Beta Readers

How do I manage beta readers?

Beta Readers is the list of people reading a draft: the book, the draft version, the due date, and the status. Add someone yourself, import a list, or let them sign up on a form. You can also send the manuscript and read their comments in the app.

How do I send a manuscript to a beta reader?

In Beta Readers, click Send manuscript (or the paper-plane icon on a row). Enter the reader's name and email, pick the book, add a draft label such as "Draft 2", and set a due date. Upload the manuscript. Accepted types are .docx, .epub, .pdf with a text layer, .html, .txt, and .md, up to 25 MB. Choose where the reading starts and ends so front and back matter are skipped. The reader gets an email with a private link.

What does a beta reader see, and do they need an account?

No account and no sign-in. They open the private link and read in the browser. They can highlight a passage and leave a comment, and you can reply. You can add notes that every reader sees, and they cannot edit those. When they finish they click I'm done reading, and their status becomes Complete.

How do I see and respond to beta reader feedback?

Click View feedback on the reader's row. Highlights and comments from every reader are on the manuscript, each reader in their own color. Reply in the thread, mark a comment resolved, or reopen it. Search for a reader, or hide readers so you can focus on one. A dot on a row means comments you have not seen yet.

Can beta readers screenshot, print or share my manuscript?

The reading view makes casual copying awkward, and it leaves a trail. Every page has a faint watermark of the reader's email, so a screenshot or photo points back to them. The text blurs when the window loses focus or a screenshot shortcut is pressed, and printing is blocked. No site can stop a photo of the screen. Share manuscripts with readers you trust.

Getting started with Beta Readers

Beta Readers keeps track of everyone reading your drafts and, if you like, delivers the manuscript to them and collects their comments in the app. Run your first beta round 1. Click Beta Readers in the left sidebar. 2. (Optional) Connect an email account. If you see Connect Email → at the top of the page, click it to go to Settings. Without one, rejection emails open in your own email program instead of sending from the app. 3. Click Send manuscript. 4. Enter the Reader name and Reader email, and choose the Book. 5. Add a Draft version such as "Draft 2" and pick a Due date. 6. Under Manuscript, choose Upload a file or From Book Storage, then wait for Reading your manuscript… to finish. 7. In Where should readers start?, click the line where your story begins so the title page and contents are skipped. 8. (Optional) Tick Include specific questions for your beta readers? to add questions. 9. (Optional) Tick Notify me when this reader leaves comments and choose Email, In app or both. 10. Click Send invite. The reader gets an email with a private link, and a row is added to your Beta Readers table with the status Invited. Send the same draft to more readers Click Send manuscript again, choose the same book, and pick the Already sent tab. Choose the manuscript from the list. Every reader of that manuscript gets the same questions, and their feedback appears together on one page, each in their own colour. Track readers you manage yourself If you share drafts outside the app, click + Add Beta Reader and fill in the Name, Book, Draft Version, Chapters Assigned, Status, dates and Rating (1–5). Only a name and book are required. Read the summary tiles - Total Beta Readers: everyone in the table (archived readers are left out unless Show archived is ticked). - Applied: applicants you haven't accepted or rejected yet. - Awaiting Feedback: readers at Invited, Reading, Feedback Due or Partial Feedback. - Complete: readers who have finished. - Response Rate: completed readers as a share of everyone who completed, declined or ghosted. A red Overdue badge appears next to the due date when it has passed and the reader hasn't finished. Reading the feedback When a reader has a manuscript, their row shows View feedback → and Questions links. A pill such as "2 new comments" tells you something is waiting. When the reader clicks "I'm done reading", their status changes to Complete automatically.

How do I import beta reader applicants from a spreadsheet?

If people applied to beta read through a form or a sign-up sheet, you can bring them all in at once. Imported people arrive with the status Applied, so you can accept or reject each one. Import a file 1. Open Beta Readers from the left sidebar. 2. Click Import. 3. On the Upload file tab, click Choose a file… and pick your spreadsheet. CSV, XLSX and TSV files work. 4. Check the column mapping. Match Name (required), Email, Book and Draft Version to your columns. The app guesses based on your column headings, so you may only need to confirm. 5. Check the line that says how many rows will import. 6. Click Import (the button shows how many applicants will be added). Paste rows instead 1. In Google Sheets or Excel, select your rows, including the heading row, and copy them. 2. In the import window, choose Paste rows. 3. Paste into the box and click Parse Pasted Rows. 4. Map the columns and click Import. Good to know - The first row must be your column headings. - Rows with no name in the mapped Name column are skipped. - Every row becomes a new applicant. The import doesn't check for people you already have, so importing the same file twice creates duplicates. - If you picked the wrong file, click ← Start over. - If the import fails, you'll see Could not import these applicants. Nothing was saved. Please try again. Nothing is half-imported, so it's safe to try again. To collect applicants automatically as they sign up, see "How do I add beta reader applicants automatically from my sign-up form?"

How do I add beta reader applicants automatically from my sign-up form?

If you collect beta reader applications with an outside form tool, a webhook can add each new applicant to Beta Readers the moment they submit. If you build your form in the app's own Form Builder, you don't need a webhook: Form Builder can send responses straight to Beta Readers. Set it up 1. Open Beta Readers from the left sidebar. 2. Click Add via webhook. The Beta Reader Application Webhook window opens. 3. Under 1. Add this URL to your form, click Copy. 4. In your form tool, paste the URL as a webhook or integration destination. Most tools that can send a plain POST request work, including Tally, Typeform, Zapier, and Google Forms with Apps Script. 5. Under 2. Send a test submission, fill in your form once with test details. The window updates by itself when the test arrives and shows Test submission received. 6. Under 3. Map your form's fields, match Name (required), Email, Book and Draft Version to your form's fields. 7. Click Save Mapping. Once the mapping is saved you'll see Live — every new submission is added automatically as an Applied entry. From then on, each submission appears in Beta Readers with the status Applied and is labelled as coming from the webhook. Good to know - A submission without a value in the field mapped to Name isn't added. - Up to 500 submissions a day are accepted. If more than 100 arrive in one day, you'll get an in-app notification in case your form is being misused. - To change the mapping later, open Add via webhook again, adjust the fields and click Save Mapping. - Regenerate URL (invalidates the current one) creates a new address and the old one stops working. Use it if the URL has been shared somewhere it shouldn't be, then paste the new URL into your form tool. Your test submission is added as an applicant once the mapping is saved, so delete it from the table if you don't need it.

How do I accept or reject beta reader applicants?

Anyone who applies through an import, a webhook or a Form Builder form arrives with the status Applied. You decide who joins. Find your applicants 1. Open Beta Readers from the left sidebar. 2. The Applied tile shows how many are waiting. 3. To see only applicants, open the Status filter and tick Applied. Accept an applicant Click Accept on the applicant's row. Their status changes to Invited. If you've connected a newsletter platform, an Add to a mailing list? window opens so you can add the reader to one or more of your lists. Choose the lists and click Add to list, or skip it. When you're ready to send them the book, click the paper-plane icon on their row. Their name and email are filled in for you. Reject an applicant 1. Click Reject on the applicant's row. Their status changes to Rejected. 2. A Send a Rejection Email? window opens. Choose a Template. A built-in beta reader rejection template is selected for you, or you can pick one of your own from Email Templates. 3. Click Send Email, or cancel to reject without emailing. If you haven't connected an email account, you'll see No email provider connected — this will open your email client instead. The message then opens in your own email program for you to send. The same window appears if you change any reader's status to Rejected from the status pill or the edit window. Handling many at once Tick the checkboxes on several rows, click Edit in the selection bar, tick Status and choose a new one, then apply. Bulk changes don't open the rejection email or mailing list windows, so use the row buttons when you want those.

How do I ask my beta readers specific questions?

Besides comments in the margin, you can ask every reader of a manuscript the same questions and see all the answers side by side. Question types - Written answer - Rating (1–5) - Yes / No - Multiple choice, with 2 to 8 different options of up to 100 characters each Each question can be up to 500 characters, and a manuscript can have up to 50 questions. Add questions when you send the manuscript 1. In Send manuscript to read, after your manuscript preview loads, tick Include specific questions for your beta readers? 2. Click Add a question. 3. Choose the type and type your question. 4. Under Where does it apply?, leave Whole manuscript or pick a part, chapter or scene. 5. Tick Required if readers must answer before they can click "I'm done reading". 6. Click Add question, then send the invite as usual. Add or change questions later 1. On the reader's row, click Questions (or View feedback → and scroll to Questions for readers). 2. Click Add question for a general question. 3. To ask about a particular passage, select the text in the manuscript and click Question about this. 4. Use the edit option on a question to change its wording, options, where it applies, or whether it's required. You can also delete a question. New questions go to every reader of that manuscript, including readers you've already invited. See the answers On the feedback page, each question shows its answers. Ratings show an average, such as "Average 4.2 / 5". Open Answers or Who said what to see each reader's response next to their colour. Hiding a reader in the readers list hides their answers too. Good to know - If you pick a start point or hide back matter, questions tied to a chapter outside that range can't be sent. Remove them or widen the range. - Reusing a manuscript from the Already sent tab gives the new reader the questions that manuscript already has.

Why won't my manuscript send, or my beta reader's link work?

Manuscript upload errors You can send DOCX, EPUB, PDF, HTML, TXT or MD files up to 25 MB. EPUB works best because its chapters are already marked. - That file type isn't supported. Export your manuscript to one of the formats above. Pages, RTF and similar files need converting first. - That file is over 25 MB. Remove large images, or export a text-only DOCX. - That PDF has no selectable text (it may be a scan). Export a text-based PDF from your writing app, or send a DOCX instead. - That EPUB looks damaged or That EPUB has no readable chapters. Re-export the EPUB, or use DOCX. - No readable text found in that file. The file opened but had no text. Check you chose the right file. I can't pick my file from Book Storage From Book Storage only lists supported files stored in the app's own storage. Files kept in Dropbox or Google Drive, or added from the old native apps, can't be sent yet. Download the file and use Upload a file instead. The Send invite button is greyed out Choose a book, and wait for Reading your manuscript… to finish. If you write under more than one pen name, also choose which one to send as. The dialog will also ask for a reader name, a valid email and a due date in the future. My reader says the session has ended Once the due date passes, the reader sees This reading session has ended and can no longer read or comment. To give them more time: 1. Click View feedback → on their row. 2. In the readers list, find them and use Extend to to pick a new date. They can use their original link again straight away. My reader's link doesn't work If a reader sees This link has expired or been replaced or Your personal reading link is needed, they can click Email me a new link. A fresh link goes to the email address you invited them with, and the old link stops working. New links can only be sent every couple of minutes. My reader never got the invite Ask them to check spam and promotions folders. The invite comes from Author's Toolbox with replies going to you. If the app showed Couldn't send the invite email. Try again., nothing was sent and you can try again. Sending is limited to 30 invites a minute. "Please answer the required questions first" A reader sees this when they click "I'm done reading" with a required question unanswered. Either they answer it, or you edit the question on the feedback page and untick Required. Permission or subscription errors - You don't have permission to invite beta readers on this account. As a collaborator, you need edit access to Beta Readers. Ask the account owner. - Subscription required. Sending manuscripts needs an active trial or plan on the account.