like me could
hit and send a request for beta readers...spent 15 minutes but cant find where to post! Confused in Vancouver

For me, near the top middle of this page:

/topic/group...

is the link "new topic"

Rod wrote: "How do I post for beta readers on this site, I can find EVERTHING else but this important information. Maybe there could be a button or something called "beta requests? that people like me could
hi..."

Starta post in this sub-group. On the full website there's a 'new topic' button near the very top of this page --->>> /topic/group...

New HEALTH BOOK. Strong writer looking for honest feedback ref the first 5 chapters. Good bad or indifferent, all comments are respectfully replied to within 24 hours.

Oh ello! Nice to see there's a group for free beta readers! Happy reading!

Rod wrote: "How do I post for beta readers on this site, I can find EVERTHING else but this important information. Maybe there could be a button or something called "beta requests? that people like me could
hi..."

Em__Jay wrote: "Rod wrote: "How do I post for beta readers on this site, I can find EVERTHING else but this important information. Maybe there could be a button or something called "beta requests? that people like..."

Were you able to post? I tried the "new topic" button, typed all info but it wanted me to pick a book title. I was not trying to request a beta for a book already published. I may not be the most computer literate person, but....?

Glad to have you leading us. Congratulations.

Brand new, just joined. Trying desperately to find where to post if I want to connect with free beta reader but I don't see it. What am I missing? And where is it?

Barbara wrote: "Brand new, just joined. Trying desperately to find where to post if I want to connect with free beta reader but I don't see it. What am I missing? And where is it?"

/topic/group...
Select New topic on the right upper corner and put up your post

Thank you for moderating this group, Dakota.