Subject: Beta Confusion
Author:
Posted on: 2016-02-29 15:39:00 UTC
There are a couple of things about beta readers that I haven't been able to figure out from the wiki.
1) Do you put out a request before or after asking for Permission?
2) Do you have to have your samples beta read?
3) Is having a beta mandatory or just strongly recommended?
Sorry if these are stupid questions.
I think that if you do get a beta, get a boarder. My beta didn't know anything about the PPC or what you look for. Still, he was better than nothing.
1): Betas are not necessarily related to permission, though in the case of permission you would want to have your stuff looked over first, posted second.
2): No, you don't have to. It's still one of the better ideas, though. There's a reason editors exist.
3): See number two. Very, very little here is considered mandatory, however, there are some things that are so common sense that you'd have to be crazy not to do them. Having a beta or two look over your stuff is the same way.
1/ You ask for a beta before you make your story publically available. If that story is a Permission piece, you'll need to ask for a beta before you use it to ask for Permission. If the story is a mission that you plan on posting after you get Permission, then you'll probably get some very funny looks asking for a beta before you do have Permission.
2/ & 3/ No, beta-readers are not mandatory, though I know a few people who would love to make them so. ^_~ But they are strongly recommended. (Me personally, I think that if you get your samples beta'd without intending to have betas for your missions/other PPC writings, you're misrepresenting the finished product. But that's pure hS-is-weird.)
hS (is weird)
Thank you for helping!
Would a person be able to submit unbetaed samples with their Permission request but have a beta for their actual writings?
My concern - and, in order not to mislead you, I should note that it's been specifically rejected in the past by... either Neshomeh or Araeph, I forget - is that if you have a beta for your samples but not for your stories, you're getting Permission based on more polished work than you actually intend to publish. You know how sometimes you see a movie and it turns out the trailer was much better than the whole thing? That.
Doing it the other way round, though, just means people will be pleasantly surprised at the improvement after you get Permission. ;)
hS
Makes sense.
As hS said, betas aren't mandatory, just strongly recommended.