Beta Reader Group discussion
Writing Advice & Discussion
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How to Find and Work with Beta Readers to Improve Your Book
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Alex wrote: "I thought that this quote was quite relevant:There’s no use in sending your manuscript to an uninterested reader. By taking time to discover your novel’s ideal reader before sending out beta copies..."Very insightful...I am seeking beta readers over the past week or so and what i have realised that I prefer to pay for the service as an unwillingness to pay could result in someone not taking your work serious OR on the other hand paying could mean that the reader only wants your money...its a bit challenging to strike the right balance.
Of late i have started reading the beta readers list of reviews. If someone responds and is on Goodreads for say over a year and has not done any reviews then my feeling is that the person may not be a good beta reader. If that person has reviews posted then i look at the type of books reviewed and see how they comment on those books. It may not be a perfect way to select a beta reader but I use it as a guide.
I think it's very limiting to say 'I write sci-fi' so I only want sci-fi beta readers' for example. Yes, it's a good idea to get some betas interested in your genre, of course, but equally someone who reads widely can add a different perspective because they will be reading more objectively. For example I've beta read sci-fi, fantasy, memoir, travel, crime, from recent memory.
Regarding paying – a number of authors say it is just easier to contract with someone for a beta report, than to wait endlessly for an non-forthcoming free report. Or get a response saying liked it/didn't like it. Horses for courses.
I don't do free reports on full novels, but if I have a week or two, I'll look at a couple of chapters or short stories (>5000) for free.
Finding beta readers is a bit like finding editors. Helps to establish a decent working relationship.
Though when I purchase books, I tend to stick with what's familiar, when I beta read I go with interesting blurbs. I've read, and been happy with, a couple of romances, which I'm quite positive I'd never pay for in the book store. There have been a number where I could tell a couple of chapters in I wasn't a fit for the story, and I generally let the author know right then and provide my comments up to that point. A couple have asked me to continue reading, since they felt I was still providing something useful, but generally we go our separate ways.I've used paid readers quite a bit, though the results I've got between paid and free are about the same on average (but the deviation is quite substantial on both sides). I'm sympathetic to those authors who want feedback soonest, learning patience has been the biggest challenge for me in this 'business'. However, paid hasn't always been faster than free. I guess it just depends on circumstances.
Regarding the article, what if you don't know your genre? That's what I've struggled with and is no doubt part of the reason I get such varied feedback (some love it, but as many hate it). My approach recently has been to offer up the query I've been working on and let the reader decide if they think they'll be a fit, then offer up the opening chapters. I've had better (less bad) results that way.
I agree with Rough, getting the right beta readers is as challenging as finding the right editors. If they don't have sympathy for your goals with the plot and characters, their advice may be useless or even counter productive.
Keith wrote: "Regarding the article, what if you don't know your genre?"This is my struggle. I think I write scifi, but it's not hard scifi. The piece I'm working on deals with genetics and mutations, but it's more about how the characters deal with the changes that have been made.
@Julie Based on my efforts to research my own genre classification (initially I thought of it as a romantic thriller, until I was thoroughly disabused of the romantic notion (I violate most of the tropes) and several readers pointed out it wasn't very thrilling; now I go with the very unwieldy "Adult contemporary fiction, with elements of spy, crime and espionage, tied together with a love story."), yours can be comfortably slotted in as scifi if it happens in the future and includes speculative elements. There are some attempts to subclass scifi, but when approaching agents/publishers (or selecting genre for self-publishing), you can probably relax using scifi.Your description is interesting to me, I 'started life' as a biochemist. PM me if you'd like my input.
And this is the problem with boxing everything into specific genres. It's just plain silly. Incidentally Keith, do you need spy and espionage
in there?
'Contemporary fiction, with elements of crime and espionage, plus a love story.' Or some such. You don't need to specify adult.
But to return to the topic. How would one find beta readers specialising in, say, the description you have given?
Also, I think there's a big difference getting beta readers in their teens at college, compared with adults who may have forty years more experience of reading behind them. One can have read an awful lot of books in those years, of many different types.
Well, 'adult' because there are plenty of (reasonably non-graphical; it used to border on erotica) sex scenes as well as people being killed (non-graphically, though). I suppose I could go with spy or espionage, except the MC is an assassin, not a spy. He interacts with spies, though. But he also engages in espionage on some of his contracts on his own, without the spies (the title is the fairly self-explanatory "Diary of a Contract Killer" with the subtitle "Trained Killers, Falling in Love").Nothing like making your first novel impossible to market, eh? If it weren't for the enthusiastic responses of some of my beta readers I'd probably put the whole series on the shelf.
Keith, I laughed out loud at your comment "nothing like making your first novel impossible to market, eh?" because I've done exactly that. I'm working on the third draft of my first novel, a character-based story where the central theme of the book is finding peace after losing a loved one to suicide. The book ultimately has a life-affirming ending, and I wrote it because I've dealt with mental illness myself. And the initial two people I had read it liked it a lot. But marketing-wise, I realize the book is doomed based on the dark, taboo subject matter and having no discernible market. My plan is to ultimately hire a reasonably priced free-lance editor (probably from here...) and self-publish the book as a labor of love. Then, to paraphrase John Updike, having written the story I wanted to write, "if anybody wants to read it, terrific, the more the merrier."I will say your book sounds interesting. I typically read historical fiction or contemporary fiction (and even some YA), but I have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, I often end up trying books just like yours when the blurb sounds interesting and intriguing even if I generally don't read sci-fi, detective, thriller, or romance.
The development editor I used wrote this lovely little novel about a young lady (well, girl; I think she was 8) that had to adjust to her father dying of cancer, being left, as a consequence, with an aunt she barely knows and then her estranged mother showing up to stir the pot. While this is happening, she's exploring a local wood and having fantastic experiences with people she meets there. The fantasy aspect is never resolved (to my delight) and there is no real HEA, despite things working out for the MC in the long run. I read the thing through in one go and fell in love with it. Yet, this professional editor with over 20 years of experience wasn't able to find anyone to represent it, so self published instead. That depressed me for quite a while until I accepted that it's largely a lottery (once your prose doesn't suck and your story is engaging, of course) getting representation, then another round getting published with even more dice rolling to get recognition in the reading world. A rather idiotic world to engage in, but so far my attempts to stop writing (well, stop thinking endlessly about my characters, plot, etc.) have come to naught. It's a disease!
it's not a lottery. here's a practical guide by Jane Friedman (who has "20 years of experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in digital media strategy for authors and publishers. She's the co-founder of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and has previously worked for F+W Media and the Virginia Quarterly Review. She has been interviewed and featured by NPR, PBS, The Washington Post, the National Press Club and many other outlets.")https://janefriedman.com/start-here-h...
Julie wrote: "Keith wrote: "Regarding the article, what if you don't know your genre?"This is my struggle. I think I write scifi, but it's not hard scifi. The piece I'm working on deals with genetics and mutat..."
Have you heard of the genre called "Science Fantasy"? It just may fit. Look it up on Wikipedia.
There's a multitude of unheard of subgenres to be found here... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Lauren wrote: "Julie wrote: "Keith wrote: "Regarding the article, what if you don't know your genre?"This is my struggle. I think I write scifi, but it's not hard scifi. The piece I'm working on deals with gene..."
@_@ totally didn't know about the science fantasy subgenre and its illustrious history! A lot of my stories could fit into it too. Thx, Lauren!
This is interesting. I’m contemplating self-publishing my book and was reading through the endless tips when I stumbled upon the beta readers. Amazingly, despite all my research, this is a step I had completely overlooked. I liked the advice and joined the group right away. My book is about a young woman – 22 yrs old – who have escaped a research facility where she spent nine years as a captive. She’s half fee, half human and as the book progresses, she discovers her clan had offered her as a scapegoat to the research facility to keep the human government away from them.Here’s a brief blurb:
Wanted neither by the Seelie or unseelie, the Dhiultadh are originally a mixed breed, part Seelie, part unseelie. They took refuge on earth where they thrived with their anonymity centuries ago, but those who knew them or knew about them considered the Dhiultadh one of the highest predators in the world.
Roxanne Whitmore Fosch had a perfectly normal life at the age of twelve. Cool, popular, pretty, smart. She had the perfect dreams of a successful and prosperous future. At the age of twenty two she was a commodity. A fugitive. She was being hunted.
As Roxanne embarks in the dangerous quest to search for half-truths about her past, she begins to realize she’s not just an abnormal human but a rarity even among her fee peers, and that human scientists aren’t the only ones interested in her, but far more dangerous creatures with other nefarious ideas in mind.
Heir of ashes is an urban fantasy novel for young adult readers with a romantic twist in the first person narrative.
Alex wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Julie wrote: "Keith wrote: "Regarding the article, what if you don't know your genre?"This is my struggle. I think I write scifi, but it's not hard scifi. The piece I'm working on ..."
: ) Your welcome.
On a whim, I decided to reread this article and I thought the following points were spot-on. Where do you find your beta readers other than in this group or on GR? What do you think about the points--not just the ones that are listed here--that the article makes?... your next step is to find and follow potential beta readers. Not everyone you eventually contact will accept your proposal, so I suggest following at least thirty potential betas. If you reach out to all and only a quarter accept, you’ll still have a fantastic group of beta readers to critique your novel.
To find potential beta readers, follow popular writing tags like #amwriting and #writercommunity. Make sure to use these tags when you publish your own posts. You can also find prospective betas in online writing groups, such as Writers Helping Writers or Fiction Writers.
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Don’t Ask for Beta Readers—Offer to Be One
Unless you’ve built incredible friendships overnight, your potential beta readers probably won’t be too inclined to read and critique your novel without receiving something in return. As we discussed above, beta-reading is difficult and time-consuming work. Your potential beta readers are entitled to more than just a thank-you for their effort.
This is why I recommend sourcing your beta readers from the writing community. When you finally get in touch, you won’t have to beg or plead for their help; you’ll be able to bring your own offer to the table.
That’s right! When you ask your new acquaintances for help, you should offer to beta read their latest manuscript in return. Not only will this make the experience beneficial for both parties, but you’ll gain more practice in reading with a critical eye. This will help immensely as you continue to edit your own works.
When reaching out to potential beta readers, make sure to be personal and professional. Let them know their services are highly valued by contacting them directly (and individually) through email rather than on a public feed or in a private social media message.
I love Jane Friedman! (I'm on her mailing list and I get a list of her latest articles every week. I read at least one of them.) She even has a list of writing resources:
https://janefriedman.com/resources/