When to start Beta Reader relationship?

[Damien]

Hi all,

I have a question for both authors and beta readers - when is the best time to start the beta reader / author relationship (this is within the context of someone starting out without a group of readers already)?

So for authors, at what stage of writing do you normally start looking for beta readers? And for readers, and what stage of writing do you prefer to get involved?

Thanks in advance!

Luke

[Robin]

As a writer, I like to have readers as I go, but only when I have something pretty solid to offer - little to no grammatical/spelling/etc. errors. It gives me a good idea of what's working and what isn't. My MS may be complete, but I may only release half of it for beta because the rest of it needs rewrites/edits/etc.

I also beta. I've done both, complete and incomplete. I prefer a "clean" MS (even if it's a partial) because spelling/grammar/etc. take me out of the story.

So, what stage would this be? I guess maybe middle-to-final?

[Damien]

Hey Robin, thanks for that. I'm about half way through my first draft of what I would loosely call a military thriller, and am wondering when to start looking for beta readers - probably should have mentioned that in the first post!

[Robin]

IMO, it depends on how well you are at first drafts. I didn't let anyone near my first fifty drafts, but I'm a new writer and my original work was awful! Maybe instead of a full beta, you just have someone skim it, talk it over with you, point out obvious issues? I know there are betas who like taking on first drafts, so if you go that route, just mention that when you make a request. Good luck!

[Silvia]

As a beta reader/editor, I work both the very beginning stages of the manuscript, reading chapter by chapter, sometimes over a number of drafts. I also work on the stages where editing is paramount. I have also beta read clean versions. I don't have a preference since I enjoy the challenge that each draft or stage has to offer. However, I would recommend waiting until your first draft is completed, as I tend to see more readers going after completed novels since they don't have to wait to find out how everything come together at the end. Best of luck though!
Silvia

[Tinthia]

Luke wrote: "Hey Robin, thanks for that. I'm about half way through my first draft of what I would loosely call a military thriller, and am wondering when to start looking for beta readers - probably should hav..."

Hi, I've learned that a beta can offer help if you feel your plot is weak. However, if you have a strong plot and feel good about the action level than wait until you've finished a second draft. I forget who the quote is credited to but it's something like good writing is rewriting. Best of luck.

[T.A.]

I usually wait until after I've done two or three drafts to find a beta reader. At that point, I feel like I've gone through the story and gotten it where I want it, for the most part, and I've addressed any major structural issues I could find or see on my own. Once I've done that, I know I really need outside feedback if I want to improve the story at all.

As a beta reader, I generally don't like to see first drafts (unless you are very, very good at turning out a solid first draft, and most people aren't). I feel like it's the author's job to go through the story at least once or twice on their own before getting a beta reader. A lot of the issues with the story are glaringly obvious in a first draft and could probably be addressed by the author if they took the time to do so. Also, going through the draft at least once gives the author a chance to polish the manuscript grammatically. I'm not saying it needs to be perfect, but your beta reader will have a much better experience if they don't have to stumble over bad grammar all the way through the story.

[Damien]

Sound advice there, thank you very much.