Betareaders from Story Readers?

Hi,

Have you ever solicited beta-readers from the comments section of your stories?

Was that successful? Do you have any other suggestions on finding beta-readers?

Thanks!

Bebop3 said:

Hi,

Have you ever solicited beta-readers from the comments section of your stories?

Was that successful? Do you have any other suggestions on finding beta-readers?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Just ask round here.

Bebop3 said:

Hi,

Have you ever solicited beta-readers from the comments section of your stories?

Was that successful? Do you have any other suggestions on finding beta-readers?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

I primarily get my beta-readers from people who send me PM's. With commenters, you don't know if they have an email address sent up for their account of if they ever check it. I put at the bottom of my stories, "If you send me a PM, please have a valid email address on your LitE account so I can reply back if I choose".

Edit: I think beta-readers who have liked your prior stories are more likely to be someone I'll enjoy working with. Someone from a LitE forum may give you poor feedback just because your type of story doesn't appeal to them.

Bebop3 said:

Hi,

Have you ever solicited beta-readers from the comments section of your stories?

Was that successful? Do you have any other suggestions on finding beta-readers?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

I did exactly that for my last story. I PMed a reader who had commented on several of my stories over the years. He wasn't always complimentary, but he was nearly always right about what worked and what didn't in my stories. I had read his comments about other writers as well.

His suggestions for the last story were very helpful, though I couldn't use all of them in the final story. I'll ask him again to read early drafts of the next story, though I work VERY SLOWLY so it might be weeks, months or even years until the next. Real life is often far more interesting than mere fiction.

rj