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barbayatThis is not a fail safe method but I had at least found interested parties so far and had one chapter done ;)
In case you do not know it, fanfiction.net has this feature were authors can offer their beta services. Apart from the usual author profile a new beta profile is generated.
Potential beta readers give a general bio about themselves. Then they give their strength and their weaknesses followed by what they prefer to beta read and what they will not do.
Some author's have problem setting themselves up in the right categories. So if under the specific category for your fandom there is no active beta and you start looking through those who listed all movies or all comics. You might find people who are just willing to do specific fandoms. Just as not everyone listened under up to M rating will do M stuff.
Still, the idea for the service is not bad.
However, it is not very well maintained. When I first used it, I wrote to a couple of betas and never heard anything back. As everyone stays in the system even if the last time they been on the site was 2003 or even later.
My new strategy involves starting with betas who have signed up in the last few years, later dates I look at if they wrote a lot. The next step is to quickly glance at if there is any "won't dos" in regard to the story I am needing the beta for and if they list grammar as their strength (because a plot beta like myself is not what my fanfics needs the most).
If they sound like they might do my story, I go to the author profile and see if they are still active either for posting stories, messages in their profile or if they favourited any recently posted stories. That way I know they at least still go to the side.
Then I revisit the beta profile and look at what they wrote and write a message why I seak them out as a beta and what I like them to beta for me. After that I hope for the best ;)
I only wrote three so far and I heard back from all of them and have one chapter already beta read. As for the other two, need to write one back if they are still interested and waiting for another reply from an interested beta.
It is not a perfect system and interested parties might become de-interested but maybe that helps you to find a beta.
In case you do not know it, fanfiction.net has this feature were authors can offer their beta services. Apart from the usual author profile a new beta profile is generated.
Potential beta readers give a general bio about themselves. Then they give their strength and their weaknesses followed by what they prefer to beta read and what they will not do.
Some author's have problem setting themselves up in the right categories. So if under the specific category for your fandom there is no active beta and you start looking through those who listed all movies or all comics. You might find people who are just willing to do specific fandoms. Just as not everyone listened under up to M rating will do M stuff.
Still, the idea for the service is not bad.
However, it is not very well maintained. When I first used it, I wrote to a couple of betas and never heard anything back. As everyone stays in the system even if the last time they been on the site was 2003 or even later.
My new strategy involves starting with betas who have signed up in the last few years, later dates I look at if they wrote a lot. The next step is to quickly glance at if there is any "won't dos" in regard to the story I am needing the beta for and if they list grammar as their strength (because a plot beta like myself is not what my fanfics needs the most).
If they sound like they might do my story, I go to the author profile and see if they are still active either for posting stories, messages in their profile or if they favourited any recently posted stories. That way I know they at least still go to the side.
Then I revisit the beta profile and look at what they wrote and write a message why I seak them out as a beta and what I like them to beta for me. After that I hope for the best ;)
I only wrote three so far and I heard back from all of them and have one chapter already beta read. As for the other two, need to write one back if they are still interested and waiting for another reply from an interested beta.
It is not a perfect system and interested parties might become de-interested but maybe that helps you to find a beta.
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