Beta Reader Group discussion

***UPDATE*** I'm currently unable to take on any new manuscripts. Thank you to all the lovely authors who have messaged me so far!

Hi! I've been a beta reader since 2017. IRL, I'm a scientist/consultant, and my university degree included some literature courses. I took an advanced creative writing course earlier this year, but my expertise is mainly based on reading a couple of thousand books in my lifetime, plus decades of work experience in writing myself and editing other people's texts (mainly in English). I'm from Finland, but more than one Brit has said I'm the English language expert in the team. I've studied US English grammar and spelling as well.

If your manuscript is in a fairly polished state, tell me about it in a DM (not in a comment below). I'm a careful reader and will pay attention to grammar and spelling in addition to issues like consistency, logic, readability, tension, POV, voice, etc. I add comments directly to the text, so Google Docs is my favourite platform. If you're looking for concrete suggestions on how and where to improve your writing, and you're willing to do the work, I'm the one you want to be teaming up with.

Can't wait to plunge into your lovely stories! Thanks in advance!

regards, Annika

Annika wrote: "Hi! I've been a beta reader since 2017. IRL, I'm a scientist/consultant, and my university degree included some literature courses. I took an advanced creative writing course earlier this year, but..."

Hi Annika,
Would you be interested in reading a clean, nostalgic, second chance romance (with the mom of the main character named Aneka? :p)

I would like to offer my finished, edited manuscript, or the first few chapters to see if it's something you'd be interested to continue reading. Here are the details of my novel:

Clean Contemporary Romance/ 60 K words

Highlights:

Slow burn, emotionally driven

Clean, no spice (two kissing scenes)

Nostalgic

Best friends to Lovers

Please send me an email at author.riacharya@gmail.com if you'd be interested, or share your email, so I can send you the desired length of my manuscript.

Thanks a lot,
Ria

Annika wrote: "Hi! I've been a beta reader since 2017. IRL, I'm a scientist/consultant, and my university degree included some literature courses. I took an advanced creative writing course earlier this year, but..."

Annika did beta reading for 2 of my novels.
What she helped me with the most was the polish of the manuscripts. I made numerous adjustments based on her suggestions, and later betas found those books far more refined.
She seems to have enjoyed them and she let me know that by leaving emojis in various parts of the manuscripts. This was a great indicator for me to know several literary devices were working as intended.
Also, she was by far the most enthusiastic beta I've worked with. At some points, she was reading faster than I could edit the later chapters, so she had to wait for me to catch up.

Dear Annika,
Thank you for recently doing the beta reading for my manuscript. The review done by you was extremely thorough and your every comment was a gold nugget for me. My debut novel is shining just a little bit more now, thanks to you :)
I found your comments so valuable that I ended up changing my manuscript quite a bit. I really needed a pair of objective, wise glasses, and thank you for giving me exactly that :)
Hope to collaborate with you in the future. God bless you.

Annika has beta-read for me twice, once for a short story, and once for a full-length book.

Her beta service is one I can thoroughly recommend. It is clear from the detailed annotations that Annika makes that she has studied both Creative Writing and English to a higher-than-average standard. Her keen eyes and writing skills pick up not just grammatical errors, but she also suggests improvements to the writing. Her comments can range from: “I think this phrase would work better like this...” to full-on suggestions on how to improve the story itself. The end result can be both a better story and a better written book. She will actively challenge your plot's premises and also call out if character motivations are unconvincing.

I can honestly say that Annika is my “go-to” beta reader. I have very much enjoyed working with her and look forward to doing so again. She will be the first person I contact when I have work to review, every time.

Hi Annika.
I have a complete 89k memoir, Healing, Love & Life

Healing, Love & Life is a deeply personal, first-person narrative that follows Stacy’s journey through trauma, survival, and the slow rediscovery of love and self-worth.

After years of abuse that left her small, quiet, and afraid, Stacy finally escapes—for her children, if not for herself. Together, they start over, facing the daily struggle of building a new life from the ground up. Just when she begins to find her footing, Gary enters her world. He isn’t a savior, but his patience and kindness challenge everything Stacy thought she knew about love and trust.

The story explores the messy, non-linear path of healing—how past trauma can resurface, how doubt and fear linger, and how loving again can both heal and hurt. When Stacy pushes Gary away, the loss feels shattering—but it also becomes a turning point, forcing her to find strength not just in others, but in herself.

This is not a fairytale romance. It’s a raw, emotional story about survival, resilience, motherhood, and the courage it takes to keep believing in love—even when it doesn’t come with a perfect ending.

Thank you and please let me know if its something you would be interested in.

***UPDATE*** I'm currently unable to take on any new manuscripts. Thank you to all the lovely authors who have messaged me so far!

regards,
Annika

I just wanted to add some comments to this thread, for anyone who is considering working with Annika...

I've just received her rreport on my short story, and I have to say: it was fantastic! She really got down to the core of the story I wanted to tell, and made some insightful suggestions. She found several typos and grammatical inconsistences, as well as highlighting multiple places where my prose wasn't as sparkling as I would like!

I'm looking forward to going through another edit and incorporating all of her suggestions. I'm happy to recommend Annika without reservation.

Annika did a beta read for my book and I found her feedback to be very useful. Her comments were clear and concise and helped me pinpoint the weak spots in my manuscript. It is clear she has a very solid grasp on grammar, punctuation, spelling, and formatting, which I found to be the most useful to me she pointed out mistakes in my writing I hadn't noticed yet. My manuscript was as close to being finished as I could make it and Annika helped it get even closer to a final copy!