Beta readers – what are they and why do you need them?

I’d never heard of beta readers when I (poorly) published my first books, a fantasy trilogy. If I had, I might have held off for a while and gathered a few opinions. For that’s what betas are – people who read your book before you publish it and tell you what works and doesn’t work.

As it was, I essentially re-wrote the trilogy at the end of 2019, taking advantage of a few years of learning the craft and with feedback from my step-granddaughter, an avid reader. (She loves them, but is re-writing ...