Alpha and Beta Reading
About:
This service is for fiction projects or partial manuscripts of any length. Alpha and beta readers give feedback on a manuscript from a reader’s perspective, not an editor's. An alpha reader looks at a rough draft in development, while a beta reader considers a polished manuscript.
At either stage, an alpha or beta reader might answer the following questions and more:
- Does the opening pull a reader in?
- Does the pacing lag or move too quickly?
- Is the character relatable?
- Is there enough conflict or drama to keep the reader reading?
- Do all the story elements make sense?
- Is the manuscript meeting reader expectations for a given genre?
- Is the ending satisfying?
An alpha or beta reader gives a writer a crucial second opinion on their manuscript -- one that can move the project forward.
How it works:
Click on the button below or contact Gail's office to purchase. Once you've paid and emailed us your manuscript, your assigned alpha or beta reader will read your manuscript and offer two or three pages of notes within a month of submission.
When you send us your manuscript, you're welcome to include up to ten questions that you'd like addressed.
This is not an editing service and, to keep the cost low, there is no follow-up meeting or email discussion.
Cost:
On projects under 5,000 words, the cost is $50. Click on the button below to purchase. We'll contact you within a day.
On projects over 5,000 words, you pay $50 for the first 5,000 words, and just half a cent a word thereafter. For example, A 20,000-word manuscript would cost $125 plus GST/HST. An 80,000-word manuscript would cost $425 plus GST/HST. Contact Gail's office to purchase.
All manuscripts must be in 12-point, Times New Roman, double-spaced.
For more information or to submit your manuscript, contact Gail's office.
For more in-depth editorial feedback, see Gail’s blue-pencil-sessions, fiction-mentorships, manuscript-evaluations, the-clean-sweep, and developmental editing services.