Should You Pay for a Beta Reader?

Despite my entire beta team agreeing to continue onto book 2 in my Elemental Artist series, I wanted feedback from a new, additional beta reader before moving this book forward. I thought about sending out a general inquiry to my email list and via my socials to solicit for another reader, but decided instead to pay for freelance beta reader.

Why I Hired a Freelance Beta Reader

Although I know my characters and the world they run around in, this the first sequel I’ve written, and I wasn’t sure how much to recap Oil and Dust in this sequel.

Moreover, I wanted to know how book 2 would read for someone who had not read Oil and Dust.

How much information about the characters and world did I need to reintroduce? Could someone who had never read Oil and Dust understand the world I’d built and the characters who populated it? Could the book standalone as an entry into the series? For these questions, I wanted a brand new set of eyes on my story.

If you remember, the purpose of a beta reader is to test a story. I ask my beta readers to tell me where there are inconsistencies, where they get confused, where they’re bored, and where the character’s actions don’t seem to match the tone or their motivations. This feedback is so helpful in showing me where I need to support my readers more and helps me get to the heart of what is and isn’t working.

Since finding good beta readers is important, and sadly difficult, let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of paying for a beta reader.

Advantages

• Quick turnaround
• Critical reader
• Lots of experience
• Will finish the book
• They have no relationship with you and may be more honest with feedback

Disadvantages

• Read with editorial instead of reader eyes
• Feedback may not be helpful
• Price and quality vary widely between freelancers
• Paid amateur motivated by money, not love of story
• Cost

Hiring a Freelance Beta Reader

Once I’d decided to pay for a beta reader, I went to Fiverr.com. In the past, I’ve hired other freelances via Fiverr with (mostly) great results. I really like the platform because you can get very specific about what you’re looking for. I also like that the pricing is up front, the site keeps track of all of your messages back and forth with the sellers, and you can read reviews of the sellers from other buyers.

On Fiverr, there are many people offering beta reading services. The prices range from $15 to over $300, and some sellers have few reviews while others have many. In my experience, the best sellers explicitly explain their service, what types of books they read, and their standard turnaround time. If they offer additional services such as sensitivity reading, the extra charges are clear.

My Experience

After reading the offers and the reviews left by other authors, I reached out to a beta reader who had great reviews, a reasonable rate, and a good turnaround time. They responded quickly and, after several messages back and forth, I chose them. Once I’d paid, I uploaded the document via the site. The seller confirmed they received the document and had no issues opening it, before providing me with the date I could expect their feedback.

I received their feedback ahead of time, and after I paged through the first couple of chapters, I accepted their work product, closing the transaction. The process was seamless. I received exactly the work process they had promised me, and Fiverr handled the payments, document transfer, and messaging securely.

The work product I received from the seller was of high quality. It was clear they had taken their time to read the story carefully, and their questions, comments, suggestions, and feedback were absolutely on point. I received their feedback faster than I’d expected, and the feedback helped me focus on the areas of my story I needed to improve, as well as sparked some ideas for the rest of the series.

I’m thrilled with the results, enough so that I may include the same seller in my core team for Book 3, and look for a “fresh” set of eyes again.

Have you paid for a beta reader? What was your experience?

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