Would you like to be in one of our books? If you join the beta reader team and are selected for a book then you get a chance to read and comment on an edited but not yet released book (you can read a paperback or eBook edition — your choice). We’re looking for anything that stood out as wrong for you, especially typos and unfamiliar idiom.
As a thank you, we will send you a copy of the paperback when published, with your name in the list of acknowledgements for beta reader team members.
We’ve had a great deal of valuable comments for our first book in this program, The Last Sunset. Most of the beta reader team members say they enjoyed themselves, certainly no one said they didn’t.
The next book in the program will be Badger’s Waddle, and I’ll be choosing team members at random in around a week’s time. Please leave a comment if you’re interested (no need if you’ve already said you were interested in the program). Sorry, but US, UK, and Canada only please, unless you’re happy to receive an eBook of the published version.
We publish a range of books and I’m sure it will be more fun to do this with books that you would enjoy reading anyway, otherwise reading could become an onerous task and that should never be. So to help, here are some notes on Badger’s Waddle.
Synopsis: Life in the quaint English hampton of Badger’s Waddle is never quite the same as elsewhere in the country… or any other country for that matter. The first sign of impending chaos was when giant rabbits breached the defenses all along the indeterminate length of the vegetable garden of Little Twee cottage. To patch up the defenses took the combined efforts of the resident gastrognome and a Crippin & Hare Indifference Engine operated by Tavarius Truckle, the man with the highest ever score in an apathitude test. But when tourists start exploding at the village fete, bank deposits build up a critical pressure, and the church’s resident saint finds a loophole in his contract of supra-ecclesiastical employment, the whole hampton must unite to restore some semblance of normality (except for Tavarius Truckle, who’s far too apathetic to care). Only Goode Nurture, the nice old lady in the tall, pointy black hat, has been preparing for this moment, shaving her gibbons in readiness for the looming crisis.
You can read the first chapter of Badger’s Waddle on our website here
Style/ Genre: It’s fantasy with deliberate smatterings of science fiction and even a little gothic in places. The little village of Badger’s Waddle is a haven of old-fashioned English politeness and traditional values (hot, sweet tea, stiff upper lips, choir practice in the medieval parish church), but look again its inhabitants are grotesques and pastimes surreal. There is a dark and subtle humor running throughout, and although the language and descriptions are never crude, some will find the goings-on in the village to be “gross-out” humor.
Language: British English, in keeping with the setting.
Length: 55,000 words — short novel
Similar authors/ works: Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Ghormanghast, PG Wodehouse
Here’s a copy of the original beta team invite…
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 
I’d really like to beta read this book, we’ve just launched our service and the more we can read the happier we are!
Hi Stephanie,
I’d be happy to add you to the list. Thanks for the interest.
I’ve just seen your service, sounds like a good idea and the introductory rates look good value. Best of luck with the venture.
Just to be clear on this, I think you’re saying you would like to join in our beta reader team, and not that you’re inviting us to purchase your service…
Hi tim,
Thanks for the response and for looking at the site.
Yes this was to join your beta reading team as a completely separate venture.
Thanks, have a lovely weekend.
Steph
You too. Hope it’s not too wet where you live. I drove through floodwater today to get to a barbecue in the rain. Nice sausages!
Ha! We also had a BBQ in the rain last week – think everyone’s just determined that regardless of the weather we’re all still going to have a summer!
I am a retired RN with a lot of time on my hands and would like to be considered for your beta reader teams. I read voraciously in most genres, except horror ( not my thing). I am very organized and detail oriented. Currently, I am get a certificate in proofreading and copyediting. Please considerme for the Badgers Waddle, or any other material you think I might be interested in, or which you really need beta readers for now. Thank you for your consideration.
Brilliant. Not horror… got that! Thanks for wanting to get involved. I’ll be sorting out the Badger’s Waddle team later this week.
Thanks
Thanks for being prompt, looking forward to working with you.
No need to respond to this e-mail
Would love to be a part of this! As you know, I’ll read any book I can get my hands on, so would love the opportunity to help with this one!
I am a full time mum, part time worker who loves reading when she gets a chance. I would love to be part of your team. I particularly love suspense and thriller books.
Thanks Vicki, we’ve got a thriller called The Clearing that will be ready later in the year, and a vampire thriller coming very soon.
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I am a proofreader and published writer of both fiction and non-fiction and would be very interested in joining your Beta Reader team.
Thanks, Laurence. I’ve added you to the list of potential beta readers. When new books need a beta reader team, I email the list of people to see who’s interested for that book. Sometimes there’s more demand than places. Most people who have gone through this have said it was a lot of fun, and I hope you will feel the same way. I expect to be announcing the next beta reads over the next couple of weeks.
Thanks again for your offer to help.
Hi Tim,
Thanks for your reply. I look forward to hearing from you in the next few weeks and hope to be of use.
Best wishes
Laurence
Hi there,
I just wanted to register my interest in joining your beta reader team; I am an avid reader of most genres (science-fiction and horror being my favourites!) and would love this opportunity.
Thank you 🙂
Hi Amanda,
That’s great to hear. I’ve added you to the list. Sci Fi and Horror, eh? Our Skyfire books are both SciFi AND horror. Would you like a review copy? (which means if you like the book, we’d greatly appreciate a review on Amazon or Goodreads). Just a thought. We do have science fiction coming later in the year and a supernatural thriller coming out on beta around Christmas.
Thanks for your interest.
Tim
Thanks for getting back so quickly! That all sounds great; I would like to try Skyfire please, and I am looking forward to the others 🙂
Thank you once again 😀
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Hi-
I’m a single mom and currently a full-time student at Penn State in my senior year. I would love to be a part of this program!
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
Welcome aboard! I’ve added you to the list. Is there a particular type of book you like to read?
Best wishes,
Tim
Hi Tim-
I just love to read fiction, period. Horror (zombies are my fav), SF, anything…
Thanks!
Wendy
Former NICI-nurse, gone freelancer in the language field. I read all the time so, I’d love to be considered.
Hi Debbie,
Thanks very much for the offer to help out. I’ve added you to the beta team mailing list, so next time we have a book seeking a beta reader team, you will receive an invite. If you read huge amounts, perhaps you’d like to join in with our Read Review Repeat program for which you can find some details here: https://greyhartpress.com/free-e-books/read-review-repeat/ Thanks for getting in touch. Tim
I would like to be a part of the Beta team!
I have been on your list from the US. I’m still interested in being a Beta Reader
You certainly have, Michele. Thanks for your support over the years. And it is years. I reckon it’s two years since you first helped out by taking a look at Badgers’ Waddle. It wasn’t your favorite book as I recall (!) but that’s just how it goes sometimes 🙂
You got it, Cristina.
I’ve added you to the beta team mailing list, so next time we’re ready to form a team, you’ll receive an invite.
Many thanks for offering to help out.