Beta Readers, ARC readers, alpha readers, critique partners, manuscript evaluations, developmental editors. . .there is SO much lingo being thrown around on social media, and unfortunately, sometimes the lingo is misused, which makes it even more confusing!
Social media is a wild place. I get it.
The most common question I have been seeing lately is, “why would I pay for a beta reader? Aren’t those free? Isn’t that unethical?”
Let’s start with what beta readers do not do. They are NOT reading an ARC (advanced review copy) of a book that is about to be published (independently or traditionally) and providing a review for the author to market. Getting paid for reviews is unethical. Pure and simple. And if someone is calling that a beta read, watch out. ARC readers should always be free.
So why is it okay to pay for a beta reading service?
Beta readers are doing just that–providing a service to authors. The intent for a beta reader is to read a manuscript that has (typically) not yet been professionally edited and provide feedback to the author so the author can see if the book is landing with their target reader. The beta reader will note things like pacing, character likability, story ARC, or plot holes.
A lot of beta readers will do this for free. And that’s great! But these days, many authors are starting to pay a small fee for beta readers in order to get a higher quality of feedback. Remember when I said social media is a wild place? Beta readers can sometimes just ghost the author, or offer to read the manuscript and send back two sentences of feedback. Paying for a beta reader helps the author ensure that they are getting what they want out of the service and within a reasonable time frame. And ultimately, that’s a win-win situation.
If you’re interested in my beta reading services, please reach out! I’d love to talk more.