You’ve finished your draft, now what? This is where a beta reader can help make your story the best it can be. Recently, I’ve teamed up with Element Editing Services to provide professional beta reading services.

Beta Reader vs Professional Beta Reader – What’s the difference?

Beta readers are people who read your manuscript once you’ve completed its initial drafts. These readers help to point out what is and isn’t working, as well as what they did and didn’t like. Beta readers provide a general opinion of your manuscript.

Historically, beta readers have been unpaid friends, family, or writers. More and more often, however, authors are having a hard time trying to locate beta readers who provide quality feedback — if they provide any at all.

Because of this, paid, professional beta readers are becoming more and more popular. Professional beta readers are people dedicated to providing quality feedback for a fee.

So, What’s Included?

Each beta reader must read your manuscript and then fill out a 5-7 page questionnaire. The questionnaire covers big-picture items, and each big-picture item is broken down into smaller questions, giving a total of 42 questions.

I’ve included examples — one per item here, but Characters alone has 14 questions.

• The opening chapter (does it hook the reader?) 
• The characters (are their motivations believable?)
• Character relationships (are these developed organically?) 
• The plot (are the threads tied up?)
• Pacing (does it track well?)
• Setting (are the settings clear?) 
• Dialogue (is the dialogue authentic?)
• Craft (is the story unique for its genre?) 
• Overall impressions (was the reader tempted to skim st any time?)

Authors can include their own questions for the beta readers, and if they are not already in the questionnaire the questions will be placed in the Author’s Corner at the end of the document.

For more information and pricing, please head to the Element Editing Services website.

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