Can I Read What You're Writing?

Sometimes you need an extra pair of eyes

I’ve just finished my 4th manuscript.

I know how valuable it is to have an extra set of eyes on your work. I always grab at least four beta readers before I send my work off to editors.

This week, I want to share how I do that.

If you don’t want to read the newsletter, skip down to the bottom to see how you can connect with me to read your work.

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What are Beta readers?

It’s important to be clear about this before you hire a Beta reader.

Beta readers are not going to edit your work.

They are passionate readers who give you feedback on what your story is like from a reader’s point of view. They might cover:

• Plot holes

• Character inconsistencies and if they found them relatable

• How enjoyable it was

• Parts that dragged and parts they loved

• How they found your writing style.

Their feedback ranges from a few comments to a formal report.

A couple of years ago, I used Beta readers for the first time as a bit of an experiment.

Here’s how it went:

I hired five readers from Fiverr.

It’s a good idea to test readers out with your first three chapters. This way you get a feel for the readers you find most helpful, and it’s more affordable.

With a little searching, I found affordable readers, ranging from $50USD to just $10USD.

I tested out a selection of readers: from experienced to brand new with no reviews.

I also had three unpaid beta readers.

I found these easily on a Facebook beta readers and critique partner groups. Goodreads also has a beta reader group.

There are thousands of people in these groups, and I got the impression many of them are also writers.

What’s my verdict?

I loved the beta reader experience. It’s definitely a useful exercise to do between self-editing and professional editing — if you’re going to pay for a professional editor.

But I did learn a few things:

• Make sure your beta readers read and enjoy your genre.
  I mentioned in the Facebook beta group that my story was a romance, but one of the free readers who offered to take a look had never read a category romance. The feedback she left was very detailed, most of it useful, but she gave some irrelevant suggestions because she wasn’t familiar with the genre.

• Ask questions and be specific about what you want.
  I prefer the readers to focus on the story overall, not the grammar and formatting. They aren’t editors. Giving my readers questions helped me with areas of the story I wasn’t sure about, and meant they weren’t wasting their time.

• It can hurt to get feedback.
  I’m used to critique — I’ve been doing this writer-thing for over 13 years now — but it still stings when someone doesn’t like an aspect of your story. You need to be willing to take a breath, step back, and consider their point of view. They won’t always be right, but often they are. Remember, if one reader doesn’t like something, it might just be their personal preference. Perhaps they couldn’t relate to your main character? But if a few readers say the same thing, they probably have a point worth considering.

• The paid beta readers were the best overall because they gave reports and read in a short time frame — usually 2–3 days. My favorites were actually the cheap readers with no reviews. I picked them because they loved romance and it ended up being a good call.

• Get them to do a sample read first (5–15K words). Then decide who you want to read your full manuscript.

• Beta readers who are also writers can be helpful in a different way.
  Some of my beta readers were also writers. Their feedback was useful in a different way and they made more suggestions for changes than the others did.

Now, here’s what I always do

I always use beta readers now. When I have three chapters, I send them off to my beta readers to make sure I’m on track. Then when I’m done, I send the manuscript off to my favourite readers.

I enjoy the paid readers from Fiverr most because of their short time frames and detailed reports. But I also use a critique partner I met online, because she’s a writer too and makes great suggestions for changes. I read her work and she reads mine.

The readers picked up tiny inconsistencies or missing parts I hadn’t noticed. They bought into the characters as real people and noticed anything that didn’t fit their personalities.

“I don’t think she’d do that…”

“They’ve only kissed once in three days?”

“How did he know she was new to town?”

It’s amazing to hear direct feedback from the people who would buy your book.

You can feel like you’re writing in a void, especially with something as lengthy as a novel. Responses to your writing are a great reminder of who you’re doing all this for.

Your audience changes depending on what you write. It’s important to think about and get to know them. Beta readers are one way to do that.

So how can I help? I’m taking a break before I start my next project, and I’m keen to read!

I’ve set up a cheap Beta Read gig for BYW for fiction or nonfiction. Grab it if it’s helpful and let’s get your story on track!