You’ve finished your book, and you’ve completed all your editing. You’re done. Congratulations! You should be extremely proud of yourself. But it’s at this point that many authors have doubts. How do you know if it’s a good read? You’re so familiar with your book that it’s difficult to look at it objectively. After all, you already know the twists and turns and how it works out. How will your readers respond?
One option could be to commission a developmental edit, but although that can be extremely valuable, it’s a comprehensive service and comes at a price. So before you jump in there, it could be worth considering using beta readers.
Who are beta readers and what do they do?
A beta reader is someone who gives you feedback on your writing from a reader’s point of view. What they tell you can give you an early indication of anything that isn’t quite working as you intended, and you can use that information to make amendments.
Strictly speaking, the first people you ask to read your book would be called alpha readers. Beta readers would be those you asked during a second feedback round. But the term ‘beta readers’ is often used to mean anyone you ask for feedback, so for simplicity’s sake we’ll stick with that.
“You can never read your own book with the innocent anticipation that comes with that first delicious page of a new book, because you wrote the thing.
You’ve been backstage. You’ve seen how the rabbits were smuggled into the hat. Therefore ask a reading friend or two to look at it before you give
it to anyone in the publishing business. This friend should not be someone with whom you have a romantic relationship, unless you want to break up.”
– Margaret Atwood*
If you’ve written fiction, beta readers look at things like:
- Did the plot make sense?
- Were the characters believable and the dialogue realistic?
- Was it un-put-down-able, or were there places where it got a bit slow?
- Were they confused about what was happening at any point?
- Was the ending satisfying?
If you’ve written a non-fiction book, they should consider things like:
- Did they find it interesting and useful?
- Was an entertaining read, or was it a little dry?
- Did the chapters flow logically, or was it a bit disjointed?
- Was there anything they didn’t understand?
They don’t carry out any editing or analyse your craft as a fellow workshop participant might, but they can highlight issues with your book that you aren’t aware of. This gives you the chance to review those areas before you move to approaching agents or self-publishing.
They’re not there to check the spelling, punctuation or grammar either. There’s little point getting down to that level of detail if you’re not sure at the moment whether your characters are working. Think of it like building a house – you don’t start painting the walls until the entire structure is in place!
Where can I find beta readers?
You can find them online. In fact, if you google ‘beta readers’ it feels like they’re everywhere! Some do it simply for the joy of it, while others advertise their services and charge. They may have their own websites, or they may use platforms such as fiverr.com. You can also find them in Facebook writing groups or on websites like Reddit and Goodreads. Look for people who enjoy reading the kind of book you’ve written. If you’re paying, make sure you satisfy yourself that they’re genuine and that their work is of a high standard, just as you would with, say, a plumber or a gardener. Or an editor!
Or you may feel more comfortable asking people you know. Friends and family can make good beta readers, but they’ll need to understand what you’re asking for. Is Aunt Gertrude just going to gush and tell you how wonderful your book is? Will your cousin Bob spend all his time scoffing at your ‘incorrect’ use of commas? Neither approach is going to be of much help. And take heed of Margaret Atwood’s advice above – you do need to be sure your beta reader is OK with giving you constructive criticism, and that you’re OK with hearing it from them!
Fellow writers can be another good source of beta readers. If you’re in a writing group, maybe there are people there who’d be happy to help. Do remember that you’re asking them to give up quite a few hours of their time, though, so be wary of asking them to do it for free. Maybe you can offer to beta read for them in return, or set up some other bartering agreement.
Whoever you choose, they need to be enthusiastic readers of your genre, able to pay attention to your brief and not afraid to give you constructive criticism without annihilating you!
I need to give them a brief?
It’s a good idea to, yes. You don’t need to go into great detail, but you should give them some guidance, particularly if they’ve never done any beta reading before. That way you can coax out of them the valuable feedback you need.
Start by telling them that this is a draft manuscript and therefore not perfect. That they shouldn’t be concerned with spelling, punctuation and grammar, because you’ll be fixing that later on.
Then tell them what you do want – their opinions of the book as a whole. You could give them some questions designed to guide their thoughts, for example:
- Was there anything you particularly liked or didn’t like?
- How believable were the characters?
- What did you think about the dialogue? Was it realistic?
- Were there any passages/sections that were too long/confusing/boring?
- Was there anything you didn’t understand?
- Did the plot make sense?
- How did you feel about the ending?
Add anything else you’d like to know; for example, you could ask them about any particular scenes or chapters you’re unsure about.
Tips
- To get the most valuable feedback, don’t give beta readers your first draft. Take the time to do all your own editing first.
- Ask people who are the target audience for your book. If they enjoy reading the type of thing you have written, they’re likely to know what ‘good’ looks like.
- Ask more than one person to read your manuscript. One person’s opinion may be subjective, but if three or four people respond less than positively to something, it’s probably something to look at.
- Give them sufficient time, but also give them a deadline, making it clear that they don’t have to answer all your questions if they don’t have the time.
- Be sure to thank them!
Are beta readers a substitute for editors?
No, they’re not. Beta readers look at your book from a reader’s perspective. Editors look at your book from a professional viewpoint.
Beta readers can highlight aspects that aren’t working how you thought they would, or places where what you intended to convey just isn’t coming over, and that’s really useful. Editors, on the other hand, have studied the craft of writing and understand story structure, narrative arc, pace, tension and so on. A beta reader may tell you that a part of your book is a bit boring; a developmental editor will be able to tell you why that is and suggest ways to fix it.
That’s not to say you have to hire a developmental editor afterwards. Once you’re confident that your book is complete, you can start to query agents, or move on to copyediting if you’re going to self-publish.
But if you do still want to work with an editor, having used beta readers beforehand can mean that your book will more polished, which will probably mean the developmental edit is much more straightforward. And that’s got to be a win, for your editor and for you!
* Margaret Atwood quote above from The Guardian.
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