Cameron Chapman

Beta readers can be an aspiring author’s best friends—or worst enemies. But which they turn out to be can depend as much on the author as it does on the reader. Forming good working relationships with a trusted circle of readers can ensure the manuscripts you submit to agents, publishers, literary magazines, or elsewhere are as good as they can be, without the expense of a professional editor.

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But beta readers can be an elusive topic for the aspiring author, especially one who doesn’t belong to a formal critique group or otherwise have a circle of writerly friends. So, I’ve compiled this guide to help direct you toward forming a good relationship with your readers. I’ve had a total of four manuscripts read by beta readers (two partials through an online writing site, and two fulls through personal contacts), and so far I’ve had a very positive and productive experience with beta readers.

When to Use Beta Readers

Figuring out when to use beta readers can be tricky. There are two basic times when you should consider betas. First, when you’re just starting out writing. Betas at this point can point out the major flaws in your writing. Things like overuse of common words or repetitive sentence structure. I was guilty of the first offense when I started writing. I overused the word “that” to the point it was incredibly distracting once it was pointed out. I was lucky to have readers who mentioned it without disparaging the overall manuscript. Now that I’m aware of it, I can figure out when it’s appropriate to use “that” and when it’s not.

The other time you want to use beta readers is before submitting to agents, publishers, or literary magazines, especially for your first few manuscripts. At this stage, you want betas who can point out any major structural issues with your manuscript, as well as any underlying issues with your writing. You want to present the strongest manuscript possible when submitting to agents or publishers, and having an extra set of eyes helps ensure there aren’t any major problems.

When NOT to Use Beta Readers

While beta readers are invaluable when you’re first starting out and right before submission, there are times when using betas can be detrimental to your writing. The main time this is relevant is when you’re finding your own voice. It’s time like these when you’re still unsure of your own writing, but are getting better every day. You’ve ironed out the major technical issues and are working on forming your own style. This is an important time for a writer, and unless you have very, very gentle beta readers, hearing a bunch of negative feedback can have a huge impact on your confidence levels.

Feedback I’ve received right before submission could have crushed me when I was still unsure of my voice. It could have made me question everything I thought I knew about my own writing. At this point, though, I’m pretty comfortable with my style and the way in which I write, so I can easily pick through the feedback I get and figure out what’s valid and what’s simply a difference in style and voice between my betas and me.

If you’re sure you’ve worked out the technical issues in your writing but are still nervous about your own style and voice, be wary of beta readers. While good betas can help you refine your voice, they can also destroy it. If you want outside feedback, find writers who have a style similar to what you’re trying to create and ask them if something works or not. Tell them you’re still trying to figure out your own style and see if they can point you in the right direction.

How to Find Beta Readers

There are two main sources for beta readers: other writers, and readers. You probably already know readers. Look for people who read in your genre and who won’t be afraid to tell you if they didn’t like something. Also reassure them that you’re open to criticism and you want their honest feedback.

If you don’t know any writers, join some online forums. There are plenty of sites online that have critique groups. Authonomy, Absolute Write, YouWriteOn and WEBook are just a few. Specific genre sites are also out there. You can also use sites like Meetup.com to find local writers’ groups if you’re not comfortable sharing your work online.

It’s best to find other writers for early beta readers, as they’re more likely to be able to pick out specific flaws in your writing. Both writers and readers work well for pre-submission beta sessions.

How to Handle Feedback

What you do with the feedback you received is just as important as the feedback itself. Some writers get a document back up with a ton of comments and immediately start going through and changing everything the beta pointed out. That’s not the best way to perfect your manuscript. You have to remember that your betas are people, too. They’re not always right (but they’re not always wrong, either).

Look at the big-picture stuff. If your betas were confused by a certain passage or storyline, then that’s something you’ll need to deal with. It’s your job as a writer to make sure your readers understand what you’re saying. If your betas didn’t understand something, that’s your fault, not theirs.

If they found inconsistencies, plot holes, or loose ends, those are other important things to deal with. Characterization is a bit more subjective, but consider what your betas say about your characters, and adjust accordingly if needed.

The tricky thing to deal with from betas is comments on smaller things. Sentence structure. Word choice. Chapter breaks. Things like that. If you’re comfortable with your voice and style, you can likely figure out what’s actually an issue and what’s simply a difference in style between you and another writer.

Make sure you keep in mind whether this particular beta reader is someone who regularly reads your genre. Differences in genre standards can lead to misguided advice. For example, if your beta reader usually writes and reads chick lit and your book is horror, you might need to disregard advice to make things “lighter” in places.

But sometimes getting feedback from outside your genre can help you improve your writing overall, and can even make your book stand out from the dozens or hundreds of others agents and publishers see in your genre every day.

Treat Your Betas Like Gold!

I don’t care if you disagree with your betas. I don’t care if you think their advice is some of the dumbest, most-misguided, most trivial advice you’ve ever received.

They took the time to read your book.

In all likelihood, they took time away from their own writing to help you out. Sure, they brought their own preconceptions, their own prejudices to the table, but so will every single one of your readers in the “real world”.

When you receive feedback from your betas, you WILL send them a thank-you note. You will tell them you appreciated the time they took to read your book. You will NOT argue with them if you disagree with something they said. You can ask questions if you’re unclear on something they said, but make sure you do so in a manner that is respectful and polite.

Remember, no one has to read your book. You’re not entitled to beta readers (or any other readers). Treat them with respect, and if they then ask you to read their manuscript down the road, do so and give them honest, useful feedback without regard to the feedback they gave you previously. And if you are lucky enough and talented enough to get published, make sure you thank your beta readers in your book’s acknowledgments.