Many authors do the alpha reading on their own stories. However, many authors prefer to have feedback on their story ideas before they have a first draft completed. This is where the alpha reader comes in. Alpha readers will give immediate feedback about things such as, the pacing, plot arcs, characterization, back story, and theme. You may just submit general story ideas to your alpha reader or you may submit portions of partially written stories. It all depends on what you like to do and what your alpha reader prefers.

Alpha readers don't make line by line comments unless they feel it's necessary in certain parts of the story. The also do not generally focus on grammar, punctuation, and spelling problems unless you specifically ask them to do so. However, this is usually left for the beta reading phase.

These people usually read your second (or later) draft. Beta readers will make comments line by line pointing out grammatical and spelling errors as well as typos and any fuzzy wording. Usually a beta reader will take longer than an alpha reader, because their comments will be more detailed.

The beta reader will also give you feedback on the pacing, characterization, plot arcs, theme and everything the alpha reader did. They will tell you what works well and what didn't work for them.

Simply click on the reader's name and an email form will appear. Fill out this form and hit submit. Be sure to use an email address that you want the reader to contact you at, because this is how the reader will respond to your request.

Simply tell the reader that you read their profile, and you have a story you'd like them to read. Let them know what kind of feedback you'd like and a brief synopsis of what your story will be about. If the story has any content that may be offensive to anyone, let the author know.

At that point, if the reader would like to read your story, they will send you an email accepting. Authors who do not want to read your story may or may not send a response back to you.

It's good to choose a reader that has the same style and likes that you do. The reader's preferences in their profile will give you a general overview of what they like. If a reader's profile says they don't want to read a certain kind of story, you're best not to ask them to.

If the reader has a website listed, visit that and read any of their fan fic they have. If you don't like their style, you'd be best not to ask them to read your work. If you notice they dislike a certain character that you're fond of and use in your story, you probably want a different reader, because they most likely won't like your story.

First of all, keep in mind that the reader is only trying to help you. Thank the reader for their comments and then attempt to explain your position. Explaining why you like something a different way may lead the reader to view it in a new way, or your discussion may make you see things differently. Often, you can come to a compromise that will work better than either of the original ideas.

Sometimes you may not agree, ut try to avoid arguments. Remember that ultimately it is your story, and a good beta reader should accept that. Simply tell them politely that you respect their opinion, but you really like it better your way.

One option is to list the story in the archives as In Progress. Then you can simply provide your reader with the link to the story. Doing this could also result in feedback from others who are interested in reading works in progress and giving feedback. Your story won't show up in a regular search. It will only appear in searches for people looking specifically for WIPs.

Alternatively, you can email the story to the author or upload it to your own server.

When you're giving critiques, keep in mind what kind of feedback your author was looking for. Be sure to point out any spelling or grammatical mistakes. Be sure to keep in mind your author's skill level. If your writing skills are much more advanced than your authors, don't overwhelm them with criticms. Help them out by pointing out only the parts that are the most vital. Eventually, their writing will improve and you won't have to point out these kinds of things.

Keep in mind that the story is the author's creation and you are only there to give your advise. Advise which the author may or may not agree with. If the author doesn't agree, don't take it personally.