Acknowledging beta readers

[Tallulah82]

Hi all, wondering if anyone could help me on the etiquette when working with beta readers.

I acknowledge my editor by name, but currently not my betas (I just refer to the group in general), which I feel a bit odd about as they really are helping me.

I have not noticed other stories I read acknowledging their beta readers by name, but maybe I'm not reading the right stories haha.

What is the etiquette? I currently have 4 regular betas, so the list of names would not be huge, and no, I haven't asked them directly if they mind/want to be acknowledged (yet).

Thanks in advance for helpful responses

 

[Nezhul]

I just add acknowledgement section in the beginning of each story, where I provide the list of all people who helped me develop it. I only use editors, so it's short. I don't see any problem in including beta readers there, even if you have 10 of them.

 

[LadyVer]

Ask your beta readers if they want to be acknowledged. I don't mind being acknowledged for editng or beta reading, but some VE's and beta readers do.

 

[hylas_]

I acknowledge everybody who was involved - and wants to be acknowledged - in the comments. Ask them individually, some want to stay anonymous. I don't see a problem with a long list of editors and/or beta readers, whether in the comments, in a note before the story, or after.

 

[sr71plt]

I don't suggest that you acknowledge anyone who helped you with the story without their permission (I don't want to be acknowledged and won't work again with anyone to acknowledges me without my explicit permission). You are the last one to handle your story for Lit. submission. You could submit anything you wanted to, but readers will assume complicity of anyone you acknowledge in anything they see in the story that they think isn't done well. I see quite a few stories here acknowledging an editor when the story is a technical mess (I'm a professional book editor). I think badly of the named editor then when the author may have just ignored all of the edits. Thus this doesn't always work well for an "editor" who happily agreed to be mentioned (there aren't very many real editors here at Literotica).

 

[Tallulah82]

Hi, thank you for this. I would never publish a name without consent, but as I said previously, it doesn't seem to be the done thing here (listing names). Naively, I hadn't considered it to be more so about the helpers choice than it being frowned upon for babbling on in an author's note. I would have assumed (dangerous, I know) that helpers would want their hard work to be acknowledged however the light bulb clicks on when you explain that of course, the author can publish what they like despite advice given.

I shall duly ask my betas and act accordingly.

Thanks again.

 

[sr71plt]

I've had my name taken out of the acknowledge sections of published mainstream books when I've seen how the book wound up and what I thought were necessary in my edits (usually on the treatment of quoting material) didn't make it through the author's review.

 

[GoldenCojones]

I don't see any problem with listing out whoever you want to list as long as that person is okay with being listed. I personally would not want to be listed but not for Pilot's reason.

I have way too many haters, of my stories and in the forums, to risk pushing that on another author. I would feel real bad if some of my pet trolls went and 1 bombed another authors story because I refused to stroke the trolls tender little ego's here on the forum.

 

[Tallulah82]

I don't see any problem with listing out whoever you want to list as long as that person is okay with being listed. I personally would not want to be listed but not for Pilot's reason.

I have way too many haters, of my stories and in the forums, to risk pushing that on another author. I would feel real bad if some of my pet trolls went and 1 bombed another authors story because I refused to stroke the trolls tender little ego's here on the forum.

Ah! Again, excellent reason that I would not have thought of. It is a shame that such a reason would exist as my betas are amazing. If they chose to not have the recognition then of course I fully respect that. Kudos to you for your thoughtfulness and consideration.

 

[sr71plt]

I don't see any problem with listing out whoever you want to list as long as that person is okay with being listed. I personally would not want to be listed but not for Pilot's reason.

I have way too many haters, of my stories and in the forums, to risk pushing that on another author. I would feel real bad if some of my pet trolls went and 1 bombed another authors story because I refused to stroke the trolls tender little ego's here on the forum.

There's that too.