Beta Readers are a Good Idea
Beta readers are discerning people, able to read and evaluate your manuscript with purpose and confidence. They are trusted souls, hand selected by you, to join in your sacred writing process and respond in a meaningful way. An unfinished manuscript is a fragile thing; it should only be shared with people who aren’t going to break it.
When selecting beta readers, aim to find people who would be within your target audience, but who also have different backgrounds, different experiences, and different perspectives. That way, you’ll be sure to have your manuscript as widely examined as possible. Another sound practice is to have readers of the opposite sex: female writers should have male beta readers examine their male characters, and vice versa. Are these scenes realistic? Would a guy ever say that?
Beta readers come in all levels and intensities. We recommend that they embody one or more of the following qualities:
- is an avid reader
- is (at least a pretty good) writer
- is a journalist
- is a kitchen-table philosopher
- is an academic (a student, a professor, or anywhere in between)
- is someone who is motivated, rather than obligated, to help you and your work
If you want an informal beta reader, try examining your own network first. Another great place to start a beta relationship is through online forums, like Absolute Write, Forward Motion for Writers, or Critique Circle. In the forums, a common practice is trading beta services: writers swap manuscript drafts and critique one another. If you would rather work in a physical setting, try your local writing institution. (In Southern New England, both AS220 and Grub Street have stellar writing workshops.) If you would prefer more formal, undivided attention, hire us (had to)!
But how do you get the answers that you need? How can you even be sure of the questions?
You get the most out of a beta reader by putting them in a specific mindset before they begin, and then asking them the right questions when they’ve finished. It is not enough for your sister to tell you “it’s great, I loved it!” It is also not enough for someone in your writing group to tell you that a particular relationship is not working, or believable, without being able to say exactly what is missing.
Wouldn’t it be grand to provide your readers with a directive before they begin? While there is a clear value in having them report back on whatever strikes them, it can be useful for both of you if you were to give them an outline of what you’re expecting ahead of time. In our forthcoming book, we are developing a “Guide for Beta Readers,” which asks at certain junctions, what are you seeing here? What are you assuming? What is working, and what isn’t? What is this thing saying to you?!
Because you cannot sit down next to your reader and ask at every turn of the page, “And now? And now? Am I as much of a genius as I suspected, or more?”
Instead, announce your greatest fears and insecurities, so that they may be ferreted out by your team and made to explain themselves.
“I don’t know if X is working…”
“I cant tell when Y’s true motivation is revealed…”
“I am not confident with the tone of Z, so if it doesn’t sit well, excuse it.”
And then tell them a little bit about the tyranny of the first draft. Relieve the notion that anything is set in stone. Even your own name on the cover can be validly examined. Invite them to question everything.
And then let go. Because non-attachment will get you farther than holding on to anything ever will.
