Every writer needs feedback at multiple stages of the writing process. One of the most common types of feedback a novelist seeks is a beta read. Typically done after receiving initial feedback on early drafts and completing several revisions but before seeking professional editing services, querying agents, or making a firm plan for publication, beta reads provide a writer with an important critical perspective of their work.
In this post, I’ll break down exactly what a beta reader is and what a beta read is meant to accomplish. I’ll give you pointers on finding beta readers and setting up your beta reading relationships for success. I’ll also talk about how to make sure your manuscript is ready for beta reading and when it makes sense to pay for this traditionally volunteer-based service.
What Is Beta Reading?
Before releasing a new product, many companies will complete extensive consumer testing. They want to know if the product will resonate with their audience and do well in the current marketplace. They ask for feedback from their test subjects and adjust the product accordingly.
Essentially, this is what beta reading is. Unlike alpha reading, which provides a writer with feedback from the perspective of fellow writers, and editing, which provides feedback from a professional perspective, beta reading provides feedback from the perspective of people whom the book is ultimately for: your target audience.
Who Should Be My Beta Readers?
A lot of people like to read, but does that mean anyone who likes to read can be a good beta for your book? Not necessarily. Be strategic about choosing your beta readers. Look for people who read and/or write a lot already in your genre. These people will be much more likely to understand your genre’s conventions and the aims of your book. They can provide feedback on how your book fits into the existing canon and alert you to anything that would be deemed unacceptable for the genre.
I also strongly believe that family and friends do not make the best beta readers. Even if they read regularly within your genre, they will be unlikely to have an unbiased perspective on your work. In addition, receiving feedback from someone very close to you can potentially damage or strain relationships.
Where Can I Find Beta Readers?
Finding beta readers can be a bit tricky sometimes. Personally, I’ve had the best luck finding beta readers on social media groups dedicated to writing and beta reading. People also use sites like critiquematch.com to find beta readers. Writing conferences are also a good place to network and find other writers willing to beta read for you. If you have a social media following of people in your target audience, you could also consider reaching out to them to find beta readers.
Related: After the First Draft: 7 Steps on the Path to Publication
Should I Be a Beta Reader?
Absolutely! In my experience, the best beta readers have been other writers with whom I’ve swapped manuscripts. It’s always better to create reciprocal relationships whenever you have the chance. It’s an organic way to create a strong network to support you as you grow as a writer. Beta reading will also sharpen your own writing knowledge and editorial skills as you take the time to sit with another person’s work and determine what is good, what works, and what doesn’t.
On a slightly cynical note, swapping manuscripts also tends to decrease the likelihood of the beta reader ghosting or backing out of their commitment to you—an eventuality I discuss further in the sections below.
How Many Beta Readers Do I Need?
Beta reading is a highly subjective process. Not everyone is going to approach a beta read in exactly the same way. Some might provide more cursory or surface-level feedback while others might take the time to write pages of more in-depth feedback. You will also likely find that some people commit to a beta read and then back out or ghost you. To prepare for that eventuality, it’s best to find more beta readers than you think you need. Try to find between 8-10 beta readers per round. If all goes well, you will end up with around 5 solid critiques from members of your target audience.
Should Professional Editing Come Before Beta Reading?
You're likely to come across a few different opinions on this point, even among editors. Personally, I think beta reading should come before professional developmental editing. Developmental editing usually goes better—and costs less—if the manuscript is already in pretty good shape before editorial work begins. To that end, I see beta reading as one more opportunity for you to receive constructive feedback to improve your work for free (or cheap if you end up paying for beta reading—see below) before investing serious money into editorial work.
Related: What Level of Edit Do I Need?
Do I Need More than One Round of Beta Reading?
Sometimes we think a manuscript is just about perfect when we send it out to beta readers—and then we receive critical feedback that shows us there’s much more work to do than we thought. If you realize that your book still needs significant work after the first round of beta reading, it might be a good idea to fully revise the manuscript and then find another round of beta readers just to make sure you’ve resolved the problems. Of course, there are no rules as to how many rounds of beta reading you can do, so repeat the process as many times as it makes sense.
How Can I Prepare My Manuscript for Beta Reading?
It’s not uncommon for new writers to make the mistake of sending out a manuscript too early for beta reading. More than once, I’ve heard beta readers say they stopped reading a manuscript because it was clearly at first-draft level. If your manuscript still has major plot inconsistencies, poor pacing, or systemic grammar and punctuation issues, it is likely your beta readers will not want to read your manuscript, no matter how interesting the premise.
While your manuscript does not need to be perfect before sending it out for beta reads, it should be just about as good as you can make it. You might have a plot hole or two left to fix, and you might not be sure how to make a character stand out, but overall, the manuscript should be clean and carefully self-edited.
You also want to pay attention to the formatting of the manuscript in order to provide a smooth reading experience for your beta reader. Are you using a word processing program that is commonly used and easy to access, like Google Docs or Word? Have you double-spaced your type and used a font that will not distract the reader’s eye, such as Times New Roman or Arial? Have you indented at the start of each new paragraph? Are your scene and chapter breaks clearly marked?
Paying attention to these small details will help the beta reader read with ease, allowing them to mimic the mindset they might have if they’d pulled your book off the shelf at a bookstore and read it.
Related: Self-Editing Part 1: Getting Started
How Can I Get the Most Out of Beta Reading?
The last thing you want from a beta reader is a few lines of feedback that boil down to: “I liked it, good job,” or “Meh, it wasn’t for me.”
You want your beta readers to spend time thinking about your story—about what engaged them and what caused them to lose interest, and to think about the whys behind those reactions. Try to avoid asking questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” —and if you do ask them, follow up with specific prompts to explain their opinion or thought processes.
By directing your beta readers’ attention to specific issues and asking them to answer carefully-constructed questions about their experience with your book, you will likely elicit the kind of constructive, meaningful feedback that will help you take your manuscript to the next level.
Here are some sample questions you might include:
What was engaging or exciting in the start of the story? What was off-putting or distracting?
What kind of story did you feel the beginning of the book promised? Do you feel the book kept that promise? Why or why not?
What did you think of the story’s pacing? Were there any parts you felt were too fast or slow? If so, which ones?
How would you describe this book to friends or family members? What other titles would you compare it to?
Related: How to Sort through Feedback
Should I Pay Beta Readers?
Lately, I’ve noticed more writers and editors offering paid beta reading services. In most instances, my advice is to save your money for professional editing services instead. However, I recognize that sometimes there might be a need to hire a paid beta reader. Here are a few circumstances that come to mind:
You’re on a tight deadline. The vast majority of volunteer beta readers have limited spare time for beta reading, and in some cases they might need months to get their feedback back to you. If you’re in a bit of a rush and you don’t have any volunteer beta readers who can turn around your manuscript within your desired time frame, a paid beta reader (who can comfortably and clearly commit to meet your deadline) might be helpful.
You need a beta reader with specific knowledge of your subject matter. If your manuscript needs fact-checking beyond general knowledge then it might make sense to hire a beta reader who has firsthand knowledge of the matter to check the accuracy of your representations. Especially when different cultural or ethnic backgrounds, health challenges, and mental or physical differences are involved, hiring a beta reader to do a “sensitivity read” is usually a wise choice.
Your volunteer betas just aren’t pulling through. Everyone has a run of bad luck sometimes. If you’re anxious to get past the beta reading stage and your repeated efforts to build a team of volunteer betas just isn’t panning out, then hiring a paid beta reader might make sense for you.
There are a few downsides to paying for beta reading. For one, you might not be able to pay for enough beta readers to get a fair sampling of how your audience might respond to your book. Remember, one aim of beta reading is to gauge how your readers might generally respond. Unless you can afford to hire a decent number of beta readers, it will likely be more difficult to get a sense of how your audience will receive your book.
Another downside, as I hinted at above, is that paying for betas might mean you won’t be able to put as much money (or perhaps any money at all) towards professional developmental editing services —and, in my opinion, if you can’t pay for both beta reading and developmental editing, choose developmental editing. To make your story stand out from the crowd, you’ll need the thorough, professionally-trained eyes of a qualified editor to help you know what isn’t working in your manuscript and how to fix it.
Wrapping Up
As with any step of the writing process, the beta reading stage looks a bit different for everyone. There’s no cut-and-dry approach, and it might take some troubleshooting to figure out what works best for you. Nevertheless, taking the time to gather thoughtful feedback from readers of your genre can yield invaluable perspectives that will help you take your manuscript to the next level.
Happy writing!