Beta Readers
Beta Readers, or editors, are a valuable part of the developement of any story. Besides finding grammatical and spelling errors, they can find plot holes and help you improve the prose of your story. Even I have one.
To be added to this list, contact dreamingfifi with the following form filled out.
Name:
E-mail:
Amount of Canon Consumed (Tolkien Books you have read):
Beta Reading Strengths:
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences:
Availability:
Betas, please notify me if there is a change in your availability!
Name: B2WM (WargishBoromirFan)
Amount of Canon Consumed: The trillogy, the Hobbit, The Silmarillion, parts of The Unfinished Tales, and various internet resources.
Beta Reading Strengths: Grammar, logic checking, and a bit of character creation help. I'm much stronger with Third Age Gondor than Second Age Elves.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: I prefer G-PG13 genfic, but will also take romance of het or slash variety, as long as given nothing too graphic.
Availability: Logic checking and character creation takes longer than sending a fic through the spelling and grammar check, but given an eager author and not too much RL chaos, I can probably turn a one-thousand-words-or-less chapter/fic around within three or four days.
Name: Cheryl Hopper
Amount of Canon Consumed: Listened to Silm on tape once, read Lord of the Rings several times
Beta Reading Strengths: Get a beta and editor, all in one! Third Age is what I know best
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Pretty much anything but slash, will read all ratings
Availability: Mostly on the weekends but a few weeknights aren't out of the question.
Name: Crowley
Amount of Canon Consumed: Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, bits and pieces of the rest of his works
Beta Reading Strengths: grammar/punctuation/usage, story-telling, characters
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: I'll read anything (slash, het, gen, Legomance, AU, mpreg, whatever!); I actually enjoy fiddling with your commas.
Availability: Basically all the time. I am an internet beast.
Name: Ederchil - or simply Olof
Amount of Canon Consumed: LotR, Silmarillion, Hobbit, HoMe, Letters, History of the Hobbit 1 (there's hardly anything in there), Fonstad's "Atlas", Strachey's "Journeys", Hammond & Scull's "Tolkien, Artist and Illustrator", Hammond & Scull's "Reader Companion 50th anniverary edition", Carpenter's Biography, Lobdell's little crap booklet, probably even more.
Beta Reading Strengths: Gondor, Númenóre, Men and Dwarves. And Grammar.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Anything. Only / if it's got a story.
Availability: Anytime
Name: Glorfindel the Younger
Amount of Canon Consumed: The LotR trilogy, the Hobbit, Silmarillion, Children of Hurin, Unfinished Tales, Tales from the Perilous Realm, Sauron Defeated and Return of the Shadow.
Beta Reading Strengths: Spelling, nitpicky canonical errors.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Rated T and below, I'm not too fussy about genres.
Availability: Most of the time. At the very least I'm free to beta to my heart's content every Saturday.
Name: Hillary
Amount of Canon Consumed: I've read mostly everything except for Children of Hurin, which is next on my list of books to read.
Beta Reading Strengths: People have told me more than once that I have a good eye for spotting grammatical and spelling errors. If something isn't right, I'll be sure to let the writer know.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Anything and everything. I like having a broad range of stories to beta.
Availability: Anytime! :)
Name: Keuka
Amount of Canon Consumed: Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, The Children of Húrin, The New Tolkien Companion, assorted internet resources.
Beta Reading Strengths: Spelling, grammar, sentence structure, spotting canonical errors, continuity. I'm even happy to help with research.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Any genre, but no slash and no explicit sexual content. I prefer material rated PG-13 and below.
Availability: Any time!=
Name: Los Christabel/Desdinova
Amount of Canon Consumed: LoTR, Silm, Farmer Giles of Ham and Smith of Wooton Major (selected writings), other minor works whose names escape me.
Beta Reading Strengths: Good on major canon, spelling and grammar.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Generally no angst/slash.
Availability: Weekends (0kay to email during week so I will have it over weekend. I have no internet on the weekend) Please nothing that needs to be finished overnight.
Name: Mellissa Gray
Amount of Canon Consumed: The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, Unfinished Tales, The History of Middle-earth series, The Silmarillion. Has seen all of the movies (not that those really count...). Owns all the books, and the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King extended edition.
Beta Reading Strengths: Small canon details, basic spelling and grammar, ability to find specific passages for reference. Please specify what issues you'd like me to look at.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Any genre, any rating, but the lower the rating the better.
Availability: Am a full-time high school student with 40 hours of community service still to complete, but can and will make time for helping out.
Name: Minden
Amount of Canon Consumed: Nearly everything, save for the newest one (which is currently sitting on my bookshelf, waiting for my attention to be drawn from my current book).
Beta Reading Strengths: I am as much of an editor as I am a writer. I can't really list off my strengths, but trust me when I say that I know what I am doing. From one writer to another, I know what needs to be looked at and tended to.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: I am up for beta'ing anything, though I am most fond of fantasy. I could list off a few more genres, but as long as it has words, I am more than happy to beta it! :)
Availability: Always; I have probably a little more than enough time on my hands.
Name: Nath
Amount of Canon Consumed: LotR, Hobbit, Silmarillion, HoME, BoLT, CoH, various secondary background books
Beta Reading Strengths: canon, grammar, logic, Quenya
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: I'm willing to at least look at nearly every rating and genre (no RPS or PWP; preferably no 'cute elfling' or young hobbit stories; my movieverse canon is weak, so I can't do much with movie-based stories; R rating not a problem), but if I think I can't do anything with your story for whatever reason, I'll tell you.
Availability: mail me, since it depends (also on whether I'm writing myself at the time); short stuff should usually turn around in a few days; if you're writing a novel we'll work something out.
Name: Roarian, or the Spork Incarnate
Amount of Canon Consumed: The entire HoME, the Letters, the Children of Húrin, Silm, LotR, Hobbit, some odds 'n ends like that poem about Bombadil...
Beta Reading Strengths: Plot, Logic, Characterization, most spelling/grammar.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: No Explicit Sexual content, no bizarre romance (Mpreg, bestiality, incest etc.) Slash is no prob. Prefer plot-driven rather than character-based.
Availability: Pretty much any time, but my schedule can be erratic.
Name: Sephy
Amount of Canon Consumed: Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the Hobbit
Beta Reading Strengths: good at finding plot holes/continuity errors, not put off by anything
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: none
Availability: weekends, weekdays, approx 1pm-12pm GMT
Name: Spanish Ninja
Amount of Canon Consumed: Hobbit. Lotr. First chapter of the Silm.
Beta Reading Strengths: Grammar, spelling, continuity
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Action, mystery, all ratings
Availability: Please e-mail.
Name: Tindomiel
Amount of Canon Consumed: LotR trilogy, the Silmarillion and Unfinished tales with an amount of knowledge in Elven languages and customs
Beta Reading Strengths: Fast reader, excellent grammar and spelling instinct. Can help with syntax and synonyms
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Is willing to read anything. Prefers shorter stories or one-shot vignettes.
Availability: anytime
Name: Vanalosswen (Vana for short)
Amount of Canon Consumed: Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarilion, several of the History of Middle-earth books.
Beta Reading Strengths: Grammar, spelling, punctuation, suggestions on improving ideas and tightening sentences.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: I'll read just about any genre and any rating, even slash and het. But no Legomances, please.
Availability: Very, very often.