Beta Reader Group discussion
Writing Advice & Discussion
>
Alpha Reader VS Beta Reader VS Critique VS Editing
date
newest »
newest »
*Alpha Reader – Alpha readers know that you are giving away a rough draft with all kinds of potential mistakes. They will forgive all the spelling, grammar, and formatting issues that may arise and will provide you with answers on the general entertainment level of the story. *Beta Reader – Beta readers are an author’s front line of defense in the publishing scene, giving an author a casual reader's reaction to their story before the story goes public. Was the plot clear? Was the protagonist likable or especially irritating? Was the narrative flat or engaging? Answers about the general entertainment level of the story are provided. It’s best to clean up your manuscript with a few rounds of self-editing before giving it away to a beta reader. Otherwise, your return review has a chance of being not so great. Casual readers do not like being distracted by all the spelling, grammar, and formatting issues from a rough draft.
(Beta readers are NOT responsible for a detailed combing of every single chapter and scene to catch story mistakes and help you build your world [that's a content edit], spotting awkward prose to fix [that's the job of a line editor], or catching misspelled or missing words [that's the copy editor's job].)
*Critique – A critique takes everything a beta reader will tell you and helps you push your story even further into the amazing thing it’s meant to be. It should go over several key elements of storytelling (such as characterization, conflict, dialogue, pacing, plot, point of view, worldbuilding, tension, and narrative voice) and offer in-depth suggestions for improvement in the event things need to be polished. A critique is far more labor-intensive than a beta read.
To ensure I don’t murder the thread with a post a mile long, here’s an awesome article about the different types of editing:
https://jaefiction.wordpress.com/2013...
Tiffany wrote: "*Alpha Reader – Alpha readers know that you are giving away a rough draft with all kinds of potential mistakes. They will forgive all the spelling, grammar, and formatting issues that may arise and..."Wow. That's really useful. Thanks.
Developmental editors look at large structural issues and ignore spelling, grammar, etc. (no point in fixing something that may get deleted or rewritten). Their focus is on things like plot holes, characters change personality (outside of the plot scope, of course), pacing, missing elements, unnecessary or plot slowing sections, etc.Line editors look paragraph to paragraph assuming the larger structure is in place. Things like awkward sentences, ineffective dialog, character's changing names, that sort of thing. They will also generally ignore really nitty gritty details like comma placement, as their focus is on making each paragraph and sentence flow.
Proofers _only_ look at the nitty gritty things like spelling, grammar, commas, etc. and are the last line of defense. They're not paid to make any other 'higher level' suggestions and assume (rightly or wrongly) that the story, plot, characterization, etc. are all correct (in that they are the way the author intends).
Can one person do it all? Yes, from a technical perspective, but it's bad practice. Humans make mistakes all the time, so it's best to get someone different for each level of editing. You also get fresh perspective each time as well. You should, however, do your best to self edit before sending your MS to any editor. First, it will make their job easier, hence less expensive to you and second, self editing will train you to write better prose. I wanted to pay someone to do all that, but could't afford it, so read up on editing (line and proofing) and spent 28 hours (over a week) cleaning up my 78K novel. I write much better after having gone through that process, so when I now seek help from readers (alpha, beta, critique partners, editors, etc.) they can focus more on the story and less on my prose. Each time you have a mistake, either because you never took the time to learn how to write properly or because you were too lazy to fix it, you risk popping your reader out of the story, which damages their ability to give you detailed feedback on your plot, story, characterization, etc. Conventions exist so people can adapt to them to the point they become invisible and violating the conventions should only be done with clear forethought and not by accident or laziness.
I feel like it might go without saying at this point, but you might only need to use one or two of those services over the course of writing your novel (and on the other side of the spectrum, you might need all of them and some of them multiple times). If you’re a competent proofreader, it might not necessarily be worth hiring one since some beta readers will offer MINOR proofreading. Sometimes the different levels of editing can overlap depending on the editor, and once you’re technically savvy enough to become self-aware about the flaws of your work, you’ll have an easier time picking out the specific services you need (which does help reduce overall editing costs).
To add to what's already been said, many writers use beta readers and do their own developmental editing. This requires being able to think critically about your own work and being able to sort good comments from bad, but even paid beta readers cost a tiny fraction of what a developmental editor costs. If you're planning to traditionally publish, I would do your best to polish your writing as much as possible, but if you're picked up by a traditional publisher, they should handle editing for you.
If you're indie publishing, you have decisions to make. Most indie books won't make any money. Most indie books won't even make back their editing cost. So how much do you spend and what do you spend it on? That's the million dollar question. Ideally, everyone would hire a developmental editor, use several beta readers, a line editor, and a proofreader, but for a 100,000 word novel, all of those services can easily have you approaching the $10,000 mark. Then you still need a book cover ($100 and up), you need to lay your book out, and you'll need a marketing budget... And all of this for a book which may not make anything.
I'm strongly leaning towards self-publishing, although I haven't foreclosed querying yet or trying small presses. My plan, assuming I go indie, is to hire a line editor, proofreader, and a cover designer. For my work (98K words) a developmental edit would start around $1K and would more likely be closer to $2-K+. I want to produce a good book, but I am also a realist; my book isn't commercial, and I probably won't even get back what I invest in the line editing, proofing, and cover.
Keith wrote: "Can one person do it all? Yes, from a technical perspective, but it's bad practice. Humans make mistakes all the time, so it's best to get someone different for each level of editing. You also get fresh..."I didn't include self editing because I thought that was obvious. I wouldn't want other people to edit something I wrote if I hadn't been willing to at least go over it myself first, but that's my opinion.
What a lovely explanation of getting a story from concept to publishable entertainment.Though I must say that I've always considered your "alpha reader" a critique on the mechanics or craft holes in a story. I should think all writers edit constantly...traveling back and forth through to storyline...to strengthen the story and create characters people care about.
I've also heard there are different types of editing like development and line.
Finally question, when in the editing process do you need each one? I don't think you necessarily need all of them, but would you, for example, have a Beta Reader first and then an Editor or an Editor followed by a Beta Reader?