The 5 Worst Things A Professional Beta Reader Can Do For Themselves

I know what you’re thinking: How can someone be a professional beta reader? After all, can’t a writer just get their friends, family members, or fellow writers to be their beta reader? That is true, and the beta reading niche is a budding one. However, there is a growing demand for professional beta readers. Professional beta readers are the ones that you can count on to give you an impartial critique of your manuscript—and to actually return the feedback to you, whether it takes a couple weeks or a couple months. I would know; I freelance as a professional beta reader through Fiverr and have for about six years now.

It sounds like an easy enough gig, doesn’t it? You read someone’s short story, article, poem, novel, whatever, and provide them with some feedback, and they pay you for it. Nothing to it, right? Well, with six years under my belt, you can trust me when I say that nothing is ever so simple. Something always comes along to throw a wrench in your plans, whether it’s a client’s expectations, your own expectations, life clashing with work, or something entirely unpredictable. With this section of the writing industry being so new, there are no standards to follow. It’s a case of the blind leading the blind.

There are a few lessons that I have learned since I started my professional beta reading journey. In particular, there are five things that I have learned NOT to do along the way:

1. Beta readers are NOT developmental editors. Don’t act like one.

It is very easy to fall into this trap. As a beta reader, you are supposed to provide insights to your client based on your view primarily as a reader—and, secondarily, as a writer if you are a writer—but not as an editor. I have had issues with not doing this because I also freelance as an editor on occasion. However, if I were to let my editor side to take over every time I had a beta reading gig, I would be getting paid way too little for way too much work, something that I am already at risk of already (which I will discuss in point #5).

2. Do not underestimate the amount of time it will take you to read a manuscript.

I know that it seems easy to get a book read in a week or less—maybe even in a couple days—but this pace is impossible to keep up constantly if you’re also providing feedback. Then you start getting longer and longer manuscripts (I’ve had manuscripts as long as five hundred or a thousand pages), and it gets downright overwhelming. It will be painful to tell clients that you need more time to finish because, like any writer, they are eager to know what you think as soon as possible. However, you have to think about yourself and your sanity as well. I wish I did more often.

3. Do not take on too many projects at once.

It’s really tempting to take on as many projects as possible. Similar to the ever-increasing amount of time to read a manuscript, though, these projects stack up, and soon you’ll find yourself buried under an impossible mountain of work to scale. I know how hard it can be to say, “No,” but it’s the most important word to learn in this profession.

4. Do not take it personally when clients cannot handle criticism.

If you’re on Vocal, then you’re probably a writer. As such, you know how hard it is to take any criticism regarding your writing. Well, as a professional beta reader, I have had a person or two take that sting and lob it back at me. It doesn’t happen often, mind you, but it can happen, so it’s important to not take it personally if the client can’t handle—or just doesn’t like—your feedback to the point that they lash out at you. Don’t even give them the time of day. It just isn’t worth it.

5. Do not underpay yourself.

I have had a particularly hard time with this one. As I said before, professional beta reading is new, and so there are no standards regarding things like rates/pay. You won’t find anything about it on websites such as the Editorial Freelancers Association’s site. However, if you are selling your services through places like Fiverr, you can go shopping around and compare your rates to other beta readers’. Then you can adjust your rate according to how your service and turnaround time appear to compare to theirs.

Professional beta reading can be a fun and rewarding experience. You get exposed to a wide variety of works that you might not have read otherwise, and your feedback helps another writer to improve their craft. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that it’s easy money. Just like any other profession, it’s hard work. However, with the tips I’ve provided above, it will hopefully be a little easier for anyone who wishes to pursue this up-and-coming freelancing enterprise.

For more of my stories, check out my Vocal profile and my blog, The Writer's Scrap Bin.