Edit-Beta-Review

Within the industry, it’s pretty much expected that Editors, Proofreaders, Sensitivity Readers and the like, are all paid Readers and freebies for these Readers aren’t the norm.

However, when it comes to Alpha and Beta Reading (and ARC Reviewing, but more about this in another post), people can have pretty strong views if this should be paid or must be free.

Many Authors, and even Alpha and Beta Readers, feel that the service should be provided for free.

“There’s no skill in it, so why should I pay for it?”

“It should only take my Reader a few minutes to complete my questionnaire, so why should I pay for that?”

“I’m an avid reader, so I’m just doing a Beta Read for free because I like helping out.”

“I don’t have any money to pay anyone to help me with my book, so I’m looking for free Alpha/Beta Readers.”

“People who charge for it are scammers!”

“I’m just providing my general thoughts on the vibe of the book, not a detailed report, so this basic read is free.”

Others feel that it should be a paid service.

“I spend 30+ hours reading and providing feedback to my authors, why should I give my time and effort away for free? I could be doing other paid work during that time.”

“I’m a professional Reader – I have qualifications and years of experience behind me to provide expert guidance and feedback, and just like any skilled profession, I charge for my services.”

“I pay my Readers as they have completed a service I have asked them to do. I pay my neighbour’s kid $5 and a glass of lemonade to mow my lawn, there’s more skill and time involved in Beta Reading, so I’m willing to pay for it.”

“Beta Reading is about providing feedback to the Author on what the intended audience might think about their book – and that’s me. So my views are valid and my constructive criticism helps the Author create a better book.”

“I’ll be selling my book and making money from it, so I’m prepared to pay people who assist me in earning my income.”

Some Alpha and Beta Readers think that it can be both.

“I offer free basic ‘this is what I thought’ Beta Reading, but my in-depth ‘I’ll write a full report’ Beta Reading is a paid service.”

“I offer two free Alpha Reads a month and ask Authors to go into a draw to win this opportunity.”

“I provide free Beta Reading if I have a month to read it. If the Author needs a quicker response, I will charge for this.”

Why is free suitable?

There are some reasons for why an Alpha or Beta Read could be completed for free:

• The Reader is happy to do the read for free – Whatever their reason maybe, they choose to Read for free.
• The book is not-for-profit – The Reader is willing to match this and work pro-bono.

An Author’s reason to ask for free Alpha or Beta Readers simply because they don’t have money to spend on this service, isn’t a valid reason to expect Alpha or Beta Readers to work for free.

Why is payment suitable?

There are many reasons why payment for Alpha or Beta Reading is suitable, these could be:

• Skilled – Alpha/Beta Readers have basic to professional editing knowledge, an understanding of story structure and an ability to provide constructive feedback. They are more than “just an avid reader”.
• Feedback Impact – The feedback provided by the Reader can have an impact on how good the author’s book is, and therefore boosts the book’s sales.
• Time – The Reader could spend 5-50+ hours reading the book and writing up feedback.
• Effort – The Reader gets invested in the story and makes the effort to capture detailed feedback.
• Due Date – If the Author needs a Read completed in a short time-frame.
• Tax Deductible – The Author should ask their accountant if they can claim this expense.
• Professional – The Reader provides a professional service and has years of experience behind them, it’s their livelihood.
• Appreciation – The Author wants to show their appreciation to the Reader.

What could payment look like?

That’s the million dollar question (rhetorically, not actually, but I won’t say “No” if someone wants to pay me that much!).

When asking if a Alpha/Beta Reader is a free or paid Reader, the first form of payment to come to mind is financial payment, however there are other forms of payment an Alpha or Beta Reader can (or might want to) receive.

Payment for an Alpha or Beta Reader could be:

• Money – This could X cents per word or a fixed fee payment.
• A Gift – Chocolate, gift card, wine, flowers, Ferrari…
• Character – Name a character/characteristic after the Reader in your next book.
• Swapsies – I’ll read yours, if you read mine.
• Word of Mouth – The best, most trusted, recommendation.
• A Review – Leave a positive, detailed, review on their socials/business account.
• A Copy – Send them a copy of the finished book (hard copy, ebook, audiobook).
• Acknowledgment – List them in the acknowledgment section of the book.
• Read Again – You loved their work so much, you ask them to Alpha/Beta Read your next book (the best compliment!).
• Constructive Feedback – Give them honest, constructive feedback on their feedback (everyone wants to know how they went and how to improve).
• Charity Donation – Donate to the Reader’s favorite charity.
• Royalty Fee – OK, so I haven’t really heard of this happening, but just throwing out ideas that might suit someone.
• Have something else to add? Let us know!

Each payment method has its own benefits, and the value of the payment may also depend on a range of factors, such as the word count, level of difficulty, the level of detail needed in the feedback and the location of the Author/Reader (international shipping can be expensive for a Lamborghini!).

For example, a 20,000 word novella that requires a “Did you like it? Anything I need to change? I need feedback in a month”, might only require a payment of a bottle of wine or be $20 financial payment.

While a 150,000 word novel with “I need feedback on plot, pacing, character development, grammar, answer my 30 question feedback questionnaire, and I need feedback in 3 days”, might require a payment of a huge hamper filled with wine and chocolate, or it might be $300 financial payment.

In the end, the most suitable payment is what is agreed between the Author and Reader BEFORE the Read commences.

Extra tips:

• If you are an Author looking for an Alpha or Beta Reader, be clear if you are seeking free or paid readers, and what that payment might be.
• If you are an Alpha or Beta Reader offering your services, be clear FROM THE START if you are a free or paid Reader, and advise what that fee is.
• How Much? – What’s the going rate to pay an Alpha/Beta Reader? There isn’t one set price, and there are many variables, such as different countries, Reader’s experience or levels of service provided. Doing a Google search, or a browsing through Fiverr for Readers, or checking out professional profiles who promote in Facebook groups, or checking out the local writers guilds (eg in Aus – EFA, IPED, etc), are all ways to research price points.
• Due-Diligence – Ask questions, see their social profiles/website/other books, make sure you are happy with their legitimacy. Even do a test run with a sample chapter before doing it all.
• Requirement Clarity – Authors should be explicit on what type of Read they are after (ie, book genre, word count, timing, Alpha or Beta or ARC review, type of feedback needed, etc), and Readers should be explicit on what type of Read they will provide (ie, genres they read, what fees, what feedback they will provide, etc). Ensuring that the two are as well matched as possible will help to avoid possible problems later due to misunderstandings (and therefore disagreements about payment).
• Agreement – Having an agreement is beneficial to both Author and Reader. It could be a simple discussion on Facebook Messenger highlighting due date, outcomes and payment (often for free/low payment agreements). Or it could be a more formal contract that is signed (often for financial payment).
• Same same, but different – Authors may choose to have the same payment for all Readers, or they may have different payments for each Reader. A Reader, even with the same Author, may charge different amounts for different books, or even for the same book if they are doing different types of Reads of it.
• Keep Records – It’s advisable to keep clear records on what has been agreed for each situation (and contact/postal details, etc). Authors should refer back to it once the book has been published, particularly if payment is the published book, as it could be some time since the original agreement was made and payment may have been forgotten.
• Budget – Authors could benefit in creating a budget for paying Alpha, Beta, Editors, etc to keep track of their finances. Having 2 Alpha Reads, 10 Beta Readers, 2 Edit rounds, 30 ARC Reviewers, etc can add up quickly – even if most payments are in flowers or free book copies.
• Making Payment – If there was an agreement for a service or a particular payment, be sure you can deliver on this agreement. If financial payment is involved, sometimes a deposit is paid up front with the remainder provided before the final report is given. If payment is a gift, ensure you have postal details. If payment is a copy of the book, will this be a physical copy or an ebook and how will you share it (different countries can/can’t access share codes)? If providing a public review, be sure to keep records of their social links.
• Be aware of scammers – Unfortunately, just within any industry, there will be scammers. Alpha/Beta Readers who might charge for a read, but then don’t provide their feedback or poor quality feedback. There are also Author’s who agree to payment terms, but then do not complete the payment.
• Not Happy – If the Reader doesn’t want to finish the Read, or the Author isn’t happy with the type of feedback provided, they should discuss this before continuing or providing payment. Unfortunately not every partnership will work, so you may need to consider what happens to the payment if the job is partially finished.

Final thoughts…

For me personally, as Beta Reading is something I do for fun in my spare time because I enjoy helping Authors’ with their stories, I don’t charge money for my Beta Reads. Instead I ask for payment in the form of a copy of the published eBook and being listed within the acknowledgements when the author thanks those who helped make the book.

However, the period between the Beta Read and Publishing, could be months, years or never actually happen, so sometimes I don’t receive my payment, or if it’s so separated from the task, the author forgets to pay me. C’est la vie. But my favourite form of appreciation is when the Author asks me to Beta Read other books they write.

Do you think Alpha/Beta Reading should be free? What form of payment have you given/received for your Alpha/Beta Read? Let us know in the comments!