Betas and Authors: Share Your Good Experiences

[_Sian_]

I've only been with my two beta's for about two weeks, but so far both have been brilliant (and one only did one chapter so far). In return, I get to hopefully help them - it's a very rewarding process as it keeps my "editing brain" on, when I'm tempted to just switch to the creative one.
I also had a third one that read the whole thing in about a week and a half - her advice was also incredibly helpful

[mairi]

I've gone over my MS twenty to thirty times. Revising, revising, revising...but there were major issues that I couldn't exactly pinpoint or figure out how to tweak and beta readers helped me discover what those issues were.

All in all, when you find the perfect beta reader for your writing, it's impossible for your manuscript not to get better.

[JoleaB]

Had a great beta experience and an ongoing one that is also very helpful. Two different styles. One was an overall critique and the other is more line by line. Both are needed and necessary. Both pointed out the good parts and the parts that need work.

[Kitty27]

My teen Beta are absolutely ruthless and so appreciated. They went over my books and cared nothing about my huge ego.


I have a writer friend who is extremely blunt. I adore the straight truth.

I must give props to Roly. She went over my query and utterly destroyed it. The best advice I have ever received concerning a query and I am thinking of erecting a statue in her honor.

[L_N]

Right now, my best experience with betas/support is from this forum. Seriously. The betas who I've recruited outside this forum are people who I respect and admire, but they're just putting off with getting back to me in a timely manner.

I do <3 the community here.

[Prawn]

Originally Posted by L_N

Right now, my best experience with betas/support is from this forum. Seriously. The betas who I've recruited outside this forum are people who I respect and admire, but they're just putting off with getting back to me in a timely manner.

I do <3 the community here.

What does this symbol mean?

<3

Boobs are better than everything else?

[ladyleeona]

Originally Posted by Prawn

What does this symbol mean?

<3

Boobs are better than everything else?

LOL. It means/is 'heart'/'love'. Turn your head sideways and it goes from greater-than boobies to an organ .

As far as betas, well I love beta-ing. It helps me so much with my writing it's unreal. I'm actually a little bummed right now that I don't have time to beta. Come'on summer!

[wrombola]

I would just like to say that AyJay did a tremendous job with my wip. He was insightful and honest and fast....

[Chris P]

I've not had much success betaing novels. However, I got a good one for short stories. She did a good job, and pointed out several problems with a story I was quite proud of. It's a better story now. I've not subbed it in a while, but it has a much better chance now.

[Purple Rose]

My AW beta was super-quick and addressed ALL my questions. Here comments were very helpful and I have to say, I am extremely grateful.

My three friends were great but it's harder with a memoir; never know if they're using kid gloves even though they know I can take strong punches.

[Prawn]

My first chapter is 2200 words. I'll swap first chapters if you want. My email is in my sig.
P

[tlsmithbooks]

JeanneTGC recommended this site to me, so here I am. I'm looking forward to creating new relationships with other writers, as well as finding betas and a CP. Thanks Gini!

[TerraAnn]

My beta reader just started reading my MS, but so far he's been wonderful. He's knowledgable in a subject that is a big aspect of my book, so he's already been able to help me find the right terminology for things that I was otherwise wording wrong. He's also been brutal while also being respectful which is a great combo. He got back to me fast on my first chapter and I've already used most of his feedback to help reshape it to being a better chapter. So far, I'm loving my experience with my beta reader and I look forward to it progressing until he reaches the end of my MS.

[GFanthome]

I used to be part of a writing group where the woman leading the group gave me, what I thought at the time, was good advice. I trusted her opinion because she was a successful, published author. I've now come to see that her advice actually destroyed the strong voice from my first novel. Because I was such a newbie, I thought her experience trumped my gut instinct. Bad move on my part for sure, but at least I learned from the experience.

In my newest novel, the lead character has a very strong voice. If there are any of you out there who'd care to read a sample chapter and let me know what you think, I'd really appreciate it. You can find it on the Sample Chapter (Chapter 9) page here:
http://gfanthome.wordpress.com

Comments can be left at the bottom of that page. Thanks!

[Snowstorm]

I beta'd an AW member's manuscript and was treated to the smoothest read ever. The novel had me weeping at the end. A beautiful experience for me.

I've had beta readers for my novels. One, my latest mystery, my beta reader called me the next day to talk about the novel. I was floored she'd finished so fast. She said she'd stayed up all night to finish it (she's in her 70s!). I was so appreciated of their work on my behalf, I gave them leather-bound journals with hand-made paper and a fountain pen.

I am currently beta-ing a non-fiction book from a local gal. Reading hers has helped me in tweaking my novel.

[cyannris]

I enjoy being a beta reader. I have read fiction, non-fiction, mysteries, romance and YA. Each time I learn something new about my own writing. Keep me in mind when you need another set of eyes.

[Lauren W]

Just wanted to say that I found my beta reader on here and she is wonderful!! She is so incredibly helpful, astute, timely, and supportive. On top of that, I love what she writes so it's a win-win situation for both of us. It's worth trying out a few people in order to find a good beta reader here. It's so important to the process of your book and projects in the future!

[AnotherMorning]

I have three great betas: two ongoing, one who just finished.

Forum member 'ios' beta-ed a fantasy novella I wrote about a year ago. Her comments were detailed and helpful, pointing out what she liked and didn't like, what worked and didn't work, etc. In other words, what I think makes a good beta reader.

So that's part of my good beta experience. I'm very thankful to my betas, who are taking time out of their own writing to concentrate on mine.

[Promethean Dreams]

I had a really good experience with buzhidao. Most people who read my work in the real world have nothing but praise for me and that can be discouraging for anyone who wants to become a professional. Buzhidao read the first short story in my collection and was able to pin point the weakness I knew I had and gave me good advice on how to deal with them. It gave my drive a nice little bump.

[Samantha's_Song]

I haven't been around on AW for absolutely ages, but I would just like to blow my own trumpet here. Quite a while ago I beta read a brilliant novel, by another AWer, which is being published in March and I am actually named in the acknowledgements for it. Chuffed that I am that appreciated? I'll say!

[Kitty27]

I was a Beta for a YA contemporary. I usually don't read this genre at all. But the premise was too good and so I read it.

I LOVED it! I was rooting for the MC,felt sad for her,worried about her and just adored her. I even gave her and her potential love interest a squish name!

The writer did an outstanding job!

[JSDR]

I'll admit I stole some of the world's greatest beta's off the beta market. Yeah, I ninja'd them real good...

They wus jus' sittin' there, ociffer...

Two of them happened to be sitting on my side of the table at the last writer's group I went to. And we looked at each other and we were like Hey... How you doin'? Threesome? Aight....

Then, another one I found in one of my classes. I got to class early to I could read smut study in peace and i noticed he was reading a fantasy book. So I was like Hey... How you doin'? I can hook you up with some good stuff. First taste's free, but then you gotta work for the rest. Interested? Yeah... I thought so....

Yeah, and the last beta I found from here. *Shrugs* I thought his stuff was funny, so we's tradin' our bidness. I think, because our works are so different, yet similar in some respects, that we're a good beta match - it's energizing and inspiring to be exposed to different writing styles, techniques, a different way of seeing sometimes the same situation.

I've found that people who get me as a person, get my writing and understand my goals with it, so that's been my criteria for choosing beta readers. It's been working really well. Such a diverse group of betas means everyone picks up different things -which can be really confusing sometimes, but in the end, if they're all saying the same thing, then it's a problem i know I need to address.

[M.T.Logue]

Got my first Beta response back, and was glad to hear that the reader reacted really positively to all the characters, found the interesting ones interesting, and the creepy ones really creepy. Was surprised though because of her reaction to the main character, who's supposed to be kind of gruff but likeable, and his "side-kick", who's supposed to be kind of bland, but loyal. She loved the side-kick, seeing him as the true "white-knight" of the book (going to have to flaw him a bit more then) and hated the main character, seeing him as too cold and usually in the wrong (so going to have to fix that for sure). Just goes to show the importance of having other people reading your work, because I would never have picked up on that myself!

[Jess Haines]

I found one of my first beta readers here on AW. She's a gem. It all started from me critting a piece of hers on SYW and then moving to PM to talk about it more in depth.

I've also read/beta'd some amazing pieces from fellow AW members. We've got a lot of very talented people on these boards. It's always a pleasure to help someone put the finishing touches on a story you know is going to succeed, because it's just too damned good to disappear in the slush.

[CassiaDean]

I've beta-ed for friends (actual manuscripts) and strangers (fanfiction writers) many times before, but I never had somebody beta for me until recently. Normally, I'm overly private with my writing (I have a bit of a perfectionist gene, sad, I know). The project I'm working on now felt ready for human eyes other than my own, so I asked one of my friends to act as a beta for me. I can't say she's been anything other than fantastic. We've both read each other's writing before, and we're at a pretty similar skill level, so I felt extremely comfortable in asking her to beta for me this time around. I asked her to concentrate more on content rather than proofreading, because this is a first draft and I'm sure there will be many more.

She finds a lot of details that I don't think about and helps me to craft better pictures with my words. She hasn't said anything that I disagree with. Working with her on this has helped me to see that betas are necessary in the writing process. They help a writer see smaller details and bigger pictures that they probably couldn't see on their own. I'm hoping that by cracking the whip on my own writing and having her as a beta, she'll get back on the writing wagon so I can return the favor of beta-ing her novel.