YA beta readingProofreading & Copy Editing

Beta read for a young adult novel

Usually ready in 15 minutesRevisions includedQuality check
Payment protectionDetails
  • Revisions within the package are free.
  • If you do not respond within 3 days of delivery, the work is accepted automatically.
Order · $39

The money is reserved when you pay and released only once you accept the work.

Beta read for a young adult novel

Example result

Example for the Standard package

Manuscript critique: opening chapters of a small-town mystery

Overall impression

The voice is the strongest thing here: warm, a little wry, with a clear sense of the harbour town. The mystery itself starts too late. The body is found on page 19; until then we have two chapters of setup that are pleasant but low on tension.

Plot and structure

  • Chapter 1 introduces Nell's bookshop, her cat, her ex-husband and the festival committee. Four threads at once, none with a question attached.
  • The lighthouse keeper's death would work far better as the end of chapter 1, not the middle of chapter 3.
  • The festival deadline is a good ticking clock. Mention it early and keep returning to it.

Characters and dialogue

Nell is likeable, but mostly passive in the opening: things happen near her rather than because of her. Give her one small choice in chapter 1 that has consequences later.

Dialogue is natural, but characters often explain what both already know:

"As you know, Nell, the lighthouse has been closed since the storm three years ago."

Suggested: "Still closed?" Nell nodded at the lighthouse. "Three years, and they still haven't fixed the door."

Style and language

  • Strong sensory details: "the smell of tar and lemon soap" sets the scene in six words.
  • Overuse of "just" (41 times) and "suddenly" (12 times) softens tension.
  • Several long paragraphs of backstory in chapter 2 (pp. 11–13) stop the scene; spread them across later chapters.

What works

  • The cat, Admiral, is a charming running joke without stealing scenes
  • The town feels lived in; secondary characters are distinct from first appearance
  • Nell's humour fits the genre perfectly

Revision plan

  1. Move the discovery of the body to the end of chapter 1; cut or compress what comes before
  2. Give Nell a decision in chapter 1 (e.g., she lends the keeper a book that is later found with him)
  3. Remove "as you know" exchanges; let the reader infer
  4. Search and trim "just" and "suddenly" by at least half
  5. Move backstory from chapter 2 into short flashes later in the book
  6. Plant the festival deadline in the first two pages

Client: first-time novelist. Text: chapters 1–3 of The Lantern Keeper, a cozy mystery, 4,800 words. Author's question: "Does the opening hook readers, and is my detective likeable?"

The client and all details are made up.

About this service

We beta read your young adult novel the way its readers will: is the teen voice believable and current, or does it sound like an adult imitating a teenager? We look at the protagonist's age and inner life, the pacing of the first chapters, romance and friendship subplots, and whether the content level fits YA rather than middle grade or adult. You get honest reactions chapter by chapter plus an editor's view of what to fix.

What is included

  • What you getA written critique with reader reactions by chapter, strengths, problems with quotes from your pages and a step-by-step revision plan. Premium adds line edits of the opening.
  • Teen voiceBelievable, current and not condescending
  • Opening chaptersWhether the hook works for teen readers
  • RelationshipsRomance, friendship and family subplots
  • YA fitAge of characters, themes and content level
  • Chapter reactionsWhere a reader would be gripped or bored

How it works

  1. 1
    BriefYou paste or attach chapters and the synopsis
  2. 2
    ReadingWe react as a reader and assess as an editor
  3. 3
    CritiqueYou get reactions and a revision plan

What we need from you

The chapters pasted into the brief, the protagonist's age, the subgenre, a short synopsis if it is an excerpt and what worries you most. Documents can also be attached as PDF, Word or Excel files.

We will ask you:

  • How old is your protagonist?
  • What is the subgenre?
  • Is this a complete work or an excerpt?
  • Which books would sit next to yours on a shelf?

Compare packages

BasicExcerpt up to 2,000 words$20StandardUp to 5,000 words$39PremiumUp to 10,000 words with line edits$75
Deadline2 days3 days5 days
Revisions123
Text lengthup to 2,000 wordsup to 5,000 wordsup to 10,000 words
Revision planYesYesYes
Line editsNoNofirst 1,500 words
OrderOrderOrder

Payment protection

You pay when you order, but the money is released only for accepted work.

  • Fixed priceThe package price does not change after you pay.
  • The money is reservedWhen you pay, the amount is only reserved. It is released to the service once you accept the work.
  • Checked before deliveryEvery result goes through a quality check before it reaches you, and you see it on the order page before accepting it.
  • Free revisionsAsk for changes within your brief as many times as the package allows.
  • Acceptance after 3 daysIf within 3 days of delivery you neither accept the work nor ask for changes, it is accepted automatically. If you write in the order chat after delivery, the order waits; once we answer, we may start the 3 days again and will say so in the chat.
  • Redo or a full refundIf the result does not match your brief and the revisions did not fix it, or the work takes more than twice its deadline, write in the order chat: we will redo the work or refund the payment in full.
How it works →

Questions and answers

Is my book YA or middle grade?

We tell you how the protagonist's age, themes and voice read and which shelf they fit best.

Do you comment on dark themes?

Yes. YA often handles hard topics. We look at whether they are handled with care for teen readers.

Will you rewrite my chapters?

No. We show what to change in your chapters and why, and the writing stays yours. Premium also line-edits the opening.

Is my manuscript kept private?

Yes. Your text is used only for your order.

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