If you've ever thought of publishing a book, you might have heard the term “beta readers.” But what are beta readers? Do you really need them? Are they just free editing, or something different?
A couple hints: yes, if you're going to publish a book, you need beta readers. And no, they're not a replacement for hiring a professional editor.
Anytime I'm about to release a book, I will have done a ton of editing on the book. I work until I know I'm done with what I could do myself. Once I get there, the next step is gathering a group of beta readers and passing off my manuscript to them.
This post is the first of a series of posts that will take you through the entire process of beta testing your book.
What IS a Beta Reader? (And What a Beta Reader ISN'T.)
If you've ever been on the internet (and if you haven't, what magic are you using to read this?), you've probably heard of “beta testing.” Software companies use beta testers to work out all the kinks in their programming before the product goes live. It's an important step in the development of anything.
A book is no different. The process of beta-ing your book is just like software companies beta testing their products. You give the manuscript to a group of readers so they can “test” if for inconsistencies and major problems.
Beta readers read your manuscript with the eye of an average reader.
A beta reader is not an editor. They do not replace editors in any way, shape, or form. (You need an editor, guys.) It is not the beta's job to catch all your typos (though they will probably catch some). It is not their job to brainstorm solutions to plot holes and problems or fix your boring dialogue, either.
Don't confuse beta readers with alpha readers or critique partners or sensitivity readers. An alpha reader is the first person who reads your manuscript, normally when it's in the very early stages. (Mine is my husband, who has to put up with reading my first drafts. Poor guy.) Critique partners are other writers who look at your manuscript as another writer would: with an eye for writing craft issues and mistakes.
A sensitivity reader is a professional who reviews a manuscript to provide feedback on how well it represents specific cultures, identities, or experiences that the author may not have direct knowledge of (and they are usually paid).
It's the job of a beta reader to tell you about character issues, or if your world rules don't make sense, or if a plotline is confusing. Any of these issues take away the entertainment value of your story and leave readers feeling disappointed. A beta reader exists to minimize reader disappointment when you release your book.
Why Do You Need Beta Readers?
You might not want to hear this, but there is something wrong with your book.
Hear me out. You know how you can read the same page twenty times and then someone comes along and points out a typo? Yep. We've all been there.
The same thing can happen with major issues in your book. Things like inconsistencies in world-building, character description, plot lines, and even misplaced objects in the story can throw your readers out of your book and confuse the heck out of them.
One of my beta readers caught the fact that I had my characters shackled and then a couple of paragraphs later, they were swinging fists and fighting. Where did the shackles go? Good question, dear beta reader.
Several questioned a slang word I'd used. It was an old slang word from the 1920s and they had no idea where to even start with understanding what I meant. That's a problem.
The fact is you're blind to problems with your book, and those problems don't have to be as simple as a misspelled word. You could have major disjointed issues and not even realize it.
4 Qualities You Need in a Beta Reader
Your grandma probably isn't the best option. While you love dear old Grammy, she also loves you, and she's most likely just going to shower you with praise rather than give useful feedback. The same goes for your significant other, your best friend, your parents, your siblings, etc. They're too close to you to be helpful in this situation.
Other than those closest to you, anyone can be a beta! There are some considerations when choosing, though:
1. Your beta readers have to be avid readers.
This seems obvious, but I've had several people offer to beta for me that never read. If the person has only read one book since they graduated high school, you'll probably want to skip them. They won't be able to give you any kind of feedback simply because they don't know what they're talking about. An ideal beta reader enjoys reading.
2. Your beta readers need to be reliable.
They can't have years to finish reading your book. You need to get it released at some point. Choose betas who have the time to commit to your writing.
3. Your beta readers need to be willing to be honest.
Sometimes brutally. You're not looking for Grammy's praise, remember? You're looking for honest feedback from a reader's perspective so you don't get bad reviews on Amazon when your book is published.
4. Your beta readers should read your genre.
There are two reasons for this: one, if they don't know anything about your genre, they can't provide great feedback; two, if they don't read your genre, chances are they'll get bored and never finish your book.
However, if you have a b-plot that goes into another genre, you can look for a couple of betas to help you with that. For example, if you're a horror writer that has a romance b-plot, you may want to recruit a romance reader to help you out with those love scenes.
Just don't stack your deck with fifty people who don't know a thing about your genre or care to read it.
Examples of Good Beta Readers
You might be asking, “Well who's left if I can't ask my friends and family?” Luckily, there are plenty of people out there that will be willing to help you out. Why? Simply because you asked for help. (And they think it's really cool to be in on the process of bringing a book into the world.) Good beta readers might include:
- A work colleague, a friend of a friend, or an acquaintance. I didn't say you couldn't know your beta readers at all. I just said they can't love you and want to shower you with praise just for getting out of bed. People you know are fine, as long as they don't like you too much, basically.
- Members of your online community. You know these people, but don't really know them. Plus it's easier for people to be honest from behind a screen. These might be fellow writers or members of other groups.
- People who haven't done beta reading for you before. Keep it fresh. Not only do you not want to impose on the same group of people all the time, you also need new eyes on your writing. Readers tend to get more forgiving the more they read an author and you still need your betas to catch those problems!
I talk more about how to find beta readers and preparing for them in this article.
How Many Beta Readers do You Need?
More than one, fewer than a hundred.
It really depends on how much constructive feedback you think you need and whether you're going to want to do two rounds of beta-ing. One person is not enough to give you a consensus on your book's problems. Fifty is too many to not only coordinate in the process, but to synthesize their feedback into something useful.
Do keep in mind that you may have many people agree to beta for you, but they probably won't all finish (or sometimes even start) reading your book. Look for about a third to half of them to finish, and keep that in mind when you're deciding how many.
I had about thirty-five for my last book. About ten made it all the way through the book in the time frame I gave them, and another five or so made it partially through. So I got feedback from about fifteen people. And that's plenty!
Do Beta Readers Get Paid?
Ah, the big question on every struggling author's mind: How much money do I have to fork out for this?
The answer, in general, is no, betas don't get paid.
There are professional beta readers out there for hire, but most indie authors go the free route, mainly because . . . well, we don't have money.
As I mentioned earlier, most people are super excited and honored to be asked to do something like beta a book and are more than happy to volunteer. Keep track of your betas and their contact information, though!
Since they'll most likely be volunteers, it's only polite to thank them when they're finished. It's also common to send them a free copy of your published book. If they helped you a ton, consider thanking them in the acknowledgments.
Betas Are Essential to the Publishing Process
In my opinion, beta readers are the second most important thing in the publishing process. (The first being professional editing.) If you're finished with your self-edits, you need to start prepping for betas!
Stay tuned for more about the beta process!
Have you ever beta read for anyone before? Have you had beta readers before? Tell us how the process went in the comments.
PRACTICE
Write for fifteen minutes on this prompt:
You volunteer to test a new product but something goes horribly wrong.
Need a more specific prompt? Try this: You volunteer to beta test a new virtual reality headset, but when the test is over, you can't remove the headset.
When you're done, post your work in the Pro Practice Workshop, and be sure to provide feedback for your fellow writers!
My close friend is a published author, and I like that because we’ve spoken a bunch of times about her work and my desire to write a novel. Or maybe just a couple of times. She’s one of those people I call friend but aren’t really. We’re friendly, though.
Anyway, she emailed me today and asked if I’d be interested in being a beta reader for her new novel. It’s about a dysfunctional family in our neighborhood. I’m intrigued. Would I recognize the family it’s based on? No, she says, it’s not based on a real family. Inspired by? I ask. Nope. I’m less intrigued.
She continues to explain that she needs people who like reading and writing to give her some early feedback so she can find and fix mistakes in the plot, or with character arcs, or the setting. Or something. I’m no longer listening, thinking instead of the thrill of seeing my name in the acknowledgements.
Again, nope. Beta readers don’t always get credit, she patiently explains. Big sigh. I’m not sure if it’s mine or hers. And now I’m remembering that she got a lot of cred from community leaders for her last book.
I say okay. She sends me the details and an agreement to sign. I have four weeks to read the draft and send my comments on the template she just sent.
I’m on summer break so I jump right in. It’s not quite a beach read, not quite Dickens, but it keeps my attention through chapter one. In the middle of chapter two, I doze off and head to bed. And wake up screaming from a nightmare. I’m sweating and disoriented. What was that? I whisper. I don’t even remember the nightmare. That’s odd, isn’t it? To not remember anything about what happened in a scream-inducing dream?
I’m already up to chapter five (out of twenty-one) and it’s only lunch time the next day. I keep checking the questions in the comment template to see if I have anything brilliant to tell my friend-ly author. Nope, not yet. I wonder if that’s weird. Yup, it is, I decide.
I wake up again calling out for — who? Seriously? This time, I remember who scared me. It’s a stupid character from the stupider book! No way, I’m thinking. This is just coincidence. Or my unfiltered mind connecting a long-ago event in my life with the story in the book. No, that’s just my tired and stressed brain thinking too hard.
Okay, day three reading. I’m up to chapter eighteen. The protagonist and antagonist are going at it. I mean really going hard at each other. And…scene. That was exciting! I really like the story, the character development, everything. I start filling in the template with my (mostly) wise comments, full of astute observation and insightful suggestions.
Day four now, I’m extremely satisfied with where the story is heading, into the final stages after a wild ride. And wait what?– plot twist now?! I have to look back a few pages to see where this sudden turn is coming from. It’s out of nowhere. As I continue to read, my stomach calls my attention and my head tilts. My eyes squint a little as I slow my pace, reading every word like they’re valuable. They’re creating sentences that register as real but torque my mind.
Good grief, she didn’t base the story on a real family, right up to the twentieth chapter, but she sure did end it like one. Mine. I’m wondering if my ego really has taken over. This is exactly what happened thirty years ago to my family, I swear. I continue reading, not noticing my slowed breathing.
I finish the book and take a forced deep inhale. I try to blow out my mouth like we’re all taught to calm down as I blurt out loud “Whoa, that’s not how my father died!” Then, quietly, “Is it?”