Looking for a beta reader? Willing to beta?

[FilkAeris]

Post here!  ^_^

I, for one, am willing to beta.  I will read pretty much anything but lemon (fanfiction hentai) and things in that vein.  I have no problem with shounen/shoujo-ai.  My email address is arijanian@yahoo.com , so email me with requests.

One warning, though; I am not a fluffy beta'er.  If being told your plot needs some work, your characterization is flawed in a few places, and you need to spruce up your spelling is going to make you break down in tears, flame me and never send me a story again, or quit writing forever, I am not the person you want to beta you.  I am not mean, but I am honest; if there are problems, you will hear about them in words that are polite but to-the-point.

However, I also recognize and mention brilliance, so it's not all thorns; if you've written well, I will let you know and tell you what you're doing right.  ^_^  Basically, I'm a good beta'er if what you want is honest feedback that will help you improve the story, rather than a wash of shallow compliments.

Fandoms that I'm especially knowledgable about include Final Fantasy (6 through 10-2), Inuyasha, Chobits, Kingdom Hearts, Ranma 1/2, Blue Sub No.6, Digimon seasons 1-3, Star Wars, Broken Sky, and various Studio Ghibli movies (Nausicaa, Mononoke, Laputa, Totoro, and Spirited Away).

If the fandom of your fic is not on that list, it doesn't mean I haven't seen it, it just means that it's not a fandom that I feel I know everything it's really necessary to know about it to be a reliable continuity checker.  I can probably still check your fic for characterization and probability if I've seen some of the series (examples: Naruto, Cowboy Bebop, Blue Seed), I just won't be able to perfectly check all the details pertaining to that fandom.  I can definitely still proofread for grammar, spelling, and general entertainment value and good plot, though, so consider me.  ^_~*

[RemSaverem]

Excellent detail, aj! thanks for starting this thread!

fanfic co-chair amy and i hope to have at kumoricon as sort of drop-in beta station. betas for hire throughout the con, or centralized. great for networking and a great learning experience!

i vouch for filkaeris; she's definitely one of my favorite authors, and highly talented.

i tend to take awhile to get back to folks (limited online access plus 60 hour work week can do that to a gal). but once i sign on to a piece, i'm utterly committed, and provide line-by-line analyses and inquiries. sometimes, i've actually find it more fun to beta in a fandom with which i'm *not* familiar, and to challenge the author to make her or his fic viable and accessible to me.

i'm curious what others' approaches are for beta'ing? and what approaches various authors find appealing, useful, etc?

[NoethymYoko]

:oops:
For some of us noobs: what's beta in this contect?

[RemSaverem]

thank you for asking.
generally speaking, a beta is someone who dedicates time to another's work, to help the other develop and perfect their work. a beta would typically engage proofreading (look for errors in things like spelling and grammar); editing (suggest ways sentences could flow more smoothly); and continuity critique (point out ways that characters seem to differ from the canon, which is to say, the original source material, such as a tv show or manga; point out ways the characters seem to change over time in the course of the work; point out discontinuity in the way the author portrays the show's universe, which is to say, notice to the author if they have someone do something that would not be possible according to how things function in the world according to their source show; etc.). another thing i like to do is ask a lot of questions regarding the backstory, to make sure the author renders her or his piece accessible to readers not familiar with the source material.

some people respond only to the overall picture; i like to reply to nearly every line or paragraph, in turn, directly.

did that make sense?

any other beta care to add to the definition?

[princessfrodo]

I offer up my services as a beta reader as well.  I CAN beta anything but fluff, but I prefer dark humor, angst, drama, and tragedy.  If it's dark, I'll willingly spend hours pouring over it.

I run my spellcheck on beta's, because my spelling skills are iffy, but I am an English Major, and know my way around grammer fairly well.  Better than most bored writers, that is. ^.^

Unfortunatly, I must list every series/movie I can beta for.  If it's not on this list, please pm/e-mail (princess_frodo@yahoo.com ) me to make sure that I didn't forget to list the anime in question.

Outlaw Star
Gundam Wing
My Neighbor Totoro
Grave of the Fireflies
Haibane Renmei
Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Innocence: Ghost in the Shell 2
Wonderful Days
Naruto
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Card Captor Sakura (manga, not series)
Wish
Clover
Hoshi No Koe
Jin-Roh
Angel's Egg
Magic Users Club
Inuyasha
Sailor Moon (complete series, not manga or American version)

I know I'm forgetting a lot of movies/series' so you really should pm me to check if I know the series/movie, or can easily watch it to beta read the fanfic. ^.^

[sassy_lassy]

I'll offer my services too... =^.^= I can beta pretty much everything in rating... Including Shonen-Ai, Yaoi, Shoujo-Ai, Yuri... hard-core lemons depend on the series -.-' so contact me about that... I usually don't prefer to beta hard-core ones...
I enjoy betaing comedies the most, and once in a while romances, but I gag if they are too sentimental.  I can do action and so on if needed.  I usually don't do depressing ones, just so you know..

I'm on a college-level (or higher) reading and writing level... I've taken way too many classes on writing and liteture, and I read fanfics all the time @.@; Yah, that's about all my credintials...

The anime's I can beta... (if it's not one of these, I probably can't because I won't be able to know details...)

italics = read the manga version
bold = seen the anime version
underlined = seen practically the entire series (or read)

Graviatation, Witch Hunter Robin[/u], Inuyasha, Cowboy Bebop, Furi Kuri [/u], Rurouni Kenshin [/u], Samurai X [/u], Hyper Police , Fruits Basket , Yu-Gi-Oh , Duel Masters , Wolf's Rain [/u], Saiyuki, Samurai Deeper Kyo [/u], Under the Glass Moon , BabyBirth, Sailor Moon (any version), Harry Potter [/u] (I don't know why I put this.. but some people consider it an anime -.-; ), Cyborg 009, Yu Yu Hakusho[/u], Ayashi no Ceres, Record of Lodoss War, .hack//sign , .hack//liminality ,   Spirited Away, Totoro, Kiki's Delivary Service , Card Captor Sakura , Tokyo Mew Mew, Strange Love (or Hen), Kodocha: Sana's Stage, [/i] Pokemon,  Dragon Ball Z Marmalade Boy , Rayearth [/u], Mirage of Blaze, Blue Gender, Serial Experiments Lain [/u], D.N. Angel

If I remember any more (which I'm sure I did) I'll add it on... Thankies, e-mail me at lilypotter88@hotmail.com for me to beta =^.^=  When you e-mail me please put in the title of the e-mail "beta" because I've been having problems with virus e-mails and such

[RemSaverem]

hmmm, interesting: so it sounds as though some of you delimit what you can beta, by the genre that are of interest to you; and others delimit by with what canonical material you are familiar? personally, my favorite experiences have been beta'ing pieces for series and/or games with which i have no familiarity whatsoever. it makes it an exploratory mission for me. i have to immerse myself in the canon for a bit, and/or have the author backstory me, which allows me to grok what about the canonical universe and its pantheon of characters, appeals to my given author. i love the development of the relationship between beta and author that emerges during this process. *hugs filkaeris*

[princessfrodo]

I usually like to have a little bit of the knowledge of the universe and characters the fanfic is taking place in.  It helps give background info for my mind when I read. (When I read, it's like a little movie is playing in my mind, hence vague fics are the epitome of icky to me. )

And genere choosing is more based on peoples choices.  I just dislike happy things on a whole.  If I want happy I'll watch Magic Users Club, or watch my friends quarrel over which Hello Kitty character is cutest.  And then I read a ton of angst, and it makes me happy. ^.^

Yes, angst and tragedy makes me happy.  >.<

[staze]

hate to be the guy with the stick... but can we move this to the contests section?  I know FilkAeris made a comment earlier that this probably belonged there, and there is indeed a thread there.  

Sorry, but this does really belong there.  Locking the thread.

[staze]

alright... it's unlocked... due to popular demand.  :-)

[RemSaverem]

thanks, honey.

everyone: we're going to have a "beta station" at the con...a place where folks can drop in and ask for help with something they're writing or beta'ing, or offer to beta for others...and a place where (when a judge is present) folks can turn in their submissions for the fanfic contest.

if anyone is interested in volunteering for the "beta station," be sure to let us know!