Comments on: Beta Readers

By: annastan

annastan — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:34:00 +0000

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.

By: Anne R. Allen

Anne R. Allen — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:22:49 +0000

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.

By: marcia

marcia — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:10:58 +0000

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.

By: annastan

annastan — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:52:34 +0000

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).

By: MG Higgins

MG Higgins — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:20:28 +0000

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.

By: Lisa G.

Lisa G. — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:46:48 +0000

I do have Beta readers, but sadly, my husband won’t participate. It’s just as well though – he’s one tough critic!

By: annastan

annastan — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:44:59 +0000

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.

By: Laura Pauling

Laura Pauling — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:06:27 +0000

I think that hard for me in the beginning – listening to too many critters. But I’ve learned.

By: annastan

annastan — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:46:44 +0000

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.

By: Andrea Vlahakis

Andrea Vlahakis — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:22:13 +0000

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.