Beta Readers and Critique Groups

 
Good morning. Today on our wwwblogs we’re talking about the importance of having fresh eyes looking at your book before you submit or publish it. These eyes should be employed before an editor provided by your publisher or that you’ve hired has a chance to see your book. Although all authors do edit their books, we simply don’t have the skills necessary to be dispassionate about our work. This is why we should have a great critique group (online or one that meets locally) or beta readers who will give us a solid analysis of our work and what needs attention.
Let’s talk about the critique group first. Just what is this?
A critique group is comprised of authors who write in the same genre or who are a group that meshes well together. They can be online or be a group that meets locally at a library or coffee ship. The rules will vary. In some groups, everyone posts or shares every week. In others, a single person will share or post. The group will provide insight into the chapter or short story—what works and what doesn’t, and then the author knows where they need to improve their book.
The most important thing about a critique group is that everyone must be equal in their interaction. A single person demanding their work always be placed first or who is rude to others in critiquing their work can destroy the ambience of the group. People will drift away. They’ll refuse to work with this person. Eventually, the group will be gone and the authors who were part of it won’t want to be part of another group in the future.
This can be avoided with a strong moderator who holds everyone to the clear rules of the group. If that one individual leaves in a huff, it’s actually better for the other members. They can move forward and have an enjoyable experience while also getting invaluable feedback on their book.
Beta readers offer a different type of initial editing for the author. These are usually people the author knows but also trusts to look over a story with a critical eye. They will offer suggestions on improving characterization or point out plot holes. The author can use this feedback to fix problem areas before moving on and discovering as they’re near the end that Eddie wasn’t the guy Sue loved all along, and they have to go back to the beginning to fix everything.
Another bonus offered by these alternatives is when you submit to a publisher. Far too many authors now are writing a book and submitting, claiming the book has been seen by an editor and is “completely publication ready” only to have the submission manager discover numerous mistakes on the first page. That leaves a bad impression and the author will occasionally question why their work was rejected. The submission manager is now in a bad spot, where they have to tell the author bluntly that they need to do at least a spell check before submitting, but it would be better to have gone through the process of peer critique first.


Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story. 
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