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
A Goodreads user
asked
Michael J. Sullivan:
Is there a way to Follow you on KickStarter so I dont miss the next? I just now discovered i have been missing out!!! thx, huge fan!
Dan
asked
Michael J. Sullivan:
Michael, Have you ever been part of a mastermind group, either formal or informal? They seem to be all the rage these days, especially in the indie community. If not, would you consider joining one or starting one? Who would be in your ideal mastermind alive or dead? Thanks, Dan
Uhuit
asked
Michael J. Sullivan:
Hey Michael, do you know when paperpack editions of The Death of Dulgath will be released?
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