: Where to find beta readers? Since I left my writer's group out of personality issues, invariably somebody becomes a know-it-all, it's been a real struggle to find people willing to invest time.

Since I left my writer's group out of personality issues, invariably somebody becomes a know-it-all, it's been a real struggle to find people willing to invest time.

The friends/acquaintances I have who are generously giving time for my last project are likely to be a bit burnt out since it is a 160,000-word epic (which probably has no chance of being published at that level, so I'm going to have a lot of follow-up questions).

Indeed, my current novel of 80,000 words, give or take, may be ready before the epic gets back into my hands leaving me bereft of a readers' group. So now I don't know where to turn.

Any ideas on "hiring" free labor for beta readers? I imagine I can offer trade, but one of my problems with the writer's club was the expectation of 4-6 books/year, and I'm not sure if I can commit to that.

Edit: There is an answer from 5 years ago listing two websites. However, considering the explosion of self-publishing and the growth of electronic media, could I leave this open for a few days to see if there are new ideas?

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@Radia543

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@Berumen699

As a previous answer mentioned, fictionpress.com is one site that offers connection to beta readers. Outside of that side though, there are plenty of places that offer beta services.

Critique Circle www.critiquecircle.com/ is a popular writing community
Tumblr has some blogs that are devoted to pairing beta readers with writers. One google search will do the trick!
Goodreads.com www.goodreads.com/group/show/50920-beta-reader-group provides a discussion forum of sorts to find a beta reader as well as advertise your own beta services.
World Literary Cafe www.worldliterarycafe.com/forum/125 also offers to pair beta readers and writers.

With this, networking will be your best friend, even if it is just within your community. Social media sites can advertise your need for a free or low cost beta reader. Many places have local writing groups (who I find often meet in local libraries) that you can probably join and make a "mutual beta relationship" with another reader.

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@Cooney417

You could try www.fictionpress.com/betareaders/. You'd have to have a fictionpress account, but there's a long list of betas to choose from with their list of strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and they are reviewed.

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: Where to find beta readers? Since I left my writer's group out of personality issues, invariably somebody becomes a know-it-all, it's been a real struggle to find people willing to invest time.

More posts by @Radia543

: Maybe it is better to write rough drafts longhand? I read a forward by Piers Anthony in the midst of his bestselling Incarnations series about how he used two drafts on paper then one on

: How to punctuate the synonym to a word or phrase? I have a sentence: ... to further everyones agenda; revenge. Is this the correct punctuation? Or should the semicolon simply be a comma? I

: What is the image size in scientific paper if indicated as "a single, 1.5 or 2-column fitting image"? I would like to submit my manuscript in ecology, containing Figures. However, in Author

: How to write believable "Man vs self" plots Context introduction In my story the protagonist is both curious and fearful. He wants to know what is in a forest but is too afraid to go inside.

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: Where to find beta readers? Since I left my writer's group out of personality issues, invariably somebody becomes a know-it-all, it's been a real struggle to find people willing to invest time.

More posts by @Radia543

: Maybe it *is* better to write rough drafts longhand? I read a forward by Piers Anthony in the midst of his bestselling Incarnations series about how he used two drafts on paper then one on

: How to punctuate the synonym to a word or phrase? I have a sentence: ... to further everyones agenda; revenge. Is this the correct punctuation? Or should the semicolon simply be a comma? I

: What is the image size in scientific paper if indicated as "a single, 1.5 or 2-column fitting image"? I would like to submit my manuscript in ecology, containing Figures. However, in Author

: How to write believable "Man vs self" plots Context introduction In my story the protagonist is both curious and fearful. He wants to know what is in a forest but is too afraid to go inside.

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2 Comments

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: Maybe it is better to write rough drafts longhand? I read a forward by Piers Anthony in the midst of his bestselling Incarnations series about how he used two drafts on paper then one on