For those beta readers and editors out there, What PDF reader/editing software do you use? Why?

[reptile logic]

This subject came up today, so I decided to post. Years ago, during an admittedly lazy search for free software, I came upon Foxit Reader. It works alright, and one really can't complain when an up-sell notification pops up now and then. After all, it's free. That said the free version tends to be a bit buggy, and naturally some features are only active if one pays extra. By buggy, a feature like 'typing', or 'highlight', or maybe 'insert' will fail to work when I open it one time, then work the next time. Once, and only once, everything except my notes disappeared. I had to pull up a fresh copy and start again. That last example may have been a keystroke error on my part.

I make sure to feed my computer the available updates, but the bugs persist.

Perhaps all that would disappear if I just paid for the upgrade but, before I throw down money, I am curious to know what you are using. Be it free, cheap, or as costly as a new laptop; what do you use? What do you like and dislike about it?

Thanks

 

[Miles Marsalis]

Hands down, I'd recommend Adobe Acrobat Pro 2020, though I got my copy through work. In general, Adobe products are best for making and editing PDFs since the company created the file format. For what it does, it's pricey at +$500, but for professional work it carries its weight. I mostly use it for work, but occasionally I've used it for my own writing. However, it might make more sense to get a subscription for a later version at low monthly or annual rate.

I also use LibreOffice for PDF editing sometimes, but it is fairly rudimentary.

 

[Khafra]

I'm not in writing from the business end, is PDF really the standard for editors? Sounds like a complete pain in the ass.

 

[reptile logic]

It used to be. Many professional editors want it in document form these days; many of those insist that submissions to them be in docx, specifically.

The down side is that the changes they make, and save, are now part of the new document, and the author may only learn of all the changes by re-reading their entire work and identifying those changes; a daunting task if the work is a novel. Sometimes, the editor's changes can alter the meaning that the author was shooting for; effectively altering say a character's motives, or even part of the plot line.

If sent in PDF, and edited there, the editor's suggestions are clearly seen in red lines, highlighted words/phrases, call-out boxes, and suggested changes written in a different color/font. This gives the author more control on what goes into the final product.

Yes, an editor can do many of these same things on a docx, or other document type, but many editors balk at the idea of the author refusing or altering their changes. They'd rather have their input melded into the work. If the author is under contract to a publishing house, sometimes they have no choice but to let all of the editor's changes go through to publishing.

That's why, as an independent, self-published author, I prefer sending it in PDF. As a beta reader, I prefer going over a PDF than a doc file. That way, I can't accidentally save my changes in what is effectively their working draft.

 

[Khafra]

That's fair, though my head still hurts just from imagining to work on a pdf, either when making corrections or moving them to the actual document. I'd probably use a difference finder tool to double check and work on dynamic documents if I had a choice.

 

[reptile logic]

Difference finder tool; now that's one I did not know about. My knowledge of computers is limited. I learn more about these systems as I find the need to do so. Thanks for that tidbit of information. I'll be looking that up.

When beta-reading or editing with the appropriate software, it's read, click on "call-out box", for example, write your note, save, move on. It's actually a pretty fast process, once you get used to it.