All the Answers to Your Questions About Beta Readers
Think of beta readers as your pre-publication reviewers.
Image credit: Bruce Mars via Pexels
Would you rather have a reader tell you—in a scathing review on Amazon for all the world to see—that your book has plot holes, typos, and awkward phrases? Or would you rather have a beta reader tell you—in a much gentler, more constructive fashion—prior to publishing?
Beta readers are an essential part of the writing and publishing process.
Manuscripts come in all shapes and sizes, and each one has its own level of writing quality depending on whether it was penned by a beginner or a seasoned pro. The general process for a writer remains the same, though: write, rewrite (one to three billion times), send to beta readers, possibly rewrite again, have it professionally copyedited, formatted, and proofed, and then release it to the reading hordes (hopefully for money).
There may be a developmental editor or writing coach in there somewhere, but when all the writing is as done as the author can make it, the beta readers come into play.
What does a beta reader actually do?
I believe many authors are worried that having a beta reader might yield the kind of heckling that Statler and Waldorf used to give from the balcony of The Muppet Show. After all, beta readers are supposed to be brutally honest while they tell us everything that's wrong with our books, right? And we just know the focus is going to be on the "brutal" part.
The reality is that beta readers can work much in the same way as a cross between an average reader and a developmental editor. A skilled beta reader will pay close attention to your plot and whether it held his attention. Is your voice consistent? How's the pacing? Did he force himself to keep reading?
Think of the people who are chosen for a movie's advance screening: they give feedback on its good and bad points, what might have slowed down the action, whether the characters were likable, and whether the movie-watcher was willing to stay put with a full bladder because the story was too fascinating to leave the theater even for a moment.
Betas offer that same kind of feedback. And much like a movie screening, if enough people hit on the same problems/negatives, the author is forced to recognize that there may be an adjustment needed here and there. A good author will take the feedback, mull it over, and sift the objective truths from the opinions.
But why can’t I just ask my friends for their opinions about my manuscript?
It's much easier on our hearts and more convenient overall to have our friends and family read our manuscripts. Or is it? After all, nobody wants a stranger to tell them they stink.
But there’s a huge disadvantage to using those closest to us for beta reading.
In most cases, we’re going to ask the people we like, and who like us. We want someone predisposed to liking our work. But they’ll see it in the light of the friendship or family relationship, and as a result, objectivity will be difficult to maintain.
Let’s face it: friends are wonderful cheerleaders. You need them. But the closer they are to you emotionally, the harder it will be for them to tell you if there are flaws in your manuscript. Either they’ll lie and tell you it’s great—which is not helpful at all if there are genuine problems—or they’ll avoid the conversation entirely.
It’s also harder to get friends to read your manuscript in a timely manner. The most common complaint of authors when discussing the use of friends as beta readers is the frequent responses of “Oh, sorry, I haven’t had time” when they ask for a report.
Granted, the non-writers may not understand that “Hey, can you read this and tell me what you think?” means READITRIGHTNOWANDTELLMETHEMINUTEYOUFINISH and not “Go ahead and take a few months to get around to this . . . or not. I don’t mind waiting.”
Even worse, there will always be that person who is extra harsh with you because they think you need it, or because they don’t like the genre but read it “as a favor to you,” or because you still owe them money, or because you insulted Aunt Edna at the last family gathering and they’re still not over it. Just don’t open yourself up to that kind of feedback.
When looking for beta readers, you should always keep in mind whether that person can be objective or not, whether they have the time to do the job you’re asking (don’t ask the parents of newborn twins, or the friend who’s getting ready to move out of the country, for example), and even whether or not they like to read at all.
Where do I find the best beta readers?
Beta readers can be fans of your previous work, if you’ve already published. They might simply be fans of the genre you’re writing in, and love to see books before anyone else does.
Acquaintances who are in the publishing business may be a good choice, as long as you’re asking them as friendly acquaintances and not hitting them up for a nudge up the ladder. Use those people in a good way—for their knowledge and expertise—and not in a way that’s pushing your own agenda.
An online search will yield an almost overwhelming number of options for finding people who want to beta your book. The ideal place to start is to ask writer friends who they use and/or who they’d trust to do a good job. Many authors end up with steady betas who they can trust for solid feedback, and at the very least, they know where to look and where to avoid.
Here’s what a beta reader should NOT do:
A beta should not try to insert their opinions into the equation. Yes, you want their objective thoughts on whether the book is doing what you’re aiming for. No, you don’t want their opinions on whether the hero should have been a woman instead of a man, or the antagonist shouldn’t have had blue eyes and blond hair because they think dark hair is more sinister, or why you felt the need for your characters to use cuss words when “nobody needs to talk like that.”
A beta reader shouldn’t make any changes to your MS. This is not about the way they would have written it, or what sounds better to them. If they think something is confusing, they can ask about it in their report.
A beta reader shouldn’t act as a copyeditor. There’s nothing wrong with a beta pointing out a typo or a sentence that’s missing its other half. But unless your beta reader is actually a professional editor, there should be no feedback of that type. Being an avid reader doesn’t mean they know copyediting rules, and that type of feedback can confuse a new writer, introducing errors into the manuscript that will have to be fixed when the real copyediting happens. “It seems like it just looks better with a hyphen” is not what you’re looking for.
Are all beta readers free?
There are those writers who say they’d never pay someone to read their book, and they can’t imagine ever needing to. And I won’t deny that the idea of receiving free services is always appealing. But be aware of a few things.
The advantage of an unpaid beta reader is obvious: it's free. One less thing to spend your money on. The trick there is to find someone (or a handful of someones) you trust.
The disadvantage: there are always going to be people who play the “I’ll beta for you” game just to get free reads, and who will never give an evaluation at all. Or they’ll take so long to get back to you that the feedback is useless.
The advantage of betas who charge a fee: they will meet your deadline. You will get an evaluation, and in some cases you'll get input similar to that of a content editor for a fraction of the cost. They know what to focus on without having to be guided, though they're open to any specific things the author wants them to look for. In many cases, professional betas are also authors or editors, so their feedback has that added weight.
The disadvantage of a paid beta is that you don't get the eval for free, but to my eye, that seems to be the only disadvantage.
To beta or not to beta?
Authors, don't be afraid to use betas, whether by paid services or free of charge. It's their job to keep things professional and to be as objective as possible.
Using only family or friends as your betas may get you many attaboys but not nearly enough of the type of critique you may need. Doing the tough thing now might save you from having to face the tough critics later.
And while I’m on the topic of beta readers . . .
If you’re looking for a beta reader for your book (or an editor), check out my services page to see if I’d be a good fit for you!
