Subject: looking for a beta
Author:
Posted on: 2014-07-14 07:07:00 UTC
Quick question:can you post beta requests before you actually write?
In which case, I have begun to write a kindle book series. And I need a beta reader to help with the actual writing structure.
Anyone willing to help?
How do you post a PDF file to the board?
You can't stick any kind of file just anywhere on the Internet. The best way to share a written work with the Board is to upload or copy the text someplace like Google Drive (this is especially useful for beta-reading), a journal or blog service (e.g. Dreamwidth or Wordpress), your own website (most webhosts these days come with or are based entirely on graphical sitebuilding services, so you don't have to learn HTML if you don't want to), or in this case, maybe even FictionPress.com, which is FanFiction.net's companion site for original fiction. Then you can provide a link to the webpage containing your document.
However, since you're currently seeking a beta for this work, you shouldn't be uploading or linking it anywhere public yet, let alone on the Board. Stick to a private Google Drive document (or equivalent, if there's a similar service you and your beta like better), or else e-mail the file back and forth with your beta, depending on what they want to do. Save the publishing services for when your work done, beta'd, and ready to publish.
~Neshomeh
I have too many projects right now as it is, and I wouldn't be able to give your story a fair amount of attention. Sorry.
~Neshomeh
Sure, I'll help you. What's your series about?
The basic premise is that the government started Imprisoning some teens in order to stop the next big school shooting, but the teens founded a resistance group and fought the government.
Fast-forwards 3 years later, and the hero of the book is rescued from his prison by the resistance group, now known as the Youth Protection League(that is the title of the series).
the series is supposed to mock treatment of youth and extreme security polices(e.g. those instituted after 9/11) in the US.
zdmnesia said that I should find out what kind of stories that my beta readers like.
So, do you like Stories with a lot of action? Character building? Fanservice?
If you don't like that type of story, what types do you like?
I'm fine with anything other than something like Twilight which puts abusive relationships on a pedestal.
But from what I've heard of your story, it sounds truly in the EPIC category. I really like your idea, and it'd be interesting to look through it.
What exactly would I be betaing it for?
Grammatical errors, problems with the concept, type of prose,etc.,etc.
Grammatical errors, problems with the concept, type of prose,etc.,etc.
Well, first I need to find a way to contact you.
I may need to ad you as a gmail contact.
Are you willing to do that?
If not, then how will we contact each other?
I meant what sort of files they want. If they have a program that can read odt, it might work to just use that format.
Well, at least someone likes the premise.
The prologue chapter of the book is an odt. file.
that's what I'm looking to beta.
How do you post an odt. file to the board?
I haven't heard of .odt files until just now. Why don't you email me a section of the text and we'll work with that?
I think that format is openoffice or libreoffice? I've had some bad luck posting those into the g-drive.
I've also had some chewing with copy-pasting them into the g-docs editing window, but the document stays readable if you haven't done anything fancy.
I've printed to PDF when sharing before, but it's still a matter of delivery.
I find your premise interesting, I'm just not a qualified beta yet.
If so, what file should I convert it to, and how is that conversion done?
The way I've done it in the past was to ask about what people can read, and they respond with their preference.
(Keep in mind that I don't keep up with trends, so I was offering to covert ODT to PDF, which a year earlier I would have just given them RTF or HTM.)
I can help with how to convert to some formats... actually, with the exception of making a PDF, it's usually finding the appropriate program and using the clipboard. (And then reading through to mark where the formatting went wrong.)
And then if there is a need to convert, I'll see if I can figure out how to do that.