Beta Readers?

[Divia]

I was wondering if anyone would like to exchange one of their WIP with me? I can't recall this every coming up before but I thought I'd give it a go.

See, trusting who is reading your stuff is important. It's your baby n' all that jazz. I'm on other MB but I'll be frank I don't trust them like I do you guys here.


I'm working on a YA novel and it has about 74,000 words. I'm looking for flow, if my details are lacking etc. etc. I'd be willing to look at someones HF novel if they want to swap.

[Matt Phillips]

I'm just about to get started on my first draft, so I won't be ready for a while. But it would be great if a beta reader group developed on this board. I like the atmosphere and substance of the discussions here.

[Miss Moppet]

I'm just about to get started on my first draft, so I won't be ready for a while. But it would be great if a beta reader group developed on this board. I like the atmosphere and substance of the discussions here.

Same with me - I am going to be too busy with summer schools to write for a bit. But when I do have something ready to read I will post again in this thread. I completely agree that I would trust people from this board much more than anyone else.

[Divia]

Wow this is it? I thought there would be more of us? :(

Well, I guess I'm on my own then. Maybe I'll check in when I'm working on something different and we can swap.

[LoveHistory]

I'd be happy to swap with you Divia, but I don't have anything ready to swap at the moment, unless you like unfinished manuscripts that aren't HF at all.

[Margaret]

At her "Writing Historical Fiction" blog, author and writing teacher Linda Proud is offering to help writers of historical fiction swap manuscripts for critique purposes. You just need to leave a comment on her blog (http://lindaproud.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/chameleons-eye-view-continued/) (don't put your email address in the comment section itself), and she will help the writers get together.

[Alisha Marie Klapheke]

Let me know if you are still looking to exchange manuscripts.

[Rowan]

I've done beta reading for others, but I don't have anything to offer right now in return.

[stu1883]

Im doing my FD as well, but would be willing to share what I have done so far - its rough but I suppose that is what FDs are.

Excuse my ignorance - but what exactly is a beta reader?

[Greg]

To Stu 1883, Alisha and others on this list
I could be interested in doing a swap, what exactly does it entail? Ie how is it sent received and so forth? I'm a bit hazy on the specific details of the arrange but fairly keen. I used to crit submissions up to doctoral level at uni and have been told I have a keen eye for detail and flow as well as an excellent knowledge of historical detail.

Regards Greg

http://rednedtudormysteries.blogspot.com...

To those who may be interested my Liberties of London has passed just passed the first stage of Smashwords publication check here.
http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Liberties+of+London

[oldhousejunkie]

I'd be interested in participating (or starting) a beta reader group. It's extraordinarily hard to find betas for historical fiction.

I've had one beta do the editing for me, and I have one reading it for their impressions right now, but I would love to turn my MS over to another person or two.

[sgn1]

Anyone interested in Beta reading a story destined for the Historical Big Bang ( http://history-bigbang.livejournal.com/ ) in March 2012? The story is set in 6th century Britain and is currently called Joyous Gard ... It isn't Arthurian, as such :rolleyes:

Drop me a PM for further details

[Shield-of-Dardania]

Let me guess. A beta reader is ... someone who reads your stuff and does a kind of critique for you as well, right? Kind of a practice critique, right?

Well, my WIP which is a story about an ancient (11C) kingdom in Malaysia, is currently mostly in Malay, but I have several chapters (including the Prologue) either already translated into English, or written in English from the start. I'm developing my story as a trilogy in two versions, Malay (for our local market) and English (for the locally-based expatriates n hopefully, I dream:), regional/international readers). I think I'm open to an exchange with like minded friends from HFOL.

My draft Chapter 1 is like a series of flashbacks to several periods in the past, the first one set in the Western Himalayas of 1400 BC, the third in 5C BC (i.e. Achaemenid) Persia. My Chapter 24 is where my prince warrior (the hero) tags along with a powerful Turko-Persian sultan escorted by his two young up-and-coming generals to Constantinople, where they meet the Byzantine emperor and discuss political & business alliances between their kingdoms, plus have some fun while there.

Chapter 25 sees the entrance of a young slave girl of Saxon-Norman descent, and a little orphan slave boy of Turkmen-Bolgar parentage, both of whom eventually sail away from Byzantium as freemen with the hero to his homeland, where they both later emerge to become central characters in the overall story of my Novel 1.

Yes, I think I'd look positively at an exchange of mutual benefit. One could consider exchanging just selected chapters, if one doesn't want to exchange entire WIPs.

[fljustice]

My regular beta readers have fallen through (family illness, job changes...life) and they can't get to my WIP for several months. I'd love to get some feedback earlier and will happily exchange with another author...if you have something now or I'll read in the future. Readers who want a sneak peak and a free book when it comes out are also welcome!

This book has already been workshopped and is in pretty good shape. I'll hire a copy editor for the final run through, so not looking for that level of detail. I'm looking for feedback from the reader's perspective...where does the story slow down, get confusing, do the characters feel authentic, etc. The book is short--65,000 words/245 double spaced manuscript pages--set in AD 1C. Here's the prologue as a sample:

The Romans call me Afra—"woman of Africa"—because they don't care to wrap their tongues around my real name. Or perhaps the fact that I am named after Amanirenas the one-eyed warrior queen, who wiped out the Roman garrison at Aswan two generations ago, gives them pause. It matters little now. All I hear is "Afra! Afra!" as the crowd in the amphitheater chants my name, calling me forward to kill or be killed for their amusement. A slave wraps my lower legs with felted wool and straps a fancy greave to my left shin.

Across the room, another slave straps armor on my beloved. She looks at me with pride in her eyes and a brief smile on her lips. We said our goodbyes last night, clasped breast to breast, thigh to thigh, a stolen moment before being sent to our barren cells. My heart beats an irregular tattoo. My love. Light to my dark, fire to my ice. Cinnia is goddess given; from a land of mists and forests, so different from my country of desert and blistering sun. Without her, I would be dead. Without me, so would she. We have suffered, struggled, lived and loved. Now we go out upon the sands of the great arena to die. One by her lover's hands, the other by her own.

It is not the life or death I chose for myself, but it is the one the gods gave me.


Anyone interested, feel free to get in touch with me directly. I can send digital files in whatever format you need or paper if require. Your swapped ms will get first priority from me whenever you need it.

[Jeanne]

I'd be interested in beta-reading WIPs.