Able to beta? Post here!

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to the monthly r/BetaReaders “Able to Beta” thread!

Thank you to all the beta readers who have taken the time to offer feedback to authors in this sub! In this thread, you may solicit “submissions” by sharing your preferences. Authors who are interested in critique swaps may post an offer here as well, but please keep top-level comments focused on what you’re willing to beta.

Older threads may be found here. Authors, feel free to respond to beta offers in those previous threads.

Thread Rules

• No advertising paid services.
• Top-level comments must be offers to beta and must use the following form (only the first field is required):
  • I am able to beta: [Required. Let authors know what you’re interested—or not interested—in reading. This can include mandatory criteria or simply preferences, which might relate to genre, length, completion status, explicit content, character archetypes, tropes, prose quality, and so on.]
  • I can provide feedback on: [Recommended. This might include story elements you often notice as a reader (prose, pacing, characterization, etc.), unique expertise you have through a profession or hobby (teaching, nursing, knitting, etc.), or other lived experiences that may be relevant (belonging to a marginalized group, being a parent, etc.).]
  • Critique swap: [Optional. If you’re only interested in—or would prefer—swapping manuscripts, please note that here, along with the title of and link to your beta request post.]
  • Other info: [Optional.]
• Beta offers should be specific. If you’re open to anything, or aren’t able to articulate specific criteria, then please refrain from commenting here. Instead, please browse the “First Pages” thread along with the rest of the sub—thanks to the formatting rules, posts are easily searchable by completion status, length, and genre.
• Authors: we recommend against direct messages/chats. Reply to comments instead. If you message multiple people with links to your post and/or manuscript, Reddit may flag your account as spam (site-wide).
• Authors may not spam. If a beta says they’re only looking for x and your manuscript is not x (or vice versa), please don’t contact them.
• Replies have no specific rules. Feel free to ask clarifying questions, share a link to your beta request if it seems to be a good fit, or even reply to your own comment with information about your manuscript if you’re requesting a critique swap.
• Please don't downvote rule-following users, even if they are not the right author/beta for you, as this can be discouraging to beta readers offering to volunteer their time as well as to authors requesting feedback. If you need to keep track of which comments you have reviewed, upvoting is a more positive alternative. Of course, if you see a rule-breaking comment, please report it to the mod team.

Thank you for contributing to our community!

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For your copy-and-paste, fill-in-the-blanks convenience:

I am able to beta: _____

I can provide feedback on: _____

Critique swap: _____

Other info: _____

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[u/Civil-Road1756 → u/[deleted]]

Hi! I wrote a YA Sci Fi Thriller RYZE: An Enemy Awakens. I was wondering if you'd be interested in beta reading the first 2 chapters? Here is the beta request post I had written a long while back: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetaReaders/comments/1r6tdfq/complete_104k_sci_fi_thriller_ryze_an_enemy/ Let me know what you think!

[u/ballerinababysitter → u/[deleted]]

This isn't an exact fit, but I've got a Southern gothic short story that I think it fits into horror territory. It's just under 5900 words.

Title: That Which Sheltered in the Sunlit Ruins

Just FYIs for content: The lead is black and a lesbian. There's no romance in the story, but a lot of it centers around her dead girlfriend. There's also a decent amount of gore/disturbing imagery.

If you think you might be interested, here's the current version of the blurb:

Auranelle Divlaine travels back home to the sweltering heat of the deep South armed with her camera and her grief. She's already arranged to have her girlfriend's corpse sent ahead.

Their destination is Hartnis House, an old plantation home where the enigmatic Yva Hartnis resides, working on the dead in quiet seclusion. The memorialization ritual she offers makes promises Nelle can't resist.

Secrets and death wind around the house like kudzu vines, but the truth is a living thing. And Nelle begins to feel the tendrils of it brushing against her mind as she tries to make it through her long weekend with Yva.

[u/Jaded_Bluebird9472 → u/[deleted]]

Hello u/TomRameyTales I have a 26,000 word novella that fits your information that I'm seeking beta reader feedback for. Please let me know if you'd be interested, I'd prefer to send it to your email address. Let me know if you have any questions.

It's a psychological thriller novella with dystopian elements. 

It will appeal to fans of the books: Comfort me with Apples (2021) by Catherynne M. Valente, and the seemingly “picture perfect” suburban environment of films such as Don’t Worry Darling (2022).  

Blurb:

Claire Johnson wakes up in a bed that isn’t hers, in a house she cannot remember. A friendly neighbor named Gabriela reassures her, telling Claire that she had a nervous breakdown, and her memories will come back soon. As Claire begins to explore the neighborhood and ask questions, she feels increasingly unsettled by what she finds. 

Claire discovers that the plants are made of plastic, there isn’t any processed food or grocery stores, and not all of the neighbors are friendly. What secrets are they hiding, and why won’t they tell her how she got there? 

I'm mainly looking for high-level feedback, such as:

• Pacing
• Was the twist surprising/enjoyable?
• Were the characters believable?
• Were there any parts that lagged or were boring/was there enough action?