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EDIT: Please note that this is an old post that is now out of date. See instead our new Creative Support Directory!
If you have any questions on finding a beta, beta readers, beta reading, the relationship between writers and beta readers, and all that jazz we’ve been having a fantastic discussion HERE. One of the things that has come out of it is the idea of having a beta directory, to make finding a beta in this fandom easier and to help match writers and beta readers.
How this will hopefully work:
> Each beta will comment with a bunch of information that you can use to find someone/multiple someones that you think will work best for you. These betas are here because they like beta reading. They promise to help the best that they can. In return please do check the information they provide and play nice. This is intended to be a ‘no offence given, no offence taken’ zone :) If at any point either of you feel that it’s not working out then that’s okay and feel free to say so. Let’s keep this in the spirit of The Best Bar.
> This is a directory for beta readers in The Avengers Marvel Movie ‘Verse with a focus on Clint, Natasha, Clint and Natasha, and Clint/Natasha. Some of these beta readers may be willing to read Avengers stories with content from the Comics ‘Verse and/or without the focus being on these specific characters – please check each beta reader’s entry for this before contacting them.
> Please don’t reply to the comment with the beta’s information, that way they can edit their information as and when they need to. Instead please contact them according to their preferred method.
> If you have any questions, comments, ideas on how to improve this directory, etc. then please do share - there’s a thread at the start for that :) If you’d like to chat about beta reading in general please go to the creative support group post on betas.
Here’s an explanation of the information you can find on each beta for writers, and some hints for beta readers on how to comment (with a helpful form for betas to copy and paste into a comment at the end):
Username: Who you are!
Contact: Your preferred method of first contact. This might be Private Message (PM), email, twitter, anything.
Style: What kind of beta do you believe yourself to be? What should a writer expect from your approach?
Focus: What are your strengths as a beta? Are you fantastic at spelling, punctuation, and grammar? Are you brilliant at untangling plots, spotting inconsistent characterisation, or improving pace and flow? Can you Brit-pick or correct Americanisms? Are you great at cheerleading or real-time chats via instant messages? Etc.
Strictness: When it comes to your focus items, how strict are you? For example, do you expect to just tell your writer what you think is wrong and that’s that, or do you expect them to debate changes with you, or are your rules more like guidelines? (Levels of strictness that have been suggested: Natasha scowling at Stark > Natasha with a whip > Natasha as Natalie Rushman OR Loki’d Clint > Clint looking at you down the shaft of an arrow > Clint with a nerf gun.)
Speed: What kind of return/speed can a writer expect from you? Days, weeks, months? Does it depend?
Languages: Is English your first language? Are you able to beta read in other languages or perhaps just beta a section of a fic for writers using more than one language in a fic?
Technical Knowledge: Is there anything that you're really knowledgable in that might come in handy? For example, could you check the science and technology in a fic or contribute medical knowledge for people wanting their stories to be realistic? Are you brilliant at some eras of history? Know a lot about camping or a specific country? (This is a tricky one, because betas don't know what writers are specifically looking for, but maybe just a general note to point writers in the right direction.)
Willing to beta/Not Willing to beta: Things that you’re comfortable and not comfortable beta reading. What length and rating of fics are you willing to beta read for? Are there certain characters that you don’t feel confident checking the characterisation for? Would you want to beta read a story that was based in the comics or had comics content? Treat this as you would a ‘squees and squicks’ section on a gift exchange.
Flexibility: If the timing is appropriate for you, would you be able to be faster at beta reading or able to read a longer fic? Are your ‘squees and squicks’ set in stone or are you willing to beta for other things as long as the writer understands that they’re not your area of expertise? Would you beta read an Avengers fic that didn’t have a Clint, Natasha, Clint and Natasha, or Clint/Natasha focus?
Experience: Any beta or editorial experience that you might have. Maybe you proof read professionally, helped to edit a school/college newspaper, studied English, have beta read a lot before. Maybe you haven’t, that’s fine too :)
And some things that writers might want to tell beta readers when they first contact them:
- how long your fic is
- if your story is completed, a work in progress, intended to posted all at once or if you want a chapter beta read at a time
- if it’s for something, like an exchange, and when the deadline is
- the rating and warnings/triggers that your fic may have
- a brief summary
- what you’re stuck on, if there’s something specific
- if there’s a reason that you chose that particular beta, like a focus of theirs that you’d really like them to use on your fic
If you have any questions on finding a beta, beta readers, beta reading, the relationship between writers and beta readers, and all that jazz we’ve been having a fantastic discussion HERE. One of the things that has come out of it is the idea of having a beta directory, to make finding a beta in this fandom easier and to help match writers and beta readers.
How this will hopefully work:
> Each beta will comment with a bunch of information that you can use to find someone/multiple someones that you think will work best for you. These betas are here because they like beta reading. They promise to help the best that they can. In return please do check the information they provide and play nice. This is intended to be a ‘no offence given, no offence taken’ zone :) If at any point either of you feel that it’s not working out then that’s okay and feel free to say so. Let’s keep this in the spirit of The Best Bar.
> This is a directory for beta readers in The Avengers Marvel Movie ‘Verse with a focus on Clint, Natasha, Clint and Natasha, and Clint/Natasha. Some of these beta readers may be willing to read Avengers stories with content from the Comics ‘Verse and/or without the focus being on these specific characters – please check each beta reader’s entry for this before contacting them.
> Please don’t reply to the comment with the beta’s information, that way they can edit their information as and when they need to. Instead please contact them according to their preferred method.
> If you have any questions, comments, ideas on how to improve this directory, etc. then please do share - there’s a thread at the start for that :) If you’d like to chat about beta reading in general please go to the creative support group post on betas.
Here’s an explanation of the information you can find on each beta for writers, and some hints for beta readers on how to comment (with a helpful form for betas to copy and paste into a comment at the end):
Username: Who you are!
Contact: Your preferred method of first contact. This might be Private Message (PM), email, twitter, anything.
Style: What kind of beta do you believe yourself to be? What should a writer expect from your approach?
Focus: What are your strengths as a beta? Are you fantastic at spelling, punctuation, and grammar? Are you brilliant at untangling plots, spotting inconsistent characterisation, or improving pace and flow? Can you Brit-pick or correct Americanisms? Are you great at cheerleading or real-time chats via instant messages? Etc.
Strictness: When it comes to your focus items, how strict are you? For example, do you expect to just tell your writer what you think is wrong and that’s that, or do you expect them to debate changes with you, or are your rules more like guidelines? (Levels of strictness that have been suggested: Natasha scowling at Stark > Natasha with a whip > Natasha as Natalie Rushman OR Loki’d Clint > Clint looking at you down the shaft of an arrow > Clint with a nerf gun.)
Speed: What kind of return/speed can a writer expect from you? Days, weeks, months? Does it depend?
Languages: Is English your first language? Are you able to beta read in other languages or perhaps just beta a section of a fic for writers using more than one language in a fic?
Technical Knowledge: Is there anything that you're really knowledgable in that might come in handy? For example, could you check the science and technology in a fic or contribute medical knowledge for people wanting their stories to be realistic? Are you brilliant at some eras of history? Know a lot about camping or a specific country? (This is a tricky one, because betas don't know what writers are specifically looking for, but maybe just a general note to point writers in the right direction.)
Willing to beta/Not Willing to beta: Things that you’re comfortable and not comfortable beta reading. What length and rating of fics are you willing to beta read for? Are there certain characters that you don’t feel confident checking the characterisation for? Would you want to beta read a story that was based in the comics or had comics content? Treat this as you would a ‘squees and squicks’ section on a gift exchange.
Flexibility: If the timing is appropriate for you, would you be able to be faster at beta reading or able to read a longer fic? Are your ‘squees and squicks’ set in stone or are you willing to beta for other things as long as the writer understands that they’re not your area of expertise? Would you beta read an Avengers fic that didn’t have a Clint, Natasha, Clint and Natasha, or Clint/Natasha focus?
Experience: Any beta or editorial experience that you might have. Maybe you proof read professionally, helped to edit a school/college newspaper, studied English, have beta read a lot before. Maybe you haven’t, that’s fine too :)
And some things that writers might want to tell beta readers when they first contact them:
- how long your fic is
- if your story is completed, a work in progress, intended to posted all at once or if you want a chapter beta read at a time
- if it’s for something, like an exchange, and when the deadline is
- the rating and warnings/triggers that your fic may have
- a brief summary
- what you’re stuck on, if there’s something specific
- if there’s a reason that you chose that particular beta, like a focus of theirs that you’d really like them to use on your fic
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