It’s difficult to find someone to read your work and give you feedback before you publish. And those of us that find regular beta readers for our work should consider ourselves fortunate. Beta readers make a serious commitment of time and energy to read your work and provide the suggestions for improvement that we are looking for.
First of all, what should we expect from a beta reader? First of all, they aren’t editors. Sure, they may catch spelling and grammar mistakes or point out where we may have drifted in tense and tone, but they aren’t there to edit your work. They are there for a bigger purpose, actually. Beta readers give you something incredibly valuable…their thoughts.
They provide you with solid analysis of your work as they are reading through it. Knowing what readers will likely be thinking during certain parts of your story can be vital knowledge to you, the writer. Did your action scenes fall flat? Your beta reader can tell you. Was your romantic angle believable or too steamy? Was the main character not fully developed for the reader to be invested in them or were the supporting characters more interesting than the main character? Did you leave plot holes? What questions remained unanswered for the reader that took away from the experience you tried to deliver with your book? Your beta reader can tell you.
It is hard enough for us to edit our own work. We often become so invested in our books that we fall in love with the story that we have already told a hundred times in our head. It can be easy for us to miss these vital parts during our review process. As writers, we have a unique perspective on our work. However, it is not the same perspective that our readers have. A beta reader comes in with a clean slate, which is impossible for the writer to do. They have the perspective of an outsider and will tell you what readers are going to think about your book.
For some writers it is hard to take the feedback. Any negative feedback can sometimes feel like criticism. We need to look at this process in a different way. Beta readers aren’t there to criticize your work. They are there to make it better. Having thick skin is sometimes one of most important traits a writer can have. When a beta reader finishes your work and delivers their thoughts and suggestions, take them seriously. Their feedback will help you decide on how you will approach your rewrites and complete a book that you will truly be happy with, one that your readers will love.
First of all, what should we expect from a beta reader? First of all, they aren’t editors. Sure, they may catch spelling and grammar mistakes or point out where we may have drifted in tense and tone, but they aren’t there to edit your work. They are there for a bigger purpose, actually. Beta readers give you something incredibly valuable…their thoughts.
They provide you with solid analysis of your work as they are reading through it. Knowing what readers will likely be thinking during certain parts of your story can be vital knowledge to you, the writer. Did your action scenes fall flat? Your beta reader can tell you. Was your romantic angle believable or too steamy? Was the main character not fully developed for the reader to be invested in them or were the supporting characters more interesting than the main character? Did you leave plot holes? What questions remained unanswered for the reader that took away from the experience you tried to deliver with your book? Your beta reader can tell you.
It is hard enough for us to edit our own work. We often become so invested in our books that we fall in love with the story that we have already told a hundred times in our head. It can be easy for us to miss these vital parts during our review process. As writers, we have a unique perspective on our work. However, it is not the same perspective that our readers have. A beta reader comes in with a clean slate, which is impossible for the writer to do. They have the perspective of an outsider and will tell you what readers are going to think about your book.
For some writers it is hard to take the feedback. Any negative feedback can sometimes feel like criticism. We need to look at this process in a different way. Beta readers aren’t there to criticize your work. They are there to make it better. Having thick skin is sometimes one of most important traits a writer can have. When a beta reader finishes your work and delivers their thoughts and suggestions, take them seriously. Their feedback will help you decide on how you will approach your rewrites and complete a book that you will truly be happy with, one that your readers will love.
RSS Feed