At some point in the editing process, you’ll need to share your writing. NOT with an agent yet—when you submit your manuscript to query, the agent shouldn’t be the only person other than you to have seen it!
Instead, you should gather a good group of beta readers.
What exactly are beta readers, you ask? They’re other people—both writers and readers—who will read through your manuscript and give you advice on what’s working, what’s not, and how to fix it.
If handing over your book baby for people to read sounds scary: good. It should. It means you’ve put part of yourself on the page, and you care about what you’ve written. But just because it’s scary doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it! This is absolutely the best way to improve your book. You can take all the breaks you want, but you just won’t be able to get the same objectivity as someone who is reading it for the first time and hasn’t spent months or years struggling over it. And that kind of outside opinion is critical to making sure your book is the best it can be.
One of the hardest parts about this process is knowing when to bring in beta readers. This timing is different for everyone, and depends on your process. The best advice I can offer is to send it when you’ve done enough work that you feel like you’re not really improving things; you’re just changing them. Whether you know there’s a problem but are stuck, or you just can’t see anything else to do to your manuscript, that’s a good sign that you should send it off to get fresh eyes on it.
Finding beta readers is a bit scary, and it’s important to not just let anybody read your work if you want to get the best advice you can. So here are a few tips to help you find the perfect beta reader for you and your manuscript.
This post is part of the Editing Your Novel series. Click through to read about the read-through, the macro-edit, and the micro-edit.
1. Start with a relationship
Some of the best beta readers you’ll find won’t come from a specific search for beta readers; they start as friendships with other writers. Whether online or in person, you should be connecting to other writers regardless of where you are in the book writing process. When it comes time to show your work to other people, start by asking the writers you already know who you think would make a great fit. And of course, be open to reading their work as well.
2. Be specific about what kind of edits you’re looking for
You’ll likely have several rounds of beta readers throughout the whole editing process, and the type of feedback you need will change depending on what point you’re at. When you ask people to read for you and send your work to them, be clear about what kind of edits you’re expecting: Do you want big picture feedback? Or are you ready for people to nitpick sentence structure and typos? When everyone is on the same page, it makes it easier for your beta reader and gives you the information you need.
3. Be open to swapping services
Not everyone has the luxury to beta read just for the fun of it. It’s more work than just reading a novel, and ultimately requires a lot of time and effort. If you think someone would make a good beta reader but they aren’t able to swing it, consider seeing if they’re open to a trade. This might mean beta reading for them (more on that in a bit!) but could also mean another skill you have: graphic design, help with social media, editing their blog—anything that they might normally have to pay for that you could offer in exchange for reading your book.
4. Make sure you have a mix of beta reader “types”
As you recruit people to read your book, you’ll want a variety of people to get their eyes on it. Find people who will be honest, even if you may not like what you hear. Have a cheerleader in there as well—your mom, best friend, significant other, whatever. Someone who will love whatever you write simply because you wrote it. Because, hey, we can all use some encouragement! You’ll also want to include people you’ve been talking to about the book and know your vision for it, as well as people who have no idea what it’s about other than the short synopsis you gave them, so they have totally fresh eyes.
Depending on what point in the editing process you’re at, you’ll also want varying ratios of writers to readers-only. Earlier in the process, it’s more helpful to have other writers look at your work, as they’ll be able to suss out what exactly is and isn’t working, and how to fix it. As you near the end, having people who don’t write but are avid readers can help you get an idea of how your book feels to the typical reader.
5. Share a short sample with them first
If someone is interested in reading your work, don’t send over the entire manuscript if you’ve never worked with them before. Send the first chapter or so, and then look at their edits. This is a trial period for both of you. It allows you to see what their editing style is like, and gives them a chance to better understand what your book is. Both of you should be honest and feel comfortable saying no if you feel it’s not the right fit.
6. Fit your beta readers to your ideal audience
Your beta readers should be pretty similar to your ideal audience. If you’re writing YA, that means finding some teenagers to read your book, as well as other YA writers who can help with the mechanics of writing for that age. Your beta readers should be pretty familiar with whatever genre you’re writing, as well. When I first sent out my book to beta readers, I was devastated by one person’s feedback who clearly did not like it. As I compared it to other feedback I got, I realized that this person just wasn’t my target reader for this book, and it made sense that they didn’t enjoy it. This isn’t to say they didn’t have some good edits that I took into consideration, but I would have saved myself some heartache and saved that person’s time if I had been clearer about what I was writing and what they should expect.
7. Find readers who share experiences with your characters
Unless you’re writing something close to an autobiography, you likely have characters who have different experiences than you. To make sure these details ring true, it’s important to get beta readers who have actually experienced these things. It might be something small, like living in a different city or having a certain job. Or it might be a bigger point, like having a disability or being of a different race. In these cases, it’s usually best to pay someone to be a sensitivity reader, so that they can focus on those specific areas.
8. Be nice. Seriously.
When someone beta reads for you, they are doing you a HUGE favor. So, like, be a decent person. SAY THANK YOU, for Pete’s sake! It takes one minute to send them a sincere thank you email, and it’s the least you can do. If you disagree with comments they left you, don’t attack them. Either ignore the comments, or ask if they can explain them more (after sleeping on it—don’t contact them right away, or you’ll likely end up sounding snarky even if you think you aren’t). And offer to beta read for them as well. It’s super common to swap manuscripts to beta read, and this is probably the best way to say thank you!
What has helped you find good beta readers? Have you ever been a beta reader? Let me know in the comments!
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Featured image by Ben White