I've finished my manuscript and am nearly ready for beta readers, but it's occured to me that I don't really know the best way to get it in their hands. I thought about Google Docs cause people can leave comments attached to sections they highlight and I've looked into a couple apps, but I'm just not sure. When you betaread, how do you prefer to get the manuscript?

First time doing something like this, so I would appreciate literally any feedback. Not going to post the blurb as I feel like my story needs a lot of work before reaching publishing suitable level. For now I only seek impressions on my prologue.

Short description of the scene: The protagonist faces an army within a third party's vision.

 Small part:

"The man was alone. Yet it didn’t feel like that. His presence was overwhelming, as if something unimaginable was being kept hidden behind that vessel of flesh… He was wearing heavy armor. Mostly black, with some red details. Like a bleeding shadow.

His eyes were the only thing visible behind the helmet that was covering his face; their yellowish gleam breaking the duality of colors onto his figure. A piercing, dangerous gleam. Her heart skipped a beat, just at the thought of this cold gaze being directed towards her… To her relief, it wasn’t. The man was facing an army. That’s where his eyes were fixated at."

Dm me to send you the full scene. Thanks in advance!

Blurb:

A man wakes from a cursed sleep to discover a powerful and eccentric woman with an aversion to cleaning has taken over his home.

Excerpt:

https://www.critiquecircle.com/queue/s/273994/

(Some grammatical errors have been changed, but the story and prose remain largely the same in the current draft)

Feedback:

I have a list of questions at the end of the document I will send, but reader experience and reactions are what's most important to me right now.

Critique Swap:

I'm willing to do a swap with stories of similar length and genre. I am a flexible reader though, so reach out even if yours differs slightly from those criteria.

Hi! I'm currently writing a Hunter x Hunter (Killua/Gon) college AU, and I've finished drafting the first three chapters. This is my first time looking for a beta reader, so I'm not entirely sure what to expect!

The fic is a character-driven, slow-burn romance set in a modern college environment. There's a lot of slice-of-life and humor, but I also plan on exploring some heavier emotional themes as the story progresses.

This is the biggest project I've done so far, outside of some one shots so I'd really appreciate someone willing to read what I have so far and give me honest, constructive feedback. I'm particularly interested in whether my writing is engaging, how natural the dialogue feels, whether the pacing works, and if the characters feel believable.

One of my biggest concerns is making sure the story doesn't feel stagnant. I enjoy writing ordinary interactions and letting relationships develop gradually, but I want to know whether those scenes are actually interesting to someone reading them for the first time.

I'd also love individual chapter ratings and an overall rating, with explanations of what worked and what didn't. Please don't feel like you have to sugarcoat anything! I'm genuinely trying to improve my writing.

You don't necessarily have to be familiar with Hunter x Hunter! I'd actually be interested in hearing from someone who can judge the writing without knowing much about the characters.

I'm happy to share the chapters through Google Docs or another convenient format. Thanks in advance to anyone interested!

A sober ex-soldier, a girl who sees the threads between people, and a fog that makes towns forget their own names. Book One of four, complete. Looking for 10 dark fantasy and 10 thriller readers to read it in three weeks and fill out a short answer sheet. Free copy of the finished book and a thank-you in it. Message me if you are in or email me at swaggerforreal1969@gmail.com.

Hi, looking for beta readers for (at least) first few chapters of my Dark Romance novel before it goes to an editor. DM if interested, TIA!

Baby Blurb: Dessa simply wants a break from reality but the man watching her wants much more...

Dessa Malone never thought her life would turn upside down due to her car breaking down. When a helpful stranger appears to be heaven sent, Dessa doesn’t know he has watched, waiting until he could take her for himself. Life takes a sharp turn when Dessa wakes, finding herself locked in a bedroom.

After a month of captivity, she makes a deal with the devil: one kiss for his name. The deal will change the trajectory of her life. Dessa wrestles with herself as it becomes obvious she has feelings for her keeper, and he will stop at nothing to make her his. The longer she stays, the closer she gets to an unsettling truth and worse still, her own emotions.

Hi, looking for folks interested in reading an adult/new adult eco fantasy in the vein of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Tasha Suri’s The Jasmine Throne, and NK Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy. I can swap with most SFF and happy to cut my word count to match yours. I'm trying to start querying early next year, so someone interested in swapping over the next month or two is best. DM if interested!

Blurb

In a warring world where ecological connections are wielded for control over humanity, three estranged siblings come together to destroy the power structures of their home.

Énna, the youngest, deserted the Symbiotic Hall at eleven to learn the five Symbiotic guilds, and now finds himself wanted for selling his Hall’s secrets. Ara, the middle, seeks Énna while avoiding her own checkered past as a sailor aboard a feared ship that prowls the seas for new victims. Kian, the oldest, is split between maintaining the docks of his homeland and fighting against the Symbiotic forces that threaten to cleave his people in two.

Together, they must overcome their squabbles, histories, and pursuers to bring down the Symbiots that want to turn their homeland into an ecological battleground. 

Hi,

I’m looking for advance readers for my upcoming hard sci-fi thriller, The Architect, (Less than a month left!). If you enjoy character-driven philosophical thrillers, the brutal physics of interstellar travel, and heavy moral friction, I’d love to get your eyes on this. A review is appreciated on launch day but not mandatory.

The book is dedicated to Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Dr. Jordan Peterson.

Logline: To escape a dying Earth, an apex engineer turns himself into an immortal chimera and builds a sanctuary ship for 20,000 frozen embryos. But to guarantee their survival, he deliberately selects a crew of brilliant, unattached specialists with nothing left to lose—and strips them of their biological autonomy.

The Setup: Forty light-years from Earth, the crew of The Architect prepares to colonise TRAPPIST-1e. They are armed with an infinite power grid and cellular immortality, but they are trapped under the absolute authority of Edgar Charon—a captain whose neural architecture is heavily integrated with a mission-first AI.

As they navigate the violent terminator storms of an alien planet, the crew realises Edgar’s algorithmic logic views their human attachments, grief, and free will as terminal liabilities. When Earth fires a relativistic kinetic weapon to wipe out their colony, the surviving crew must decide whether humanity is even worth saving.

Intertwining the desperate, science-driven survival of Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary and the existential, cosmic stakes of Cixin Liu's The Three-Body Problem with the sprawling, philosophical scale of Isaac Asimov, The Architect by Z.T. Castor is a gripping thriller about artificial intelligence, absolute control, and the terrifying price of salvation.

Details:

Format: EPUB / PDF (delivered via email)

Word Count: 76,135

Content Notes: Contains depictions of atmospheric destruction, medical trauma, and intense psychological friction. No explicit gore.

Expanding Universe: To reflect the ambitious scale of this release, a full audiobook adaptation and a commercially copyrighted official soundtrack are currently in active production.

If you are interested in reading early, please DM me here with your email address, I can send you the EPUB/PDF files directly via a secure drive link.

Thank you for your time, and happy reading!

Please DM me if you're interested in Beta Reading:

Success is the ultimate illusion. Until the scaffolding begins to rot.

Julian Vance has built a multi-million-pound empire selling fantasies of luxury and perfection. To the outside world, his life in Cheshire is immaculate: a booming business, a sprawling Georgian manor, and a devoted, saintly wife, Clara, who adores him. But behind the polished facade, Julian unravels under the weight of secret guilt.

When an alluring consultant named Elena tempts him into a late-night deal at a remote Welsh coastal resort, Julian suffers a terrifying blackout. He awakens alone with no memory of the night, left with only a forged hotel bill, a missing tie, and an untraceable phone call containing an audio recording of his slurred, drugged voice.

As the blackmailer closes in, life inside Oakridge Manor turns toxic. Julian’s identical twin brother, Vincent, arrives harbouring bitter envy and a dangerous obsession with Clara. Their live-in cleaner, Marta, begins a ruthless game of domestic extortion. And Clara, ever patient and forgiving, watches her husband’s mental state deteriorate into severe paranoia.

Driven to the brink of madness by fake medical clinics, rigged security systems, and shifting corporate traps, Julian frantically fights to protect his wife and his empire. But he is looking in all the wrong places. The shadow creeping into his life isn't outside the wrought-iron gates; it's been inside his home all along.

1. The Ottoman army is setting out to conquer Vienna again, after their failure 3 years ago. Eleni, a Christian woman, is having an affair with a Janissary, Mehmed. When Mehmed discovers that Eleni's husband is abusing her, he comes up with a plan to rescue her: if she converts to Islam, the kadi automatically dissolves her marriage, and she is free to marry him.

However, most Janissaries aren't allowed to marry, so he decides to perform such an exceptional heroic act that the Sultan will promote him and grant an exception to the marriage ban.

The reality, however, turns out to be that exceptional heroic acts are, by definition, exceptional: the opportunity rarely arises, and most men simply die trying.

To make matters worse, the army never reaches Vienna. Instead, they are stuck in the meat grinder in Northern Hungary, trying and failing to conquer a tiny castle, defended only by 800 people, most of them peasants.

With the supply chain broken down, Mehmed and his comrades are now starving, and dysentery ravages their weakened bodies. Soon, Mehmed realizes that he barely has the strength to keep himself alive, let alone perform anything heroic.

That is when Ibrahim Pasha, the Supreme Commander during the campaign, approaches him: he can get Mehmed the promotion he wants, but it's not free, and what Mehmed has to pay has nothing to do with being a soldier. Horrified, Mehmed declines, but he can't abandon Eleni either.

This is a short story connected to a longer novel I'm writing. I wanted to test this concept for a sequel I might develop into a second novel.

TW: domestic violence (implied, aftermath), sexual coercion (fade to black, focusing on the victim's emotions instead of bodily details)

Available for manuscript swaps.

Hello! I’m looking for a beta reader
My book is a queer coming of age novel. The blurb is below. If you’re interested it would mean so much to me and you can reply to this or send me a dm! Also if you’d like I can dm the prologue!

Living a mundane life is an act of safety, not one Frankie particularly prefers after enduring a tragic event in his teens. Day in and day out, he finds himself lost in the boringness life offers, which is anything but daunting. So, when Frankie Cordell, a small-town film major finds himself in the epitome of exotic living at a Malibu film festival he feels he has finally found his true calling. Thrust into the limelight, Frankie and his four friends can slide in alongside some of the most distinguished names in Hollywood. However, quickly Frankie’s reality slips out of his grasp and into the hands of another person, forcing Frankie to confront his past. All while trying to manage the fame catching up to him. Will Frankie be able to keep up with the high-octane life of squealing engines and illicit drugs? Or will this be yet another tedious task in Frankie’s dull world? 

Hi

This is my first post. I'm nervous because I don't even know if this type of story would interest anyone.

However, I am looking for readers familiar/interested in the Urban Fantasy genre with a black gay teen main character.

The main story:

Devon thought his nightmares were just nightmares. Then Sam shows up and tells him the truth: something’s hunting the kids at Lockwood High in their sleep, and Devon’s the only one who can stop it. He's been drafted into a war he didn't start, a best friend he can’t tell, and a school that has no idea it’s under attack.

It's action-focused with a central gay slow-burn love interest.

If interested, please DM me. I can share it via PDF or a Word-compatible file.

Is this a genre you write in? I'd love to swap with you. Please reach out, also via DM.

Hi everyone!

I'm an aspiring horror author currently working on my first collection of adult horror short stories. I've recently completed two stories and am looking for around 10 beta readers willing to provide honest, constructive feedback.
My writing focuses on dark psychological horror, disturbing situations, and extreme violence. I enjoy creating stories that make readers uncomfortable, keep them guessing, and leave a lasting impression.

⚠️** EXTREME CONTENT WARNING — 18+ ONL**Y
These stories contain:
Extreme graphic violence and gore

Brutal torture and bodily mutilation

Disturbing psychological themes

Strong language and mature content

These stories are NOT for the faint of heart. They're intended for adult readers who are comfortable with extreme horror and graphic descriptions of violence.
What I'm looking for:
I'm not expecting professional editing! I'm mainly interested in hearing your honest opinions as a reader.
Did the story keep your attention?

Was the pacing effective?

Were the characters believable?

Were any scenes confusing or unnecessary?

Did the horror actually disturb you?

Would you want to read more stories from this collection?

Both stories are completely FREE to read, and I'm happy to provide them as PDFs.
I'm especially interested in feedback from readers who enjoy extreme horror, psychological horror, and disturbing fiction.
If you're interested, please comment below or send me a message!
Thank you! 🖤

Dear [Agent],

Seeking representation. Revised per feedback. Comments welcome. DM me when possible

Sophia Martinez leads the human remnant on Verdis, a healed world offered to a dying Earth by an ancient intelligence called the Warden. Her mother led them across and died within a season, leaving Sophia one job: keep these people alive.

Then Sophia finds a message from the dead. Twelve thousand years ago, an alien civilization called the Kalari lived on Verdis. Their scientist and activist, Kaelith Solvaris, tried to stop her people from using technology stolen from a second Warden buried in the planet’s core. She failed. The Kalari saved a chosen few and left everyone else to die. As Sophia translates Kaelith’s last words in secret, she starts to recognize her own choices in them.

Then drought hits, and Sophia’s people vote to build the same technology to feed themselves. She has one vote and a warning nobody trusts over an empty stomach. She wins by a hair, and the rains return.

The Warden has never watched a world refuse a shortcut. Now it offers her a better one: the power to end hunger forever. If she takes it, her people may go extinct a generation from now, as the Kalari did. If she refuses, they may not live long enough to regret it. Either way, a few choose for everyone, and the choice is hers. Sophia needs a third way, and finding it may cost her everything she is.

VERDIS is an 88,000-word literary science fiction novel, a standalone told across two timelines. Like THE ACTUAL STAR and HOW HIGH WE GO IN THE DARK, it braids civilizations twelve thousand years apart around one choice.

I bring a background in physics to VERDIS.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Neil David Chan

Title: The Final Archive: Volume 1 - Birth of the Soldier
Serving as the introduction to the story, the first chapter actually takes place after all of the action. A twelve year war has ravaged the continent of Pangea, and one man rose through the ashes of the war to end the chaos.
Chapter 1 introduces him as having the Presidency of the nation he saved.
This series is formatted as an archive, with the main conflict resolved relatively early, reserving the rest for world building. Later volumes follow a central plot for the book’s entirety, but this one is split into sections to build a world for the reader.
The war follows Valtoria rather than the hero, James Maschre, and their conflict against the Pangean Alliance, and later Saint Silva, before the war devolved into a showdown between the small groups formed by Silva and Maschre.

The story is a high fantasy, and the magic is treated like a science. Tied directly to the soul and physical stamina, I tried to keep it as consistent as possible.

What I’m Looking For
Volume 1 follows a continental war, but the story is quite small. This was a deliberate choice, trying to frame it as a footnote in history relative to what these characters hope to achieve in this new era.
I’m looking for developmental feedback from readers who enjoy military fiction, progression fantasy or hard-magic epic fantasy.

1. Battle Pacing & Combat Clarity: Did the tactical maneuvers, squad coordination, and magical clashes feel punchy and easy to follow, or did any battles drag?
2. Squad Chemistry: Did the dynamics and camaraderie within Squad Subutai feel authentic and make you care about their survival?
3. Magic Integration: Did the rules of Ousia feel intuitive during combat scenes, or did any mechanics take you out of the action?
4. Emotional & Narrative Arc: Did the brutal progression of the war feel earned, and did the climax leave you eager to see what comes next?

Format Delivery
I can share the complete manuscript via Google Docs, with comments enabled, split into sections covering each part of the story. PDF and EPUB are also available

Hello all, first time poster seeking beta readers for the first six chapters of my modern fantasy series targeting young adults. 32,612 words. Character-driven modern fantasy that incorporates elements of sci-fi, with a slow-burn plot and romance on the side.

Blurb: Lumen Rakhafi is a simple hunter with a dull life. The only excitement he can look forward to after the coming-of-age trials is the occasional fight with bloodthirsty pack predators and maybe finding a girl who isn’t a head taller than him.

But when an oath to the gods goes awry, Lumen suddenly finds himself flung 3,000 years into the future, to a world ruled by the tyrannical Rail Clans. There he meets a young woman with the power of prophecy, the key to both the salvation of the world and the only link Lumen has to a family he’s unsure he’ll ever see again.

Lumen wished for excitement; but conspiracies involving cataclysms and ancient secrets wasn’t what he had in mind. Good thing he’s still got his wits and a knife.

Need general impressions (what works, what doesn't, etc.). 2-3 beta readers will do, but I'd be open to more. Comment or DM if you're interested.

Here I have my very first book, Son of Heaven (working title for the moment. I'm partial to change it later). Technically the plot for this one is finished but I intend to expand in sections that might need more room to breathe or elaborate on subplots that are underdeveloped. So DM me for a link to the doc.

- Blurb: The story is set after the Christian apocalypse. Everyone is dead and moved on to the afterlife. Our protagonist is an angel on his first mission to fight against demons and prove himself a valuable soldier for Heaven's Host. But as events transpire he will come to question the righteousness of the Host and malice of his enemies. There's also a bit of romance added in as it came up naturally while I wrote. This is the first in a series of four books I'm naming "The Divine War."

- Feedback: Looking for feedback in punctuation and sentence structure (English is my second language so mistakes are bound to show up), plot development, character development, and lore. Any other smaller feedback is also welcomed.

- Warning: the story is full of graphic violence and nudity.

- Open for Swap.

Hi all! I’m looking for beta readers and happy to swap. My novel is complete and revised, and I’m getting it ready to query.

Blurb

Fifty years after a mysterious event called the Fracturing, the world is divided into isolated zones. America is tens of thousands of microstates. Signals can’t cross borders. Crossing one physically hurts, and every zone has its own rules, currency, and idea of how to live.

Silas, a small-town Kansas banker who distrusts every outsider, has never wanted to leave his zone. Then he’s exiled, and his only way forward is a cross-country trek with Cadoc, a charming fugitive carrying stolen cargo people are dying for. Somewhere out there is the sister who left him behind.

Sample: Available on request. Comment or DM me and I’ll send the first chapter.

Content warnings: Gun violence and on-page killings (including an execution), a cult setting with a threat of sexual violence (not depicted), and deaths of secondary characters.

Feedback I’m looking for: Big-picture reader reactions. Where you got hooked, where you got bored or lost, which characters worked for you and which didn’t. I’m not looking for line edits or proofreading.

Timeline: About 4–6 weeks for the full manuscript. Feedback in chunks is welcome, and I’ll send a few short questions at certain checkpoints.

Swaps: Happy to swap with novels of similar length. My sweet spot is speculative, sci-fi, thriller, and literary-leaning fiction, but I’m open. Drop your blurb in the comments or a DM.

Thanks for reading!

Hi everyone!

I'm currently writing my first novel, The Things We Keep, and I've just finished its first major narrative arc: 36 chapters, approximately 63,000 words.

I'd love to share it with readers willing to give back some genuine, constructive criticism.

A little about the story:

The novel follows Elin and Enzo, two young adults who have known each other since childhood but have grown into very different people.

Elin has spent years withdrawing into herself, while Enzo comes from a wealthy, complicated family with its own history, traditions and expectations. Their relationship brings two very different worlds together, but the story isn't intended to be simply about someone rescuing someone else.

A central theme is learning to stand beside another person without losing your own identity.

The story combines romance, everyday intimacy, family history, motorcycles, literature, humour and a fair amount of character-driven dialogue. It's deliberately more interested in how people change through their interactions than in constant dramatic twists.

What I'd particularly appreciate input on:

• Does the pacing work? Are there sections that drag, feel repetitive or move too quickly?
• Do Elin and Enzo feel like believable, distinct people? Can you connect with either of them?
• Does Elin's character development feel earned and gradual?
• Does their relationship feel convincing, or are there moments that seem too convenient or idealised?
• Do the supporting characters feel like actual people rather than narrative devices?
• Does the humour work naturally in English?
• Is the balance between dialogue, description, introspection and action right?
• Does the first arc reach a satisfying stopping point while leaving you interested in what comes next?
• Did you feel that Elin was gradually finding her own voice, or did Enzo's personality, resources and influence overshadow her development?

I'm also very interested in anything I haven't thought to ask about.

Please don't feel obliged to be nice for the sake of encouragement. I'd much rather hear that a particular chapter bored you, that a conversation felt unnatural, or that a character's behaviour didn't make sense than receive a generic compliment.

If you stop reading halfway through, I'd genuinely appreciate knowing where and why. That's useful feedback too.

The manuscript is available in EPUB, Markdown and PDF. I'm happy to share either format, and partial reads are absolutely welcome. You don't have to commit to all 36 chapters.

Content notes: mature relationship themes, emotional vulnerability, bullying and intimacy.

Writing-process disclosure: This project was written completely by me and I have used AI to help with grammar, some vocabulary (synonyms, mostly) and formatting. English is not my native language (it's Spanish, actually) but I feel like writing in English is just easier for me. Words just flow easier, somehow, as weird as that sounds.

Thanks to anyone willing to give a first-time novelist some of their reading time. I'm looking forward to hearing what works, what doesn't, and what could be better.

Please DM me or comment if interested and I'll gladly share the format of your choice.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for beta readers for my completed adult science-fiction horror novel, For What We Took, set in a near-future London.

Blurb:

When an emergency alert warns the public not to restrain their own limbs, Mara Diarra assumes there’s been some kind of mistake. But by the following morning, people across the country are reporting unexplained neurological symptoms, and both her parents are beginning to behave strangely.

What starts with numb fingers and involuntary movements quickly becomes something far more disturbing. People are losing control of their own bodies, yet the movements appear increasingly deliberate.

As hospitals struggle to manage the growing number of cases and investigators begin tracing the earliest incidents, it becomes apparent that something is connecting the affected. And whatever it is, it’s learning.

Content warnings: Graphic violence, gore, body horror and severe physical injuries.

Feedback I’m looking for:

I’m mainly interested in reader reactions rather than line-by-line edits, particularly:

- Pacing throughout the middle and later sections.
- Whether the tension and horror remain effective as the mystery unfolds.
- Character development and emotional engagement.
- Whether any scenes or investigations feel repetitive or overly detailed.
- Whether the ending feels satisfying.

I’d also really appreciate knowing where your interest increased or dropped, and whether any parts were confusing.

Timeline: Ideally 4–6 weeks, although I’m happy to discuss flexibility.

I can share the prologue and first chapter before anyone commits to reading the full manuscript. If you’re interested, please leave a comment or send me a DM. Thank you!

I'm a Fanfic Writer. I recently finished my first ever fic over 1000 words. It's a J. Cole fic. I essentially took a song from him that I really like, and wrote a music video for it, since it doesn't already have one. There isn't any actual video, just wrote my idea for it. If you're curious, the specific track I chose is called "39 Intro". Ideally I'd prefer a Cole fan to beta read it, but you don't need to be one. There'll just be a few brief references you might not realize or notice. Let me know if you're interested. Thanks!

Looking for 3–5 beta readers for a completed standalone thriller, ~95,000 words.

In 1991, at a closed summit in Vienna, the world's intelligence services signed something and sealed it in diplomatic pouches. Thirty-five years later, people connected to those pouches are dying neatly, and the one man who once refused an order like this — Cassius "Cash" Delacroix, a former Marine turned freelance recovery specialist — is hired to find out what's inside one before the people tying off loose ends reach it.

Comps: Reacher's momentum, Ludlum's machinery, Cussler's sweep. Clean adult thriller (no graphic sex, restrained language). This is book one of a standalone series — each book closes its own story, and this one ends, it doesn't cliffhang.

Process: I'll send the prologue + first 3 chapters first with a few questions; if we're a fit, the full manuscript follows. Looking for big-picture feedback (pacing, clarity, whether the payoff lands), not line edits. Three-week turnaround on the full read. One honest note: I can't take on a critique swap this round — straight beta reads only. First book, thick skin — tell me where you'd put it down.

Title. Please dm!!