Nicole
asked
Michael J. Sullivan:
Hello again. Just out of curiosity, about how long do you let your beta readers take to finish reading through your story, and what kind of feedback do you look for from them?
Michael J. Sullivan
Hey Nicole,
It really depends on the beta and whether there are publishing related deadlines in place. Ideally I like to give 6 weeks, but have done some betas in as little as 3 weeks. Let's look at the Beta for Rhune as an example.
First off, this books is not currently under contract. So there isn't a publishing deadline to worry about. My plan was to have two betas. The first ran from October 6th to November 24th, and the second one is due to start in January.
The "scope" of the two betas is different, as is the process. In the first beta, I want to see how the story unfolds and what people are thinking at each stage, so they were required to give feedback after reading each chapter. This is an "unnatural" reading sytle - but does provide excellent feedback as the story unfolds. Each beta reader was asked to fill out an online survey which had:
1. Ratings (from 1 - 5) asking their opinions on Overall feeling, Pacing, and Chatacters
2. What they liked most
3. What they didn't like
4. Were you confused by anything
5. What if anything surprised you
6. Was there anything in this section that you wanted to see happen that didn't?
7. What do you think will happen in the future.
8. Were there any typos you found.
Beta readers can also optionally upload files where they add comments "inline" either by using comments of a .pdf too, adding comments with Microsoft word, or penning notes and scanning/sending them.
For the January beta the process won't be so structured. The questions are likely to be the same...but the people can read/survey at their leisure...For instance if they are really engrossed and read through 3 chapters at once they can provide a survey that covers all three chapters. This allows them to have a reading experience more a kin to how they read normal books, but feedback is still provided after each reading session.
My wife Robin runs the beta process for me, and I don't get to see any of the feedback until it's all done. Although we will discuss certain comments that come up during the beta casually, for instance while at lunch or driving somewhere.
Thanks for asking! Oh, and by the way...for anyone who wants to be a beta reader, the first step is to become a member of the Dark Room. This is a private group where I pull beta testers from. If you would like to get an invitation to the Dark Room, just message or email me.
It really depends on the beta and whether there are publishing related deadlines in place. Ideally I like to give 6 weeks, but have done some betas in as little as 3 weeks. Let's look at the Beta for Rhune as an example.
First off, this books is not currently under contract. So there isn't a publishing deadline to worry about. My plan was to have two betas. The first ran from October 6th to November 24th, and the second one is due to start in January.
The "scope" of the two betas is different, as is the process. In the first beta, I want to see how the story unfolds and what people are thinking at each stage, so they were required to give feedback after reading each chapter. This is an "unnatural" reading sytle - but does provide excellent feedback as the story unfolds. Each beta reader was asked to fill out an online survey which had:
1. Ratings (from 1 - 5) asking their opinions on Overall feeling, Pacing, and Chatacters
2. What they liked most
3. What they didn't like
4. Were you confused by anything
5. What if anything surprised you
6. Was there anything in this section that you wanted to see happen that didn't?
7. What do you think will happen in the future.
8. Were there any typos you found.
Beta readers can also optionally upload files where they add comments "inline" either by using comments of a .pdf too, adding comments with Microsoft word, or penning notes and scanning/sending them.
For the January beta the process won't be so structured. The questions are likely to be the same...but the people can read/survey at their leisure...For instance if they are really engrossed and read through 3 chapters at once they can provide a survey that covers all three chapters. This allows them to have a reading experience more a kin to how they read normal books, but feedback is still provided after each reading session.
My wife Robin runs the beta process for me, and I don't get to see any of the feedback until it's all done. Although we will discuss certain comments that come up during the beta casually, for instance while at lunch or driving somewhere.
Thanks for asking! Oh, and by the way...for anyone who wants to be a beta reader, the first step is to become a member of the Dark Room. This is a private group where I pull beta testers from. If you would like to get an invitation to the Dark Room, just message or email me.
More Answered Questions
Adrienne
asked
Michael J. Sullivan:
I read Legends, Rise and Fall, then Revelations. I noticed that in the Empire books the elves all have blue eyes (Nolyn and Sephryn having the first? green eyes), but the elves introduced in Heir of Novron have green eyes. Is this just an error in continuity or does it signify the elves in Revelations are not "pure" somehow? Also, thank you so much. I was delighted I discovered your books from my library app!
Jeannie
asked
Michael J. Sullivan:
Hi Michael, I want to buy your Riyria books with the original covers that I believe your designed. I don't really like the covers of the omnibus books. But the original ones are basically impossible to find. Will the publisher/printer be printing more copies of them at some point? I guess you may not know but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. Thanks, Barbara
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more