Beta Readers
Posted by annastan on March 8th, 2010. Filed under: Craft, WIP, Writing Rants.I’ve had a few people ask me about beta readers – what they are, what they do, and how I found mine. Someone also asked me if beta readers are like beta fish (aka Siamese fighting fish). As far as I know, my beta readers have yet to fight each other to the death.
So what are beta readers? They’re essentially test readers, people who take your manuscript out for a spin. Often they’re used in later stages of writing, so that they’re among the last people to see the manuscript before it’s sent off to an agent, publisher, etc.
I use my betas a little bit differently; when I have a manuscript that feels complete, I send it to my betas and get their feedback on the whole thing. Then I take that feedback and rework the project before I send it, usually in pieces, to my writing group. Finally, I have at least one more beta read it (often my husband) before it goes off to my agent.
The main goal of having beta readers look at your full manuscript is to get a sense of what’s working and what isn’t. Some people use a range of betas to get different feedback. I know some YA writers, for example, who have teens as beta readers. The important thing is to find readers who will give you their honest feedback and be able to convey their concerns to you in a way that will help you fix problem areas.
As far as my own betas go, I have a couple people I rely on: my very patient husband and a good friend of mine who has been reading my work since we were teenagers. If necessary, I might also ask another friend or two to take a look if I need a new pair of eyes. I’ve found that getting feedback from a few different sources is helpful, but getting feedback from too many people can just get confusing. That’s why it’s important to find the type of feedback (beta or otherwise) that works for you.
Happy Monday!
March 8th, 2010 at 8:33 am
You and your pictures! You’re a complete package poster.
March 8th, 2010 at 8:48 am
It is so important to find the balance in the number of readers. Too many will drive you nuts. I work strictly with my critique group until I feel it’s ready. Then I give my completed manuscript to a few trusted readers for a final polish. This works well for me.
March 8th, 2010 at 9:22 am
I agree about too many readers. It’s why I prefer small crit groups or a crit partner, rather than large, the-more-the-merrier groups. I was in a large one once—what a disaster.
March 8th, 2010 at 9:46 am
Jon, you realize that you’ve now challenged me to keep finding odd pictures for my posts. I must admit, I rather enjoy doing it.
Judy, your system sounds great. You get your critique group to help you along and then a few trusty readers to help you polish things up. It’s so nice to have people to support you along the way.
Andrea, I can imagine a the-more-the-merrier group would be pretty overwhelming! Even if everyone has the best of intentions, you would wind up with so many different opinions that it would be hard to sort them all out.
March 8th, 2010 at 10:06 am
I think that hard for me in the beginning – listening to too many critters. But I’ve learned.
March 8th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Laura, I think it can be really tempting to get as much feedback as you can, thinking it will help. Sometimes it can give you ideas you wouldn’t have come up with otherwise, but often having that much feedback in your head just starts to feel like a war. I’m glad you’ve found a balance.
March 8th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
I do have Beta readers, but sadly, my husband won’t participate. It’s just as well though – he’s one tough critic!
March 9th, 2010 at 8:20 am
I need some betas! I love my crit group–they get my “first” draft (in quotes because I do a lot of rewriting on my own before I send it to them). What I’m missing are fresh eyes for my follow-up rewrites.
March 9th, 2010 at 8:52 am
Lisa, I love getting my husband’s feedback, but sometimes it’s hard not to take it more personally than I would if it was coming from someone else – I guess it’s a tradeoff. I’m glad you have other beta readers to help!
MG, betas can be so hard to find! I think even just having one fresh pair of eyes to look at a rewrite can make a big difference. Sometimes I’ve asked a member of my crit group to look at a rewrite, just to get feedback on the entire ms one more time (even if they’ve already seen a previous version).
March 9th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
I agree that good betas are hard to find, but fortunately even ONE can make all the difference. I’m in a small crit group (I agree that small works best) but for novelists I think beta readers may be better because they see (1) the whole book (2) toward the end of the process.
March 9th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Another useful post.
Annastan, I’m with you–tough to find the right beta readers. Husbands–or any family members or close friends–can be problematic, because the two relationships can collide, and sometimes there are casualties. Family members can be too lenient because they love anything you do, or they can be too harsh because of other issues that lurk in the relationship.
March 9th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
Marcia, I think you’re right that one beta reader can do wonders. Just getting someone to look over the whole ms can be so helpful, especially if that person has a keen eye.
Anne, it really can be tricky. I’m lucky that my husband is very honest about my work so I always trust his feedback. But I can see how getting family to give feedback might backfire. It really has to be the right kind of relationship for the person to be a good beta reader.