How to set your beta reader up for success?

[Ana]

Hi there,

I'm new to the world of beta reading, and have a few questions. I noticed there was a thread of advice for beta readers, but what about some advice for the authors? Foremost, it is important to be appreciative, patient, and not taking criticism personally. But what about beyond that?

How do you get a copy of your work to a beta reader-- print or electronic? If electronic, pdf or word? Do you worry about your work being stolen?

Do you include a questionnaire? (Why, why not?)

Is there any kind of protocol for following up if you haven't heard back from a beta reader? What's the average timeline?

How many beta readers do you use per draft? How many cycles of beta readers and editing do you do per work?

Thanks!

[Writing with Starlight]

Hi Ana, and welcome.

First of all, usually, and this is only usually, you will receive/send the manuscript via email/Google Drive by Microsoft Word. As I'm sure you already know, MW has a 'comment' function that allows BETA readers to point out certain errors or good points in your manuscript. Most good BETA reader in addition to this will also fill out a standard BETA report, which is an in depth review of your whole manuscript, looking at characterization, plot, pacing etc.

Of course you can include a questionnaire, but it's always up to the BETA reader if they want to fill that out. If you pay for a reader, they most likely will. I always ask: when did you feel like you were bored? What parts made you think about going on Facebook or Twitter? So always feel free to ask.

As soon as you write a word on a page, it is yours. You own it. You have copyright. Legally, no one can steal it from you. HOWEVER, there is ALWAYS a risk that people will steal the idea of the story, or fragments of it, or even sentences. It is highly unlikely someone will steal the entire manuscript. Make sure to check our your BETA reader first. Have they got a website? Has anyone used them before? Don't just send your story to anyone. Send it to someone who has been trusted before. I actually know a great BETA reader called Deb on here, though she does charge.

H'mm. How many? It really depends. I've used around 10 for my current manuscript, but you can use how ever many you like. It's really your choice. What I would do is try to select one from each 'category' within your genre. Why not try to find a young BETA reader, a female, a male, and then an older one who likes your genre, both genders. That way, you get more rounded opinions rather than the same.

I personally only use one round of BETA readers unless I do revisions. I then get a professional editor to edit my work, then get a copy-editor, and finally a proofreader - those these cost.

Generally, until you are relatively happy you don't need BETA readers anymore, that your story is ready to be edited (if it hasn't already), I'd move onto a copy-editor.

Hope I helped some! This is only based on my experiences :)

[Lin]

All very sensible advice! There are several articles about beta reading on the blog on my website at www.coinlea.co.uk if you want further background on the purpose of beta readers and their part in the writing and publishing process.

Good luck with your writing, and welcome.

[T.A.]

I am both a beta reader and a writer, and whether I am giving my manuscript to a reader or reading for another writer, I definitely prefer Word documents. The comments feature is fantastic for pointing out specific things you are noticing in the manuscript, and as a writer, looking over those comments allows you to quickly and easily see what the beta reader is talking about.

I also like to include a list of questions for my beta readers. These are typically just general questions about plot, characters, pacing, character relationships, whether or not the beginning was engaging, etc. I also always include something that basically says, "At this time, I am not particularly concerned with grammar. If you see something that I am consistently doing wrong, please do let me know. Otherwise, don't feel obligated to point out every little grammar mistake." This is because I personally feel that grammar is not a beta reader's job. I also think that it's highly counterproductive to have someone pointing out grammar issues if you're going to rewrite a lot of that stuff anyways, which would erase the old grammar issues and (possibly) create new ones.

How many beta readers is entirely up to you. For short stories (which is what I've been focusing on lately), I generally try to get two or three beta readers, then revise, and then send it out to two other beta readers I swap with regularly and whose advice and opinions I trust. We have similar writing goals and they are both better than me at something, and I like to think my feedback is helpful to them, too. It's a good exchange and a great way to learn and grow as a writer. If you can find someone like that, it's immensely helpful. For novels, I think you need more beta readers. I've had about seven different beta readers for my most recent novel, and I felt like that was a pretty good number because there was a wide range of opinions. If two or more beta readers pointed out the same issue (and they did), then I knew that was something I needed to really focus on in the next draft. If one beta reader mentioned something they didn't like and I wasn't sure I agreed with them, I was able to look back and see if other readers had mentioned the same thing. Not to discredit anyone's opinion, but sometimes what doesn't work for one beta reader is just a personal opinion, and changing it may not be what's best for the story. I think that's the most important thing to remember with beta readers. It's important to look at their feedback and take it into consideration. As writers, we get so involved with our own work that it's difficult to see the problem areas sometimes, which is why constructive criticism is so valuable and important. At the same time, you don't have to go in and "fix" everything they tell you to if it's not right for the story. It's a delicate balance.

How many rounds of beta readers you want to use is also entirely up to you. With my current novel, one of my writer friends read my story as I was working on the second draft on a chapter by chapter basis. We did a swap thing and I read her story too, and that was really helpful. Then I rewrote it and sent it out to a larger batch of beta readers. I already know it needs another major overhaul and I'll probably end up rewriting most of it, so I'm sure I'll be sending it out for beta reading again after that. I know some writers who get things almost right on the first try and only ever use one batch of beta readers. I am not one of them. So it really just depends on you and on the story.

[Ana]

Thank you all for the very thorough and sincerely helpful comments!