Beta Readers aren’t editors or proofreaders, just thoughtful readers.
by Anne R. Allen
Most writers can benefit from the help of Beta Readers, whether we’re beginners or long-time professionals.
So what’s a Beta Reader? The term first came from fan fiction, and it means a person who reads your Work-In-Progress (“WIP”) when you, the writer or “Alpha” reader are ready for feedback—before the manuscript goes into final draft to be sent to a fanfic page, editor, or agent.
Beta Readers existed for centuries—probably millennia—before they were given that particular name. Often the spouse, offspring, stenographer, or private secretary of a writer played the role.
In fact many spouses like Anna Dostoevsky and Sofya Tolstoy were essentially “Beta Readers” who were instrumental in shaping the masterworks their husbands were famous for.
Although Amanda Shofner, at The Write Life warns about using people really close to you as Betas. She says:
“As easy as it is to get them to help, best friends, significant others and family members are the worst beta readers. They know and love you, so they’re predisposed to loving whatever you write — no matter how good it is. While you might enjoy their glowing comments on your work, it won’t be the feedback you need to improve your manuscript.”
So it’s best to ask somebody who knows you, but won’t actually be living in the same house when you’re processing their feedback, especially if it IS the kind of criticism you actually need to improve the manuscript.
Ideally, you want a beta read between second and third drafts, before formal editing. Most authors like to get feedback from several Betas.
But finding good Beta Readers isn’t easy, and bad ones can end up devastating a fledgling writer, so educate yourself about what they do before you run around wildly seeking them out.
I’m in a Critique Group—Do I need Beta Readers?
You can benefit from either or both–although you should always remember:
- It’s YOUR work.
- Critique groups and Betas can locate problems, but aren’t always great on solutions. More in my post on Critique Groups: 6 Ways they Can Help or Hurt Your Writing.
Feedback from Beta Readers differs from what you get from a critique group because Betas generally read your whole manuscript in a week or two rather than over the span of months or years. A Beta Reader’s job is to look at the big picture: to critique the forest rather than the trees.
One of the best sources I know for information on Beta Readers is Jami Gold’s Blog. She even has downloadable worksheets for Beta Readers. She wrote a great post for us that has a lot more info on the subject: What is a Beta Reader?
Here are some online groups she suggests for finding Betas: WanaTribe, Critique Circle, FictionPress, Scribophile, LadiesWhoCritique & Critters.org. I’ve also heard good things about She Writes, and Agent Query Connect.
But don’t go nuts here. You don’t want a book written by committee. Trying to please all of the people all of the time ends up pleasing nobody.
Always save your original version so you can go back if you make big changes at a reader’s suggestion and they don’t work.
If you’re a newbie novelist or memoirist and you’re thinking of self-publishing, yes, you probably need quite a bit of feedback while you’re in your learning stage.
But if you’re planning to publish traditionally, remember your agent will want an edit and so will your publisher, and they may tell you to put back exactly the things the amateurs told you change. My first publisher did.
Do Beta Readers Have to be Writers?
No. They only need to be careful readers. Preferably well-acquainted with your genre. But non-writers can make great Beta Readers, because they only need to help an author make a book as good as it can be—not turn it into their own work.
And they don’t have to be experienced editors. In fact, it’s better if they aren’t.
Here’s Jami Gold’s description of a Beta Reader:
“A Beta Reader gives feedback about big picture things: the characters, the plot, the pacing, etc. Beta reading is not about the reader’s knowledge of the craft of writing, but about what works and doesn’t work for them as a reader.”
If you’re lucky enough to find non-writers who are willing to read your work and give useful feedback, that’s fantastic. When you find good ones, treat them like gold!
Should you Pay for Beta Readers?
I’ve seen some ads for Betas recently, but it’s a newish idea and some writers think it’s a bad one.
But if the price is only $20-$50, and the reader’s feedback is useful, I think that’s a whole lot better than paying an editor thousands when you’re not yet ready for a professional edit.
Unfortunately, a lot of newbies go to a professional editor way too early. Here’s some great advice from agent Rachelle Gardner on 5 Things to Do Before You Hire an Editor.
Don’t skip the part about reading the manuscript out loud. One of the things I like about an in person critique group is reading each chapter out loud. We all catch so many problems that way.
But do try to find a fellow writer to exchange reads with before you pay a Beta.
Beta Read Exchanges
The easiest way to find good Beta Readers is to learn to be one.
A beta read exchange—entering into a short-term critique partnership with another writer—is a probably the best way to find a Beta Reader. You can look for them through an online writers’ group or an in-person critique circle.
You want to find a writer who is at about the same stage in his or her career as you are, who writes in a similar genre. Don’t contact a super-busy professional writer and expect them to do exchanges with you. They have agents and other long-established readers who beta for them, and they can’t afford to run a free writing school in their very limited spare time. Also, there might be copyright issues if a newbie thinks a published author has “stolen” his story or characters.
And keep in mind that people who are great Beta Readers for one writer may not work for another. So it’s best to vet each other before you commit to a full read. Exchange a chapter or two to see if you find the results helpful.
It’s better to get a few bruised feelings now than serious lacerations (and/or big chunks of wasted time) later on.
A Beta Reader once told me I should cut a scene where a woman absentmindedly eats most of the frosting she’s made for a wedding cake as it becomes clear her sister is going to be a no-show at her own wedding.
The reader was adamant the scene had to be cut, “because she should be upset and I can’t eat when I’m upset.”
I could see she wasn’t the Beta Reader for me because:
- My humor didn’t work for her.
- She wanted to make all the characters like her.
- The genre was obviously not her cup of tea.
Luckily we’d only exchanged a few chapters, but the experience had been helpful in one important way.
I’d learned something about who my ideal reader was NOT. (That’s another valuable service Beta Readers can provide.)
But unhelpful things can happen when Betas are mismatched. I’ve heard horror stories, so vet your Beta Readers carefully, especially if you meet online in a big, loosely-moderated place like Goodreads, where snark abounds. (I don’t recommend looking to Goodreads for Betas because of that. A lot of nasty wannabe writers seem to hang out there only for the purpose of being cruel.)
Tips for Authors in a Beta Read Exchange
1) Don’t Wear Your Writer’s Hat
Don’t approach the work the way you would your own. Instead, read the manuscript as a regular reader. Forget you know terms like “character arc”, “inciting incident”, and “three-act structure”.
Instead ask yourself stuff like:
- Do you know where the heck you are?
- Are you confused about who these people are? Do you feel like the new kid starting school in the middle of the year?
- Are these people you want to spend time with?
- Halfway through the novel do you feel an urgent need to organize your sock drawer?
The author needs to know!
But it’s not your job to rewrite anything, especially if it involves changing the voice or characters.
Remember the characters are the creation of the author. Only he/she knows how they “should/would” act and feel. (Unless this is a work in a long-running series and the Beta Reader is a fangirl/boy.)
But if the author hasn’t given the characters proper motivation, or they act erratically, that’s something Beta Readers can point out.
2) Lose the Editor’s Red Pencil, Too.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t make notes in the margins–that’s very helpful. But some inexperienced readers feel a compulsion to correct all the grammar in a piece, so every character sounds like a candidate for a PhD in English.
Fight any urge to do that.
If you happen to catch some typos—great! The author will be eternally grateful. But you’re not a proofreader.
And you’re not grading an English paper. It’s not your job to go to battle on behalf of the Oxford comma or wage war against sentence fragments.
Unless you’re actually a professional book editor, you probably don’t know that the American book publishing industry uses the grammar rules dictated by the Chicago Manual of Style, not the MLA Style used in academia or the AP Stylebook used in journalism.
So if you ARE actually used to grading high school English papers, you might steer your author very wrong.
Although if a writer consistently makes an egregious grammar error or commits apostrophe abuse, you might want to steer him toward a grammar book or some good grammar software.
3) Ditto the Badge from the Writing Rules Police
I’ve heard from writers who’ve had damaging experiences with Beta Readers who have been disrespectful or even cruel.
This kind of reader (often a wannabe writer) often gives advice that is dead wrong. You can find some tales of woe in the comment thread on my post on Stupid Writing Rules.
I think the nastiness often happens when Beta Readers are newbies. When people have no idea what they’re doing, they’ll often cover it up by acting dictatorial.
Or it can be a case of the Dunning-Kruger Effect. That’s the scientific theory that the most ignorant people tend to be the most confident.
These people may be afraid they don’t know enough to beta read, so they’ll try to impersonate a high school English teacher or college professor who impressed them as extremely knowledgeable.
So it’s important to remember we don’t beta read to impress anybody. We do it to be helpful.
Bullying is almost never helpful.
Most “Writing Rules” that aren’t based on actual grammar aren’t rules at all. They’re tips or guidelines, not stone-carved commandments handed down by the writing gods.
If you find the storytelling perfunctory and flat, the author needs to know. If that seems to come from too much telling and not enough showing, do say so.
But a reader doesn’t really want a book that’s ALL show and no tell or it would take the protagonist four volumes to get dressed in the morning. See my post on Why “Show don’t Tell” Can be Terrible Advice.
The same thing is true if you see a lot of clichés—yeah, the writer might need a gentle reminder to reach for something more original.
But if a certain character always talks in clichés—that’s how the character talks. How many people do you know who always speak as if they’re wildly inventive poets?
For more on this, see my post on The Writing Rules Police.
4) Don’t be Cavalier With Each Other’s Time
Both writer and reader need to be very clear about deadlines. If you offer to beta read, stick to agreed-upon timelines. I’ve heard of lots of tales of woe from authors who waited months for a response from a Beta reader. Don’t agree to beta read if you don’t have time to do it in a timely way.
5) Be Grateful, Even when the Feedback is Negative.
Just a little Golden Rule reminder. Reading carefully takes time.
7 Valuable Things Beta Readers Do
1) Find Repeated Words and Phrases and Confusing or Dropped Names
This is the stuff an author becomes blind to. We all have favorite “go-to” words and phrases we tend to overuse. (If you know what they are, do tell your Betas so they can keep an eye out for them.)
Or sometimes we fall in love with a phrase and ending up using it over and over. We think it’s genius.
The Beta Reader tells us it’s tedious.
Then there are those character names. We name our characters based on gut feelings, memories, and the mysterious workings of The Muse. These are real people in our minds.
But we often don’t think about what will happen when they meet up with each other on the page.
Like when Shoshana Allgood falls in love with Alfonzo Sottovoce and her bestie Solange Allora crushes on Aldo Soldano. Then the four of them are kidnapped by Saylor Allbad, the creepy guy who’s been stalking neighbors Selena and Aldonza, who have been found mysteriously dead of toe infections after having mani-pedis at a Southern Arizona mall… Confused yet?
Or we decide to rename one of them, and Shoshana becomes Elena. But we forget to do a search and replace, so halfway through the story, Shoshana disappears and some mysterious girl named Elena is now hot and heavy with Alfonzo. Wha…???
Then there are the writers who are so worried about using too many dialogue tags that they don’t use enough, and lines of unattributed dialogue are flying around and the reader has no idea who is saying what to whom, where, when or why.
Beta Readers to the rescue!
2) Flag Continuity Issues
Continuity is one of the biggest problems for a novelist. We have the whole scene in our heads, but many bits of it fail to end up onto the page, especially after a couple of edits.
So Beta Readers look for situations when the hero is battling an Orc who comes at him with big heavy axe and then two paragraphs later the axe disappears and the Orc has got one of those spikey balls on a chain.
Or the heroine runs into Mr. Hotstuff Billionaire as she’s leaving work and accepts his invite to dinner and subsequently his hotel room where he slowly removes her elegant designer gown…that she wore to work? When did she have a chance to change?
Maybe a guy is running from a tiger in chapter four, and in chapter five, he’s having a long philosophical conversation with a monk over a cup of tea. The tiger is sitting quietly by his side. Huh?
And there’s the heroine who’s tottering around in Jimmy Choos on page one, but on page three, she’s sprinting after the bad guy like Usain Bolt–no mention of her footwear being a problem.
The author has a problem, though. Beta Readers can help by pointing it out.
3) Catch Dropped Storylines and Loose Ends
Authors really need help with loose ends. Even pros. We get caught up in the main storyline and drop a thread. Betas are a huge help in catching this stuff.
In chapter seven, we were frantic about the heroine’s rent check, which had been stolen from the mailbox by the creepy NASCAR freak in Apartment 7 B, who turned out to be a serial killer of bike messengers.
After many twists and turns the heroine has saved her bike messenger boyfriend just in the nick of time. So the serial killer is caught, all is well and there’s a HEA.
But whatever happened to that rent money? The reader is still worried the heroine is about to be evicted, so it doesn’t feel like a HEA.
And what happened to her friend Solange, who was suicidal after getting dumped by Aldo in chapter ten, and was never heard from again?
The author may have forgotten her, but the reader hasn’t.
4) Alert Authors to Murky Motivation and “Unlikeable” Characters
People often make fun of “method” actors who demand to know their “motivation” for a ten second scene where they empty a garbage can.
And there’s Alfred Hitchcock’s famous line when an actor asked him, “But what’s my motivation?” He said, “Your salary.”
But the truth is that every character in your story needs motivation—and it can’t just be “the plot needs him to be there.”
This is where a Beta Reader can really help. “Why is Solange passing by Aldo’s door just as Saylor Allbad is about to kill him? The last we heard, Aldo dumped Solange and she moved to Tucson with Elena. Why is she wandering around Brooklyn?”
Often an “unlikable” character is simply one who hasn’t been given enough motivation. Beta Readers can be very helpful in pointing this out.
If a Beta Reader says, “I didn’t warm up to Aldo at all. I didn’t want Solange to end up with him.” That’s a helpful signal that the author needs to work on giving Aldo some more powerful reasons for his behavior.
When a character does something stupid or mean for no reason, the reader assumes he’s meant to be a jerk.
But if he does it because he has motivation—like he’s a wreck because his bike messenger roommate was just murdered by a serial killer—then we’re not so quick to condemn his jerkitude.
5) Tell Authors When They’ve Lost the Plot
- Are there fifty pages of throat-clearing before there IS a plot?
- Did the story disappear in a haze of description and/or flashbacks after chapter five?
- Is the reader bored /lost/confused in the convoluted or saggy middle?
- Do too many characters keep her turning back pages to find their subplots?
- Is there so much plot the reader gets whiplash?
- Is there only enough plot for a flash story spread over a 150K word tome?
- Are the stakes high enough? Does the reader think, “I can’t believe I read a whole book about people fighting over whether blueberry muffins are better than strawberry!”
- Is the reader done after the main problem got solved in chapter 10?
6) Fine-Tune “Sensitivity” Issues
A really knowledgeable Beta Reader can also point out authenticity and “sensitivity” issues. If there’s a character with a disease or disability, or who comes from minority community, and the Beta is familiar with the disability or comes from that community, they can help the author keep things authentic.
So if you’re writing about a diabetic character, and have a chance for a beta read from somebody with diabetes, you’ve lucked out. Make sure you show your gratitude.
These days there are “sensitivity” Beta Readers who read entirely for this kind of issues. For more, here’s a recent piece in Slate on sensitivity readers. They can help save you from inadvertently stepping on toes and stirring up angry review swarms and Tweetstorms, which can be pretty miserable to live through, even when you’re trying for diversity for all the right reasons.
7) Tell Us What Works!
Sometimes the most important thing a Beta Reader can tell an author is what does work. I learned this early on as a stage director, especially when working with newbie actors.
Piling on a bunch of negatives just makes a person feel under attack. They’ll shut down and be unable to hear anything you’re saying.
But artists can alway build on what they know they’re doing right.
***
What about you, scriveners? Do you use Beta Readers? Do you Beta Read for other authors? How do you feel about paying for beta reads? Have you heard any horror stories of Beta Reads gone wrong?
by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen) February 12, 2017
***
Many, many thanks to The Write Life for naming us to their list of The 100 Best Websites for Writers for 2017!
BOOK OF THE WEEK
No Place Like Home: Camilla Randall Comedy-Mystery #4
(But it can be read as a stand-alone)
Until the end of February, 2017
Wealthy Doria Windsor is suddenly homeless and accused of a murder she didn’t commit. But Camilla, with the help of a brave trio of homeless people, the adorable Mr. X, and a little dog named Toto, is determined to unmask the real killer and discover the dark secrets of Doria’s deceased “financial wizard” husband before Doria is killed herself.
And NO PLACE LIKE HOME IS ALSO AN AUDIOBOOK!!
Nearly 8 hours of hilarious entertainment!Only $1.99 if you buy the Kindle ebook
***
OPPORTUNITY ALERTS
Creative Nonfiction magazine seeks TRUE personal stories or profiles about people starting over after a failure or setback. Up to 4000 words. Paying market. $3 submission fee. Deadline June 19, 2017
C.G. JUNG SOCIETY OF ST. LOUIS ESSAY CONTEST $10 ENTRY FEE. Theme: Memories, Dreams, and Sensualities. They are looking for personal essays that add something unique to the conversation about Jungian ideas. Winners will have the opportunity to read their essays at our conference, Jung in the Heartland: Memories, Dreams Sensualities, October 2017. Winning essays published on the website. 1st Prize: $1,000. 2nd Prize: $500. 3rd Prize: $250. 3,500 words. Deadline: May 1, 2017.
LitMag pays up to $1000 for short stories! $250 for poetry and short-shorts. No reprints. They don’t consider work that’s previously been published either in print or online (including personal blogs.)
5 Anthologies Open to Submissions (all paying markets) These 5 anthologies, listed by Authors Publish Magazine are looking for stories, poems and essays that range from SciFi erotic poetry to Western fiction.
Publish with the Big 5 without an agent! Forever Yours, Digital-first Romance imprint of Hachette is now taking unagented submissions, from novellas to sagas (12K words t0 100K words.) No advance. 25% royalty. Professional editing, design, publicist. Print books over 50K words.
ROMANCE AUTHORS! Here’s a list of 31 small presses that specialize in romance and do not require an agent for submissions. Also compiled by the Authors Publish Newsletter.
25 PUBLISHERS YOU CAN SUBMIT TO WITHOUT AN AGENT. These are respected, mostly independent publishing houses–vetted by the great people at Authors Publish. Do check out their newsletter
Thanks so much for the shout out, Anne! I’m glad people have found my posts and worksheets helpful. 🙂
I had to laugh at your advice about taking off our editor hat when beta reading because I’ve never been very good at that…which is probably why I do developmental editing now rather than beta reading. LOL! But great information here! I’ll be sharing. 🙂
Jami–Your posts and worksheets are so valuable for authors and betas! But you’re right that you should not be beta reading if you’re wearing an editor’s hat. You should be doing just what you ARE doing. Editors need to be paid! Your level of expertise is worth paying for.
Hey Anne — Brava. I just finished beta-reading a friend’s middle grade fantasy novel. Here are a couple of observations I’d like to add to your fine post on this subject. Though the work I just read had no continuity problems at all, that’s a beautiful gift a beta-reader can give a writer. As marvelous & helpful as critique groups can be, they don’t get the natural experience of reading the book straight through. Some of my previous beta-read experiences have allowed me to unearth continuity issues a critique groups could never catch. Also, like most of life, the beta-reading experience is greatly influenced by the relationship between the writer & reader. When I’ve beta-read for a person I’ve never met, I’ve fully embraced your “don’t-read-as-a-writer” advice, but when I already have a writerly/critique-based relationship with the writer, I don’t do that at all. But instead of hitting the writer over the head with My Incredible Authority, I’ll say things like, “consider the order in this list,” or “consider indentations for emphasis.”
Keep up the great work!
CS–Critique groups are great for so many things, but they don’t get the big picture, which is why beta-reads can be so valuable.
There’s a fine line between “critique partner” and “beta reader” that I didn’t want to get into here, because the line is slithery and everybody has their own expectations. But generally a critique partnership comes with an established relationship, as you say, and Betas can be strangers.
I’ve always called them test readers, but yes, I have two I’ve used from the very beginning. They’re friends who read my genre and just read for the overall picture. They might point out grammar mistakes, but mostly they are just looking for what doesn’t work for them as a reader. Since they are my target audience, I consider their feedback vital. If my target readers don’t connect with the story, I’m sunk.
Alex–“Test readers” may be a better term. I’m not sure I like “Beta” but it seems to be the established term these days. The test readers you describe do exactly what I’m talking about here. They tell you if you’re reaching your target audience–so vital for an author.
So many things I’m just not doing. Reading your posts is sometimes scary, Anne!
If you asked me to identify my crit group and then my beta-readers, my pointing arm wouldn’t move. Kind of an amphibious gang of helpful fellow authors, they perform aspects of both. But I tend to post only the more polished draft, whereas they take my comments on their stories and often rewrite entire sections. I think I’m just less sure of myself, and I have to think about my tales for so long before I write, it really isn’t a first take. What I would give if my lovely wife had time to read what I wrote…
I use the image of Tom Bombadil a lot. In the first LoTR book, Tolkien is writing this deathless epic fantasy and it’s taking forever (as usual) to get past the Patience Horizon. Because epic fantasy. And THEN he takes ten-plus pages to encounter this unique, incredible, utterly irrelevant fellow. He sings songs, and he puts on the One Ring and doesn’t even disappear, and they have breakfast. But if you know Tolkien, there’s nothing for it. As “wrong” as it was, as many rules it broke, he would probably just have shrugged and said “that’s what happened”. Praise God he never tried to publish today- they would have cut him to ribbons and we’d have a tale with only one Hobbit, five more battles, and probably a girlfriend in it.
Will–I have the same lucky situation right now. My critique group also provides some of my best betas. I used to ask family and friends and it sometimes led to tears…
Very interesting observation about Tolkien. You’re right that no Beta (and certainly no agent) would allow a character like Tom Bombadil to survive a contemporary edit.. I sometimes wonder how many classics would be published under today’s rules. Not a whole lot, I fear. People used to write to fill long winter nights. Now we are supposed to speed-write for speed-reading.
Definitely Frodo would have a girlfriend. 🙂
Hey Anne,
Good advice.
I use beta readers and they’ve helped me tremendously. Though I mix it up a little. There are a couple who are just flat out readers, wouldn’t know a grammar rule to save their lives and the other two are writers who are more acquainted with said rules. For me, it’s a nice balance of feedback.
On my last round I did have a reader volunteer to beta read and it was a bit of a hot mess because her feedback was so negative that I absolved her from continuing, since I had no desire to make her miserable. To my shock and amazement, she told me she loved the story. In a later email she made a casual offhanded comment that she was disappointed that her feedback hadn’t come off as brilliant as she had hoped. Which actually explained a lot an enabled me to recover from some of her more stinging criticism.
I don’t know about paying betas – I’d be open to it – but my fear would be that suddenly ‘beta’ businesses would open and indies would be paying 500 bucks for a super duper one-of-a-kind-professional-guaranteed-to-find-all-your-problems-beta-read. After which beta reading ‘experts’ would be offering beta read courses for readers who can get paid to read and generate lots of passive income. And once again, writers would be shelling out their hard earned cash for something they don’t in the long run get.
Conversely, I got roped into a beta read with a writer I barely knew, because I casually mentioned that I’d be happy to give her some feedback when she was finished – and next thing I knew, she emailed the book to me. My bad and my big mouth. The book wasn’t awful but it was so hard to follow that it took me months to read it. When I finally sent her notes, she didn’t care what I had to say and apparently was a week away from publishing it as it stood. LOL. My. Own. Fault.
Keep keeping on.
Annie
Annie–I always learn so much from your comments! You have the best of all worlds if you have some Betas who are just readers and some who are writers as well.
Very good point about paying Betas–where does it end? These days there are many more people making money FROM writers than there are writers making money from writing, so you bring up a very valid issue. It would be a shame if this became one more required expense for newbie writers.
I think a lot of new Betas make the mistake of thinking they are supposed to come up with as much negative stuff as possible. That’s where guidelines like Jami’s worksheets can help. Also, you might have to tell them to stop reading if they really aren’t enjoying the story.
And then–Lord help us–there are those pushy people who ask you to Beta read and don’t take no for an answer like yours. That’s when you have to apologize that your schedule has suddenly become congested and you don’t have time after all.
There’s also the problem of copyright, which can be a biggie if you’re published and you’re dealing with a newbie. They might accuse you of stealing their story. Ack! I should have put that in the post!
Hey Anne,
Excellent point about betas believing their ‘job’ is to come up with a lot of negative stuff. In fact, I believe I did use one of Jami’s worksheets for the betas on this round. LOL, but the one I had trouble with completely ignored it. Go figure, right?
Also, good point about the copyright issue – I never thought of that, but yes it really could become an issue with a not so in the groove new writer.
On another note – I belong (and I use the term loosely) to a few FB writer’s groups and some of the stuff that gets posted is beyond the pale. From total cluelessness to total arrogance. For example, they’ll ask for feedback on a cover and then anyone who doesn’t love, love, love it, just doesn’t get it. Not to mention all the false datums and ‘rules’ that I’ve seen some come up with.
You’ll be happy to know though that I always recommend your site to those writers to get the real deal advice they need. Hopefully, some of them have come here and have learned.
Have a great Sunday.
Annie
Thank you for this great post. A good, thoughtful, honest Beta reader is gold! I get tremendous help from my critique group, but like you said, continuity can get lost with all the time between reads. I am ready for a Beta reader for the first of my trilogy and your advice will help me find just the person…I hope!
Christine–Critique groups are great for some things, but lousy for character arcs and plotlines. Especially when members are getting on in years. 🙂 So Betas will definitely help.
Love this post, as always you deliver the ‘goods’…
I beta/test read at lest 3 manuscripts a month for very selfish reasons: I want to keep my editor mindset as loose as possible. I do primarily developmental edits and operate on a stream-of-consciousness, oddball approach, hoping to keep my mind open to the guts and soul of the story.
However, I know that mental processes being what they are, I must break the ice-pack regularly — hence the beta/test reading. Like you say, going through the entire book (eating the whole meal), before thinking about how satisfied I am, forces my mind to incorporate every aspect as it relates to the whole. Editing can force you to focus on why a scene doesn’t work, why a chapter might be misplaced, or how the first chapter needs help.
And…in the end…I love helping out an author without wearing — what did the other poster call it? oyes – My Incredible Authority hat/cloak/badge/face. :o)
Thanks for your guidance — will tweet to my astoundingly yuge twitter clan.
Maria
Maria–Beta reading does make you look at a book in a different way.
And you bring up a really important point–First Chapters! So many new writers get their first chapter critiqued over and over again, but until you get a beta read, you don’t know if you even need THAT first chapter. Maybe it needs to start in a different place. Or cut entirely. Getting a Beta read helps figure that out.
Anne, you have listed many good points in this article, but one of the notable ones is that writers often send their work to an editor too early. It’s a valuable exercise to have at least a couple of beta readers go through the manuscript and, based on their feedback, work further on it before sending it to an editor. An alternative is to have a manuscript assessment done by an editor or a manuscript appraisal service. Although the writer has to pay for this, it’s usually quite affordable and they receive professional, constructive feedback on all aspects of the manuscript.
FoolProof–That’s such a biggie, it probably deserves its own post. I’ve worked as an editor, both in-house and freelance, and it’s amazing what newbies think an editor can do with a raw manuscript. I’m sure you have stories.
I had one woman who bring me a plastic bag full of old cassettes she thought I could “edit” into a book. Another had a box full of random rants she’d scribbled to everybody she thought had wronged her. People don’t understand that an editor is for *polishing* a manuscript, not spinning straw into gold. 🙂
Definitely offering a flat-fee assessment first helps. But some things can’t be edited because they aren’t actually books.
Flip side: I don’t think betas should be receiving first drafts either – at least do a read-through and make sure it’s in English before asking for critique. I had a friend do NaNoWriMo, and December 2nd gave me the novel to beta-read. I attacked with a red pen for the first 5 pages, then just wrote, “And so on, add commas and capitalization as needed.” I decided to just do “big picture” editing, “These two chapters have no purpose. This character is awesome.” While the friend professed eternal gratitude for my feedback, I can’t help thinking it would have been much more helpful if I’d edited a second draft.
Irvin–Authors should definitely NOT give Betas a first draft! As I said,” the ideal time to get a beta read is between 2nd and 3rd drafts.”
First drafts are just for the writer–that’s when we put down all the stuff we’re going to mold into a story. The 2nd draft is when we get it as good as we can on our own and do our own self-editing and proofing. THEN it goes to a beta. I’m sorry if I didn’t make that more clear.
The author does need to run it through spell check as well. A raw NaNoWriMo ms. would be pretty rough going. You were kind.
I always use a beta reader and I’ve been blessed by the help I’ve received from: avid readers, fellow writers, former teachers and professional editors. I usually “pay” my beta readers by beta reading their manuscripts. There is one non-writer who is an excellent beta reader. I have fun searching for her thank you. I seriously can’t say enough nice things about beta readers.
Thank you for this article, Anne. I’ve shared it with my social network.
Leanne-As I said, the best way to “pay” a Beta Reader is with an exchange. If you’ve got a few good critique partners, you’ve struck gold. And a non-writer Beta is a huge help too.
Another helpful post just as I’m asking myself, I wonder where I can find a good beta reader for my WIP? My partner is a fabulous editor but I’d love to find an “outside” person. I don’t belong to any critique groups. I’ve tried a couple but it was mostly beginner level and I needed to up my game. My big thing is whether or not the hook is set in the opening. I figure if I can get them to keep turning pages after the first three chapters I can keep them. I know that as a reader I’m terribly picky. If I’m not hooked by the first five pages it’s likely I’ll move to the next book because so many books, so little time. I’m gong to check out some of the places you suggested.
And also I cracked up at this: “Or it can be a case of the Dunning-Kruger Effect. That’s the scientific theory that the most ignorant people tend to be the most confident.”
Pretty sure I’m not the only person who read that and immediately thought of the guy who has “all the best words” and said “I was a good student. I understand things. I comprehend very well, better than I think almost anybody.” 😉
Eldonna–You do happen to belong to a great in-person writing group where you might find Beta Readers too. 🙂 You could put out word in the newsletter. Or simply ask on your blog. Say you’re looking for somebody who enjoys literary writing, or whatever.
And yes, there are many who think we are living in the era of the supremacy of Dunning Kruger. Although Doctors Dunning and Kruger came to their scientific theory long before the current crisis.
Very helpful stuff! If I can add a suggestion, both from my own beta-ing and being beta-ed: after each chapter, jot down what’s going through your mind. Predictions for the story going forward. Cliches you see developing. What details you think will be significant. Most folks I’ve beta-ed for have said this is the best part of my feedback.
It catches the things that were lingered over for pages when perhaps they shouldn’t have been. If the bad guy won’t find the lantern they just dropped with great detail, then we don’t care! If the Duke isn’t going to be killed when he fetches the papers, why doesn’t he just bring the papers in the first place? It also shows the red herrings that work best, and which parts are too predictable or not foreshadowed enough.
Irvin–What a great Beta Reader you must be! That would provide super-valuable feedback!
And yes, another thing Betas can do is look for “Chekhov’s gun” Anton Chekhov famously said, if there’s a gun on the mantel in act one, it needs to be fired by act three. Authors often put in “clues” and forget to use them.
Or, as you say, a the gun may not be foreshadowed enough. If it IS fired in act three, put in act one!
Thanks for the great tips!
I have a critique partner who also happens to be one of my beta readers, and I am one of hers. We are friends, but we are also able to put on our beta-reader hats when we’re reading each other’s work, and know not to take criticism personally. (although I admit it’s not always easy).
I do also have my partner (as in life partner) read my manuscripts and though I know he’d never say it was crap even if he thought it, he has no compunction about pointing out plot and character flaws, and his feedback is always useful.
I think the secret to giving your work to anyone to read, is to expect that they will find some faults in it (which invariably they will if they’re worth their salt because no novel is perfect) so you are more open-minded and able to consider their feedback in a (fairly) rational light.
Robin–As I said earlier, the line between critique partner and Beta Reader is a fine one, and one can serve as the other in many cases. If you do have a sig. other who can serve as a beta, that’s fantastic. I know some couples who can do that. But writers shouldn’t expect it, and be grateful if they do luck out that way.
And yes, authors should be open to feedback, show gratitude,, but not feel they always have to act on it.
A touchstone I use for ‘not always feeling as though I have to act on suggestions’ is the line from Kipling’s “If”: If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, yet make allowance for their doubting too…” Some feedback when incorporated will improve your story, some won’t, and some might be neutral, but not flow with the character as you know him or her.
Thanks, Anne, for a wise and helpful post. I’m kind of an orphan since my dear mentor John Yeoman passed away to the other side, but I feel very at home here, and will visit regularly. Do you post on a certain day every week?
Tricia–That line from “If” is a good one to keep in mind. We need to be careful not to take everybody’s suggestions at face value. Everybody has an agenda, whether they realize it or not.
I miss Dr. John so much too! I was so very sad to see he had died last summer. He helped so many writers!
This blog is updated every Sunday at 10 AM Pacific time. Our old blog had that in the sidebar, but I see we don’t have that anymore since we moved. I’ll see what I can do about re-installing that. Welcome!
Wow. Talk about impeccable timing. I just had a (mostly) good experience with a beta reader on my most recent project. I had posted a cattle call for a few beta readers in a FB writer’s group for a few beta readers to read my story. I had just finished the first round of edits (what I like to call draft 1a) and was looking for some decent feedback. I made the terms very easy: no concrete deadline; credit in the acknowledgements; pimping a website and a free e-book of their choosing.
One ultimately backed out and was gracious about it. She misunderstood what I was asking for (she was from the other side of the pond), so she felt she didn’t have the required amount of time to do it right. She did managed to complete 4 out of 8 chapters and gave me good feedback, which I will check once the other reader gets back to me.
If anything, I believe it’s imperative to make it extremely clear what you’re looking for in feedback/critique when you go searching for beta readers.
G.B.–You make in important point! Authors should be very clear about what they want from a Beta Reader. (And they should feel free to steer them to this post.) Reading a whole book and giving feedback is a big commitment and not everybody has that kind of time.
Also a writer should NOT demand editing from a beta reader. That’s something we need to pay for.
I do like the idea of giving a thank you gift to a beta if you’re not exchanging reads.
Excellent insights here. I have an iron-clad rule with both beta readers and my critique group: I ALWAYS consider their comments. I might choose to disagree with their objections or suggestions, but I will seriously consider every point.
Mike–I think we have to consider the source. A Beta who is brilliant about one thing–like sensitivity to the disabled– may have a bee in his bonnet about something you disagree on, like the Oxford comma or the use of sentence fragments, so we need to learn to consider the source and cherry pick what works for the book.
I do caution against letting your book be written by committee. But of course, we have to listen to the feedback, or there’s no point in seeking out Beta Readers or critiques.
Beta readers (in my view) are a must and I’ve used them every time I could – usually they are writers like myself but the occasional reader is also very very helpful. This is a great post, gives an excellent overview of the advantages (and pitfalls). Really useful. Thanks.
Claude–I used beta readers for decades before I knew they had a name. I’ve always been grateful for the way they helped shape my early work. I don’t think I’d have a career without them! Some were writers, but most were just avid readers. I’ll always be grateful to them. I’m glad you liked the post!
Excellent post, Anne. Beta readers, like editors, are so important because they don’t have the same connection to the story that the writer does. I know what’s supposed to happen, so I might miss it if blah-blah-blah action doesn’t line up right so that Character A and plot B makes sense. A beta reader can read a story through and say “There is no way that character would do that! Find another way.”
Sarah–Exactly. The story is all right there–in the author’s head. But it may not make it onto the page. So Betas can be excellent for flagging those problems with continuity and motivation. I
I don’t find it helpful when readers claim to know characters better than the author or they use stereotypes. Saying “a truck driver would never read Proust” isn’t helpful. But if a story does have a truck driver reading Proust, the author has to give motivation or backstory that would explain somebody acting against type. A Beta can point out where that needs to happen.
I agree. I meant that, the writer missed the character acting out of character because they (the writer) needed the character to do something for the sake of the plot. Thus, a beta reader can read the established personality of the character and might notice if they start acting weird.
Yeah, I know that it annoys me when some people act like a character must act a certain way because of such-and-such trait they have. Like a poor person wouldn’t care about Shakespeare (if they have time for hobbies, they might), or a person of this nationality would never like entertainment/art from this other nationality (barring justifiable reasons like government propaganda and fear-mongering à la the Cold War).
Sarah–Yes, that’s a situation where the Beta can catch things and be a big help. Authors do sometimes move the characters around like chess pieces and forget to think about how THEY feel about it. 🙂
I had a couple of paragraphs on this subject in the initial draft of this post, but cut it for length.
Catherine Ryan Hyde discusses it in our book How to be a Writer in the E-Age. One of the big pitfalls of critique groups she mentions is the tendency to reduce characters to stereotypes in situations like that.
She talks about the time she was told “no truck driver would read literary fiction.” She had given his background in another chapter, but the group hadn’t read it, so they unanimously agreed that she couldn’t have a literate truck driver character. But they were wrong. And she went on to become a literary superstar and that particular book was optioned by Warner Brothers with Nicholas Cage attached to play that character.
I recently read that a novice writer should find between 12 and 30 beta readers. It’s difficult convincing 30 people I know to read my novel, (everyone says they’ll buy it but most don’t), never mind 30 strangers.
Kevin–That’s a terrible piece of advice! Way too much input for a new writer, even if it were possible. (And I agree it isn’t)
You do not want your book to be written by a committee.
I’d say 3-4 at the most after self-editing if you don’t have a writing critique group. The Internet is so very full of bogus information and bad advice. I’ll have to add that to my list of “Stupid Writing Rules.” Sheesh!