Dealing With Beta Reader Feedback

I’ve been hearing from my beta readers, and my critique partners are also finishing their passes through my manuscript. Overall, things have been positive, but it’s still a first draft, and I know this isn’t ready for my editor yet.

I sent the manuscript to 8 beta readers, plus my critique partners have been weighing in since the beginning. I wasn’t looking for proofreaders at this stage. Rather, this was what I asked them to look at.

Does the story hold your interest?
Do you connect with th...