HelloOoOo everybody!
I recently finished beta reviews for my upcoming romantasy novel, The Savior's Army. So now feels like a good time to talk about beta readers. A bazillion years ago I made a bunch of videos all about beta reviews and beta readers, but that was a really long time ago and those videos have since been buried in my playlists. And I still get asked about beta readers at least once a week. So let's refresh the topic right now. If you don't know what a beta reader is, or you wanna make sure you're handling your beta reviews properly, this is the post for you.
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Number 1: What Is a Beta Reader?
A beta reader is a test reader for your manuscript. You know when companies enlist focus groups to test out their products and see if people like it? That's essentially what a beta reader does except for your book. Beta readers do not need to be fellow writers, they do not need to be literary savants. The only requirement is that they should be a reflection of your target audience. That means if you write space operas, your beta readers should be space opera readers. I write romantasy, so my beta readers need to be romantasy readers.
Number 2: What’s the Difference Between a Beta Reader and a Critique Partner?
A beta reader is a reader, and a critique partner is a fellow writer. A critique partner is a writer you trust who will read through your manuscript and leave critiques and comments throughout the document. They may also provide a write-up at the end of the manuscript, listing the positives and negatives of your writing. A beta reader doesn't do any of these things. Why? Because they're not writers.
Number 3: What Do Beta Readers Do Then?
They read through your manuscript and give their readerly opinions. They let you know how much they enjoyed the story. Which parts they liked, and which parts they didn't like. They tell you their predictions. They tell you what was confusing about the book. How they would rate the book. You know, basic reader things. Their job is to give you an idea of whether or not your story will be well received by your audience.
Number 4: How Do You Get This Information From Your Beta Readers?
I personally like to conduct beta questionnaires. I will send my beta readers a PDF of a section of my manuscript. Not the entire manuscript. Just a section. Along with a questionnaire for them to fill out once they finish that section. Each questionnaire includes the following questions:
What were your favorite parts, and why?
Were there any parts you didn't like, and why?
Was anything confusing or unclear?
What are your predictions for the next section?
How would you rate this book on a scale from one to five, five being amazing and one being a complete dud?
I also asked them about every single character that appeared in that section, as well as every single scene that appeared in that section. That way I can make sure that these elements are coming across the way I intended. Lastly, I asked them if they'd like to continue reading or not. Or if they're reading the last section of the book, I asked them if they would recommend this book to a friend. I found that these questions give me the best idea of whether or not my book will appeal to readers, plus it lets me know if the characters and scenes are coming across as I intended.
Number 5: How Long Should These Sections Be?
As I mentioned before, I send my beta readers sections of my manuscript as opposed to the entire manuscript. I cannot emphasize this enough; you do not want to send beta readers your entire manuscript at once. Because by the time they finish, they're not gonna remember half of the feedback they were going to give to you. As for how long these sections should be, that depends on a few things.
First is your timeline. How much time do you have for beta reading? If you've got a lot of time on your hands, you can send your beta readers a large number of short sections. If you're pressed for time, you should probably send your beta readers a small number of larger sections. I was pressed for time with beta readers for The Savior's Army, so I sent them four sections and each section was about eighty pages long.
And the second point is your confidence in the quality of your writing. If you're fairly confident that your story is in good shape, then you can get away with sending a smaller number of larger sections. However, if there's a big problem in your story that you think will need to be addressed, then I recommend sending shorter sections. Maybe twenty or so pages. And if you're somewhere in the middle, then medium sections are fine. Maybe fifty pages long.
Number 6: How Many Beta Readers Do I Need, and When Should I Enlist Them?
I like to do my beta reviews in rounds, and each round has ten beta readers at a time. That means I'll enlist ten people to read my book. Then once they're done, I will go through their feedback and make the necessary edits. And then I will enlist another ten people to read through the book.
Personally, I recommend having at least twenty betas in total. An exception to this would be if your first round of beta readers went really well and you have very minimal edits to make. Then in that case you might be able to stop there. However, that's an anomaly, and it definitely doesn't happen often among newbie writers. As for when to enlist betas, I recommend doing so after the critique partner phase, and the self-editing phase, but before the professional edit. Basically, once you've got your manuscript as clean as you can get it without the help of a professional, that's a good time to enlist betas.
Number 7: Where Do I Find Beta Readers?
You can find them in literary groups, on social media, or in writing circles. A beta reader is just a reader, so find them wherever readers congregate. I have a channel devoted to finding beta readers in my Patreon writing group, Cyborg Central. So if you want easy access to beta readers, follow me on Patreon, it's linked below. You can also pay people to beta read for you. Usually, you can find people like that on websites like Fiverr. That being said unless you are soliciting a paid beta reader, this service is usually done for free. Readers volunteer to beta read because they're interested in the story being presented.
Number 8: How Long Should the Process Take?
That depends on your timeline and how desperately you need betas. Keep in mind, unless you're paying them, these people are doing this for free. Which means you should treat them with respect, kindness, and some level of leniency. These people have real lives and obligations. They're doing you a favor. Personally, I usually allow beta readers one week per section, depending on its length. If the section is short, like twenty pages, I might do two sections a week. But if the section is super long, like two hundred pages. First of all that's fucking stupid, and second, give them a bit more time. That said, nine times out of ten, one section a week works.
Number 9: What if My Beta Reader Sucks or Flakes Out?
This is an inevitable part of the process because life happens. If at least half of your beta readers or more flake out, then that's feedback in itself. That usually means your book isn't very good and people don't wanna read it. Time to do more editing. But if a smaller number of beta readers aren't getting back to you, or they're dragging their feet, I recommend giving them a gentle nudge at the two-week mark. If another two weeks go by and you still haven't heard from them, consider them dropped. They're clearly not taking this seriously. And if they get back to you but show no actual reading progress, I would politely let them know that you appreciate their help thus far but their services are no longer necessary.
As for betas who suck, for example, people who only give one-word answers or just answer your questions like “It was good” or “I liked it” I would encourage them to be more helpful in the next round, and I would give them specifics of what I'm looking for. If they still suck come the second round; I would politely let them know that their services are no longer needed.
Number 10: How Do I Know What Feedback To Listen to and What To Avoid?
If there are small issues, like the clarification of a few sentences, or the flow of a particular scene, and only one beta reader has a problem with it, I don't see a problem in just fixing that issue. It's a small issue. It's an easy fix. Might as well nip it in the bud.
However, if there is an issue that requires a major overhaul, maybe rewriting a character or a scene, that's when I look for trending feedback. I tend to go by the rule of three. If three or more betas have a problem with something pretty big in your book, that's usually a sign that it's going to be a recurring theme, and other people are gonna have a problem with it too. That's why it's good to have at least ten beta readers, but preferably twenty, because the more people read the book, the easier it is to spot trends. And if at least three beta readers spot an issue, it's probably a trend.
So that's all I've got for you today!
If you’re getting ready to run your beta rounds, this guide should give you an idea of how to make everything go as smoothly as possible. Recruiting feedback early is one way to help ensure your book will be well received on release, and your readers’ thoughts can offer you valuable insight on how to improve your story before sending it off to professional edits.
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