Red Hawk Ridge

Hello again!

In today’s Self-Pub Saturday post, we will talk about beta readers.

This stage comes after your first round of edits (at least), if not after another pass or two when you clean up the grammar and spelling a little. Too many mistakes can turn a reader off of the story, even in the beta stage, so it is best to at least try to polish it up. But don’t spend so much time as to dishearten yourself if there are some major things that people point out that need to be fixed (you might even find some during edits before the beta reading stage). It’s really up to you how much editing you put in before handing it off to someone, but I personally prefer to refine it a little beforehand. I learned a lot about editing by doing it over and over again, but I actually don’t mind all the extra work. Some people do.

The beta stage is important because we become blind to issues when we sit with something for so long. Beta readers lend fresh eyes and perspective with the ability to see what we as the author cannot, without the cost of an editor.

The beta reading stage is where you can enlist family members and/or friends (the ones who will be honest), and online beta readers to point out anything that might not be up to par. Beta readers are there to look at the bigger picture and give insight on how well the story flows, continuity, relatable characters, if it’s confusing, etc. I have asked betas to point out spelling and stuff if they saw it, but that was more for me than anything, and not everyone notices those kinds of things.

You don’t want to enlist beta readers that are going to sugar-coat and tell you everything is fine. You want honesty!

However, that doesn’t mean you should tolerate an overly negative and hurtful reader either. You have complete control as to who gives you feedback, and you aren’t paying them. This is a voluntary role.

If you are paying a beta reader, stop it!
You pay for a professional Manuscript Critique, not beta reading.
This does not include paying for subscriptions on Beta Reading sites.

You can find plenty of beta readers online if you don’t have people in your personal life that are willing to help with your book baby. The first thing to look for in a beta reader is if they are a part of your target audience, which will help you gauge how well the book may do once it is published by their feedback. If someone doesn’t like reading the genre you are writing in, you can get negative feedback that doesn’t necessarily help make it better. Also, don’t lie. You would be surprised at the anger readers will feel if they get conned into reading a tragedy when you promised your story was a romance. The same goes when you get to marketing a finished book.

Some websites you can find beta readers are:

• Goodreads: While this site is most known for book reviews, there is an actual beta reading group where you can find book lovers who are willing to take on the task of beta reading your manuscript.
• BetaReader.io: This site has a free version that allows you to upload one manuscript and have up to three beta readers that you can track in real time as they read and give feedback in the sidebar. The Premium is $9.99 p/month with unlimited manuscripts and beta readers.
• BetaBooks.co: This is actually beta reading software, which I didn’t even know existed until researching more into this topic. You can get started for free with one manuscript and up to three beta readers or choose from two other subscriptions. The unlimited Pro version is $34.99 per month with the option to pay for a year and get two months free.
• Scribophile: You can sign up for free or upgrade your membership to $11 p/month or $7.42 p/month when you purchase a year. If you want an entire year, this would probably be the best bang for your buck.
• There are plenty more platforms where you can find beta readers, including Facebook, with a simple internet search.

I have not personally used any of these sites, but many of the indie authors I follow have, and speak highly of most of them. A few authors even point you to Reddit (r/Betareader) if you use that site. Some websites I have never heard of until doing some research for this post, but they seemed interesting. I used people I personally knew through Facebook, and in all reality, I should have spent more time on this step. But beta readers are really helpful if you can find the right ones. Learn from my mistakes! I will use online resources next time along with my trusted peeps.

Some things you should take into consideration when choosing beta readers:

• Do they like reading in the genre you are writing? If they are readers of the genre, they are more likely to know genre-specific conventions (like elements, tropes, themes, characters, plot beats, etc.) and know what readers are expecting.
• Can they offer productive feedback? Constructive criticism is the best feedback. There will inevitably be a plot hole, inconsistent details, or some other issue (unless you are a fantastic outliner), and your beta readers should be able to explain that without resorting to harsh or unhelpful comments.
• Are they detail-oriented? Your beta readers should be able to notice inconsistencies in details or plot. If they can’t catch the things that need to be caught, how are they helping you? They aren’t.
• Can they communicate their findings in a coherent fashion? A questionnaire can help keep them focused on what you are looking for, but they still need to be able to clearly communicate their thoughts, whether it be in writing or face-to-face. If asked, every reader will have an off-script opinion which can be just as helpful as your questions.
• Are they reliable? A beta reader who can’t work within the allotted time frame will drag out the process and if you are on deadline, create stress that doesn’t need to be there. It’s also just irritating to wait around when you want to make progress.
• Are they enthusiastic about the gig? A beta reader who is excited to do the work will be more likely to give constructive feedback and stick to deadlines. An indifferent reader will be less likely to give you their best. And why would you take a volunteer job (that doesn’t pay) that doesn’t excite you? Seems like a waste of time to me. The excitement is payment.
• Do you have diverse perspectives? Yes, you want them to enjoy the specific genre, but that doesn’t mean you have a handful of the same kinds of people. Different backgrounds, lifestyles, etc. will give you more well-rounded feedback with a variety of perspectives instead of a singular viewpoint.

What if they steal my story?

I personally sent files with encryptions and watermarks just to learn how to do such a thing. These are pretty easy to do on Microsoft Word. You can also save documents as ‘Read Only,’ although that is just to keep them from being edited, not copied. Most people will tell you a plagiarizing beta reader is very rare. That doesn’t mean your ideas can’t be taken and turned into something else, but how many stories are ‘kind of’ stolen from something else? More than you think. Some are outright fanfiction and published under our noses, but when you change names and circumstances, it’s (sometimes) hard to tell.

How you do something is up to you. I will say that, with the tech and digital paper trails we have these days, it’s easier to defend your legal ownership of something. You own it as soon as you write it. If you have original computer files, it’s pretty hard to refute your ownership.

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While you can just send someone a manuscript and ask for their opinion when they are done, it is really best to give an idea of when you need it to be completed or set a strict deadline. As a newbie, I just sent out manuscripts to people who said they would read it, and I didn’t get near the response I wanted. Only a few followed through and gave me feedback, and because I just wanted their opinion, even the good feedback was shallow at best.

How do you avoid this? Well, my opinion is this:

• Send out one chapter or a few at a time, with a deadline. One chapter can be done in a day, but that’s up to you. I wouldn’t go past a few days for one chapter, or you could spend half the year in the beta reading phase.
• Have a list of questions (explained later) that pinpoint what kind of feedback you are looking for them to fill out after they complete what you sent them.
• Cut off any beta readers who repeatedly ignore deadlines and refuse to work with you how you need them to. This is a voluntary role. If they get mad, they can deal with it.
• Make notes based on what feedback you receive, but don’t start editing until you get through the entire manuscript with the beta readers. It could save you from trying to fix something that really didn’t need to be fixed.
• When you do start editing, don’t take everything they say to heart. Just because someone doesn’t like something doesn’t mean it should actually be changed. That could just be a ‘them’ problem and changing it would hurt the story overall.

If you plan on having your beta readers answer questions, you first need to decide if you are sending the entire manuscript at one time or going by chapter(s). If you send the entire manuscript, you can either wait until they tell you they are done and then send the questions or send it all at one time. There are pros and cons to both. If you send the questions with the manuscript, they will go into the book knowing what to look for, but it could also affect the experience.

If you send by chapter, you don’t have to ask the same questions for each chapter. You can always mix it up, especially if you are wanting to learn specific things for specific parts of the book. Just do what feels right to you.

So, what kind of questions should you ask? Here are some to get an idea:

• What was your favorite part? Why?
• Is there anything you disliked? Why?
• Did the first chapter hook you?
• Were you able to quickly tell who the main character was and where the story took place?
• Was the ending satisfying? Or did you come away unfulfilled?
• Did you like the main character? Were they relatable?
• Were there any character relationships that you loved or hated?
• Were the goals and motivations of the character believable?
• Did you like or dislike any character names?
• Was the plot easy to follow, or convoluted? Were there any areas that confused you?
• Were there any parts of the plot that were predictable?
• Was the conflict easy to follow? Was the main problem to be solved clear?
• Did the action scenes make sense? Could you tell what was happening?
• Were you excited to turn the page?
• Did any part feel to slow? Did you skim over any parts?
• What was the most suspenseful moment?
• Was the setting intriguing?
• Did the world feel naturally introduced or like an info dump?
• Did any part of the world confuse you?
• Did the dialogue feel natural? Could you tell the difference in character voice?
• Were there parts with too much or too little dialogue?
• Were you ever confused about who was speaking?
• Do you have any favorite quotes?
• Did the writing style fit the genre? Or did it feel awkward and out of place?
• Were there any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors you noticed? If so, was it distracting?
• How would you describe the book in one or two words?
• And any other questions you want to ask.

Your questionnaire can be as short or long as you want it, but remember that if it’s too short, you could be missing out on valuable feedback; it it’s too long, it could feel like a chore and your beta reader won’t want to answer all of them.

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Once you get all your feedback, go through highlight the most helpful comments. Using these and the knowledge you have of your book, sit down and figure out what needs to be changed. Not everything needs to be changed. If only one person has an issue with something, ask yourself if you think it needs to be changed or it that’s just a personal preference of the reader. If multiple people bring up the same issue, like pacing in the middle of the story, an unsatisfying ending, or worldbuilding info dumps, you probably want to make some changes.

Remember, this is still your baby. It is ultimately your choice what to keep and what to change. If it doesn’t feel right to you, don’t do it. Now, go forth and edit, edit, and edit some more. Engage another round of beta readers if you feel you need to. If there wasn’t a lot of things to fix in post-beta reading edits, you can skip another round, but if there was extensive editing that changed the structure or basic foundation of your manuscript, I would personally either reach out to the first beta readers and see if they would like to have another go, or find a new group with fresh eyes.

The original group of beta readers will be able to see the work you did to edit issues, but a new batch will have fresh eyes and give you completely new feedback. You decide.

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If you enjoyed today’s post, I’ll be back on May 17 with the next installment. Subscribe for free to this blog to stay up to date when I post or sign up for a paid subscription below to get access to my Library and any premium content on the plethora of blog posts I have. The Library has two sections, the Herbal Library and the Self-Pub Saturday Library. They are ongoing archives of my two main points of interest that make it easier to find certain posts on the related topics. It’s only $2.99 p/month and you can cancel anytime. You can also check out my book if you want to see some of my work. I did everything myself with the help of the internet, Microsoft Word, the ‘Chicago Manual of Style,’ and Photoshop.

Many blessings,
Emma Lee Joy