Beta Reading Service


Status: Available

Are you looking for someone to critique your manuscript from start to finish? Then you might have come to the right place! While my portfolio (listed at the bottom of the page) is still relatively small, I consume hundreds of stories every year, from video games to movies to books. And some of those I write reviews about (in German), which I've done for almost five years now. So I know what works and what doesn't and wouldn't mind sharing my opinion.


What exactly do I offer?

I will read your story from start to finish and check it for the following:
  • Does your dialogue sound natural?
  • Is it clear who's speaking or does it need to be clarified?
  • Do your descriptions make sense or are they confusing?
  • Do you manage to paint a solid picture of the world?
  • Are your characters well fleshed out or simply one-dimensional?
  • Are there any notable plotholes to be found?
  • Are your sentences too long or too short?
  • Is the pacing too fast or too slow?
  • Are there any repetitions to be found?
  • Is there any superfluous information that could easily be removed?
  • Did the story manage to keep me engaged?
  • Is the ending satisfying or does it fall flat?
I also offer minor edits (fixing grammatical errors, changing bad sentence structure, removing repetition in minor cases) that will be made using the track changes feature. That way, you can easily approve or dismiss any changes I have made. Notable problems will be included in a summary I'll send you with the finished manuscript. So you don't have to read every comment to see what needs to be worked on.

If your story reads well, I can finish between 100K - 200K words per week. Otherwise, I might take twice as long, as more comments are then needed. I'm not going to fix every mistake I come across if your writing is a total mess, however. Otherwise, I'd have to ask for a lot more money. So please do me a favor and read your story from start to finish (and use the proofreading feature!) before asking for my services. Should be enough to spot the biggest mistakes without me having to fix them for you.


What's stories will I read?

I prefer the following genres:
  • Horror
  • Fantasy
  • Science-Fiction
  • Mystery
  • Thriller
  • Romance
  • Young Adult
  • Comedy
  • Drama

I have no interest in reading these:
  • LGBT
  • Western
  • Religious Stories
  • Politicial Stories
  • Biographies
  • Nonfiction

What's the catch?

I won't do it for free. Why? Because focusing on your story means delaying my own writing efforts. So I need an incentive to make it worth my while. Free betareaders are also extremely volatile. Some might be amazing while others will never give you so much as a single comment.

My rates depend on the length of your story. An epic fantasy novel is more of a challenge than a small novella after all. Don't expect a billion comments just because your book is long, however. If something works, it works. I don't need to write a novel within yours.

Length Price/Word Min. Example Max. Example
up to 17,500 $0.0007* ----- $12
17,501 - 40,000 $0.0008* $14 $32
40,001 - 100,000 $0.0009* $36 $90
100,001 - 200,000 $0.001* $100 $200
*Rates may change if I manage to grow my portfolio.

I also offer a cheaper option without any editing, in case you prefer fixing all the mistakes yourself. It costs $0.0006/word across the board and still includes a summary of the biggest mistakes I've spotted. Payments are to be made via Paypal and before I start working on your manuscript.


May I get a sample?

Sure. Just send me a sample of 2000 words or the first chapter (if it's just a little longer). Whatever you think represents your book the best. I'll then get back to you as soon as possible, so you can see what my critique would look like.

Here's the mail for your inquiries: jackdenileth@gmail.com
 
Do not send me your manuscript without having asked first! I might be busy after all. Or not interested in the kind of story you've written. So tell me what it is about and I'll get back to you in a day or so.

Portfolio: We Won't Tell (Plamedi Anne) - Sincerely, your friends (Madison Lawson) - The Devil Within (Kenny Cavnar) - Tunnels Through Pith (Gin Westcott) - Black Jack The Ripper (Jonathan Laurent) - Dissident (A.R. Hadley), End Man (Alex Austin), Moonlight Tandoori (Alex Austin), The Truth About Forever (Collette Kozuch), The Traitor in the Trees (Michael Garozzo), Break (Elisa M. Stryker), Nightwalker (King Atakpa), Vault of Lies (Olivier Cardinale), Saint Vicky (Betsy Lang), Columbia - The Life and Death of Rospo D. Oro (Collin Simon), The Queen of Diamonds (Diane Ryan), Hanging (Maria Rolan), A Royal Game (Antoine Henderson), Florence Blackwater (James Field), The Better Half (Raúl Quintana Selleras), Rabble Babble (Harry Pye), The Grave Dancers (David Wildman), Welcome to Nothing (Matthew Morgan), R2R (Eugene Polonsky), Stopping Dominoes (David Yates), The Sword of Seven Stars (LQ Nguyen), The Water is Watching (David Wildman), Snowing Butterflies (James Field), The Killer Novel (David Wildman), RealWorld (Jack Cole), The Stars Within Us (Ime Atakpa), The Quantum Mate (E. Grant Goodhue), The Myriad Era (David Wildman), Honey and Gunpower (Jenevieve Gray), David Savakerrva - Book 1 & 2 (Lawrence Brown), Blackout (Peter Koclanes)

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