English News
Being a Beta and ARC Reader
Nossal Student’s reflective capacity helps shape a successful literary publication
After the incredible experience that was the Yarn Lab excursion, a First Nations-led literary event held at the State Library and open to Nossal’s Creative Writing Club and VCE Literature students, Ms Tchantcho offered students a unique opportunity.
They were invited to read a collection of poems called Girl on the Ceiling by emerging Melbourne poet Rome Richards before publication, in order to give feedback.
Beta readers are a group of people selected to read an edited copy of a manuscript before it’s published into a book. Their job is to point out errors, provide feedback, suggest changes and check for continuity. When the manuscript has moved on from being unfinished to finalised by the publisher, then ARC readers (advanced readers copy) write reviews and help to promote the book.
Rome Richards was “blown away at the effort and lengths” and sent such heart-warming gratitude to our beta readers, thanking the students went to helping her, in what had felt like an isolated experience until that point. This process has helped our students to explain their thoughts, feelings and recommendations, in such an honest and genuine passion to help and it was “really moving”.
We are proud of our young literary enthusiasts, whose feedback, out of all the beta readers (adults included) “was the most insightful, intellectual, and profound. Chapter four was redesigned to include their suggestions, focusing on rebirth, female empowerment and girlhood. This new chapter with a stronger focus on femininity and power is due to them” Below is a student’s account of how she found the process.
A review of being a BETA and ARC Reader
Intrigued by the subject matter, of course I said yes to the opportunity!
At the time, being a Beta and ARC reader felt like my first way of contributing to the literary world. Also, how could I turn down a read which sounded so close to home?
Not only that but getting A SNEAK PEEK AT A BOOK WHICH WASN’T EVEN OUT YET? Awesome! But as I engaged with the process, I discovered being an advanced reader was so much more than that. This experience, as well as being a member of the Creative Writing Club, has helped me so much, not just in English and theatre but with self-expression and living my life out creatively!
This process allowed me and the other Beta and ARC readers to see what happens behind the publishing of a text and how to engage with reviewing and editing one, a skill useful for your own writing since you can see the mistakes other people make in order to avoid them in your own work.
Additionally, our team of readers was able to contribute to the promotion of and publishing of a book we felt was empowering and emotionally honest. From what I could see, we all unanimously agreed it was a great text that encapsulated our own feelings in different ways. We couldn’t stop talking about the text even after we were done reviewing it!
Aside from being able to glimpse into the inner workings of what goes behind publishing books and having the opportunity to review a book (!), I feel being a Beta and ARC reader has helped me develop my own voice as a poet and my appreciation of poetry.
The book I helped to review was called ‘Girl on the Ceiling’ by Rome Richards and it’s a series of poems written in free verse about, well, being a young woman in this current age and the relationships we experience. It isn’t always an idealised portrayal of girls’ adolescences---showcasing the heartbreak and pain young women experience alongside their love and grit, but an authentic one.
Reading it, I had one thought racing through my mind. The words of Audre Lorde, ‘Women are powerful and dangerous.’ I also came to realise that poetry can be powerful and dangerous: a raw, honest medium to express thought and emotion unrestricted by the conventions of regular language.
Being a Beta and ARC reader, I felt like I was getting to see something special before the rest of the world would; and to contribute to editing and providing feedback on it was more than I could ask for! I felt inspired to write poetry which would be as deep and authentic as Rome Richards’ was and to use my voice to express myself in new and unconventional ways. I also felt more appreciative of the poetry I was reading since poetry isn’t just words arranged in a strange way (and which half the time don’t make sense on your first read) but the voice of another person, genuine and unflinching.
This is why I encourage anyone interested to join the Creative Writing Club’s poetry workshop, based on the activities I did at Yarn Lab, to learn about how you can simply use your experiences and senses to write some fantastic poetry!
Anyways, keep reading, write a poem or two on something totally random and love your books!
By Fiona Dubey
2025 Fresh Words Writing competition
On Thursday 19 June, the City of Casey hosted the 2025 Fresh Words Writing competition. The night began at 6:00pm and the award winners and guests were invited to enjoy themselves at the welcome reception. Beautiful canapes and light refreshments were served, accompanied by a live music performance by vocalist Zsofia Cabacis.
Following this, the awards ceremony began, and attendees were treated to an eye-opening and encouraging presentation by guest speaker the speaker for the night, Danielle Binks. Danielle is an award-winning writer and literary agent who has been widely acknowledged for her wonderful work.
After her speech on her career, the opportunities writing provides, and the many benefits it offers, the audience was invited to ask any questions they had regarding her work and journey.
Once the discussions concluded, the presentation of the certificates and prizes commenced, and the well-deserving recipients received their awards. The memorable night concluded with the opportunity to pose for photographs, making it a truly enjoyable and fun experience!