Writing Worry #34: Finding good beta readers

After losing count of the number of revisions on a manuscript, it's easy to become edit-blind. At some point, every author has to turn their beloved fledgling story over to someone else to read. Before venturing into the deep end of queries and submissions, beta readers are an author's best friends.

These rare and elusive readers are willing to accept a completed manuscript that may still be an diamond in the rough and give feed back about what they liked or didn't and what they found interesting or confusion.

I admit it. I seek out beta readers. I solicit my friends and family. I read at writing groups. I make general pleas on my Facebook account. I even offer to exchange manuscripts with kindred authors I meet on the off chance that they are as desperate as I am for beta readers.

When all the revisions and edits are done, I'm always struck with the fear that no one will want to read what I've spent months, years usually, working on. As an author, it's hard to tell if I've been able to transfer the story and characters that have fermented in my brain onto the page.

Beta readers come in all varieties and serve multiple purposes.

-The 'I liked/loved it' beta is a great confidence booster.

-The Line Editor beta can catch many of the typos and mistakes the author no longer sees.

-The Big Picture beta often makes suggestions about characters or the plot that can make the difference between an okay storyand a truly satisfying one.

-The 'I stopped reading' beta can be the most valuable because they can give an author insight as to where the reader's attention is being lost.

Over the last month, I've received numerous comments from beta readers of Spar (M/M erotic romance set in a karate dojo). The corrections and suggestions helped me polish the manuscript enough for submission. Big thankyous to everyone who read. Look for exciting news about Spar in the near future.

If you have a chance, beta read for a new author. Be kind, but be honest. It can make the difference between staying in the purgatory of submission and getting accepted for publication.