Today, we kick off our Beta Reader Program. Get free paperback editions of our books as soon as they’re published… and see your name in the acknowledgements.
Here’s how it works.
- Put your name down to join the beta reader team for a book that catches your interest
- If you win a place in that book’s beta reader team, then when the book has cleared editing, we’ll send you an advanced copy of the book. We can send you an eBook worldwide, or a paperback if you live in North America or Europe.
- Read and enjoy the book. If you spot anything in the book that you think is wrong, make a note and tell us about it. The book will have already been edited, but we want to double-check nothing’s slipped through.
- When the final edition of the book is published, we will list the people in the beta reader team inside the book, and send you an eBook or paperback copy with our thanks (paperbacks to N. America and Europe only).
You can register your interest in the Beta Reader Program from today.
The first book we will put through this program will be The Last Sunset by Bob Atkinson.
The details
How do I register? add a comment to this post or to the page on our website for the book you’re interested in.
How do I qualify? we’re currently limiting membership of each team to eight people. If there’s more interest than that we will select membership at random.
Do I have to review the book? The answer is no. Of course, we’re always very grateful for positive reviews on sites such as amazon.com as it helps us and helps our authors. But that’s entirely up to you. This program is about being the final gate of quality control.
What am I looking for? Anything that sounds or feels wrong to you. Typos, grammatical mistakes, bizarre idiom, inconsistencies. Regional variations of English is of particular interest. Our authors come from a variety of countries, and some books will be written in a regional version of English that is not yours. We’re proud to be an international organisation but we do try to be aware of idioms or word choices that don’t travel well, and avoid them.
How long do I have to review the book? Watch for announcements about each book. There will be a minimum of 4 weeks between sending out beta review copies and publishing the book.
Can I also review the book and qualify for Read… Review… Repeat! Absolutely, yes.
What if I don’t like the book, and don’t finish it? We’re sorry. Obviously we can’t guarantee you will enjoy the book. If you had a go and gave up then we will still list you in the acknowledgements but won’t send you the finished book.
What if I don’t like the book, but did finish it and did send a list of issues? Thanks for persevering. We will send you the book you tested, if you like, but we understand you might not want that. So, as an alternative, we will send you another book (existing or forthcoming) of your choice.
Just checking… when you said the program applies to Europe, does that include the UK? Yes it does. Anywhere in the EU. Although I do understand that many British people like to think of Europe as someplace foreign and far-off.
Greyhart Press 
Hey Tim…
Do I qualify? If so, I’d love to participate…
Regards, Thomas
Sure. I don’t see why not. Welcome aboard!
Hi Tim, I hope to be part of another beta team. I enjoyed reading Vampcon. Paul
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Paul. We’ve got several things coming up. I’ll post something about beta calls later this week. Thanks so much for the support.
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I’d love to be added as a member of the beta reader team if you’ve stills pace on it.
Hi Elliot. That’s great. Shall I put you down for the first book in the program: The Last Sunset?
Thank You very much for the chance
I write fantasy novels and would love to beta read books in the same genre.
Edwin D Ferretti III
That’s great, thanks. I’ll be in contact when the next one comes up.
I would love to be a beta reader for anything you’ve got – but ESPECIALLY for The Reaper’s Walk – Don Franklin – I’m a book geek so I’m willing to read just about anything else too. I am however anxiously awaiting the chance to get my hands on The Reaper’s Walk so I would be more than willing to help out there 😉
thank you Tina, I’m glad to see you so excited.
I’d love to be a beta reader! The Reaper’s Walk by Tom Franklin. Actually any book by an author!
lol
That’s great, Kellie. Reaper’s walk will be a little later in the year. First up for a beta team will be The Last Sunset
Kellie its actually Don not Tom, but many thanks anyway for the support!
I would like to participate. Sci fi, fantasy, romance, paranormal. Just about any and everything!
Thanks,
Rosalyn Petroff
Bob Atkinson asked to join in, so this comment is for Bob
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I’d like to be in your Beta Program and review The Last Sunset. Since there is a young woman in the cover does that mean she’s a main character? I especially love books with courageous heroines!
Well, Beth. That face you see is Ishbel. When the clansmen go off to fight for the prince, the women are left behind with the old men and boys to defend their village as best they can. Yes, she’s a heroine and a key character, but she isn’t the principle viewpoint character. That role is taken by a Scottish soldier from the 1970s.
We spent weeks working through artwork ideas. The problem with a book like this one is that it has several facets. If we tried to capture them all on the front cover, then it would look a mess, so we picked just one: Gaelic Scottish Highlands, and hinted at several others. We wanted a human face because while there’s adventure and time-slip strangeness, it’s principally a book about *people*. And we went for a woman’s face because we felt that would better reflect the romantic thread than an old clansman. This wasn’t the first face we tried; I liked this one because she looks dignified and almost part of the Highland landscape.
Sorry. You asked a perfectly simple question, and now you have heard far more than you’ll ever want to know about our cover art 🙂
Here’s a note that Sasha Summers is interested in the beta program. Yes, Texas residents are eligible 🙂
I can not hold out much longer, too excited. Like a child at Christmas. Stop teasing me and give me The Last Sunset to read all ready. lol
Rosalyn
🙂
Not long. The final few edits will be made in about 10 days. Then we can get the beta edition printed up…
Hi, please please please can I be a Beta Reader for Bob! I’m happy to read for anyone to be honest, but it would be very special for me to do this for Bob.
Cheers
Nicole x
Hi Nicole,
I’ll put you down for a Bob Beta!
Tim
Brilliant, thanks Tim.
I would like to join the Beta Reader Program.
Thanks very much, Marie. By the power invested in me by Microsoft Excel, I’ve added you to the list of interested readers.
I would love to be a beta reader
Great, I’ll add you to the list.
Thanks very much.
Please keep me involved with your beta reader program. I enjoyed the opportunity being part of the team for The Last sunset
No problem, Elliot.
Heck yeah I love to be added to this Tim.
Great stuff. Thanks, Paul.
I would love to take part-always struggling to find new books/authors to read.
Hello Paul,
Please keep my name for any future fantasy novels. I enjoyed participating in the first round and look forward to reading more.
Sincerely,
David Ferretti
Thanks David. Will do.
Thanks Lorraine.
Tim I’m enjoying a be part of your literay team and wish to continue to a part of this extended family.
Thank You very Much
Elliot
Glad to hear it, Elliot. And thank you for your help so far.
I’d love to be a beta reader. The local library is starting to run out of books I haven’t read!
Wow, that *is* impressive (or perhaps you have a very small library?) Welcome to the team.
I enjoyed doing the beta read of VampCon. Please consider me for any future books. Thanks
Definitely. Many thanks for your help, Sandy.
Tim thanks for the copy of The Last Sunset, seeing my name with the other beta team members was really neat. I can’t wait till next asked by you and your team to be apart of the next beta team weffort.
Thnak You Very Much
Elliot
Hope it looks good on your bookshelf. Thanks for all your help.
Hey Tim,
My name is Rui Santos and I’m from Portugal and I would love to be a beta reader.
I prefer paperbacks if possible.
Thanks
Hi Rui,
Thanks for asking. I’ll put you on the list. Is there a kind of book you particularly enjoy reading?
Hi there
I would love to join if this is still possible? Please let me know what I need to do
Thanks, Donna
Hi Donna,
Sure thing, we’re about to announce some new ones this week. What kind of genres do you prefer?
Thanks for the interest!
Hi i’m Gema i read everything, i’m a book a day at the moment ( can’t fit more in around the kids). Would love to join and read books from you.
Hey Tim, so when is the next beta reader book due to come out? I love being a part of your team with Greyhart.
Hi Paul,
So glad you’re getting a buzz out of it. Next one will be Dead Edit Redo/ Dead to Rights/ One, the other or both. They’re two separate books but they link together in a way I think is really special https://greyhartpress.com/2012/11/22/teasers-dead-edit-redo-dead-to-rights/
Good to have you with us.
Tim
Hi Gema,
Great to hear from you. I’ve never heard from anyone who reads a book a day and sounds frustrated they can’t read more. You must devour books! I am in awe.
I will certainly add you to list of beta readers. Next one out will be Dead Edit Redo and Dead to Rights. There’s some info on them here: https://greyhartpress.com/2012/11/22/teasers-dead-edit-redo-dead-to-rights/
Is there a particular style of book that you enjoy?
Best wishes,
Tim
I really enjoy reading. If it could be my job that would be a dream come true. I have been reading since grade 2 like crazy. I would enjoy reading your books 🙂
Thanks Connie. I’ve added you to the beta reader list. Next time we put a book around for a beta read, you’ll get an invite. Thanks for getting in touch, and keep loving that reading.
Tim
Tim, you know me, I’m always interested to be a Beta reader any/or books.
Don’t you worry, Mr. Campbell sir, you are firmly embedded in the list!
I would love to be in the Beta Reader! Please add me. What is the current one you’re working on?
Hi Alenette,
Sorry to take so long to reply. Yes, we’d love you in our beta program. I’ve added you to the list, which means I’ll send an email invite the next time we are running a beta team. Coming soon will be a collection of philosophical science fiction novellas about evolution, and a British ghost story horror novel.
Thanks, Tim
Would love to be a beta reader, especially in the horror/fiction genre. I read several ebooks per week, and always seem to find those annoying misspelled words or other inconsistencies, and have wanted to be part of something like this – I just did not know how to go about it. I also have no problem giving a review after reading a book…
Hi Carol,
It’s great to hear from you. I’ll add you to the beta reader list. What that means is next time there’s a book needing a beta reader team, you’ll get an email inviting you to join. there will be a description of the type of book so you can ask to join in with books that interest you and ignore the books that don’t.
Thanks again for offering to help out ,Carol.
I would love to be a part of this!
I would love to be a part of the beta reading program especially for The Last Sunset by Bob Atkinson! Thank you!
Hi Tim…
I would be honored to be a part of this team…
I’d love to put my PhD editing skills to some use too 🙂
Sign me up for The Clearing by Thomas Rydder…
Thanks, Butch. We’ve already released The Clearing, so the beta team has closed. I’ll be in touch about review copies.
Thanks
Hi Karen, I’ve added you to the list. Our next call for beta team readers will probably be next week. Just so you know, we don’t have paperback distribution in Australia at present.
Tim
Hi, I’d love to be part of your next beta team if you have a space for me somewhere. Having an eye for grammatical errors does create tension in my family but it would sure make me perfect for this!
🙂 I know just what you mean! I’ve added you to the list of interested people. So next time we run a beta team (which will be soon) then I’ll email you an invitation. Many thanks for offering to help out and I hope you have fun getting involved.
I am an avid reader and book junkie. Would love to be part of the beta reader program.. Could I sign up and let me know how to get started? Thanks.
Thanks Sharon. I’ve added you to the list of people interested in beta reading. We’ve just done a load of beta reading and I’m afraid all our teams are full at the moment. Next time we ask for volunteers, you’ll get an email invitation.
Thanks for offering to help out.
Wow I’m so excited to do this. I’m an avid reader of all sorts and this sounds like a wonderful experience!!!
Thanks Heather. I’ve put you in the list of people interested in beta readers and will invite you to join in with the next team. We are having a relatively quiet year in terms of publication, so it might be a while. Thanks for offering to help out. Have a great weekend!
I’d love to join if still possible! I’ve been a beta for many books before and can’t get enough of reading!!
Kittie. Thanks for asking to join in. Lots of people had fun with the beta program and it was a pleasure to host them (and very helpful). I’ll add you to the list of interest people. I’m not planning any more Greyhart titles this year, so it might be a while before you get your call up papers 🙂 Thanks again for offering to help.