Why it is important to have an outside view of your book? – As authors we are too close to the story. We know every little detail of the book by the time we are done writing it. We have an ideal perception of our characters, and know their history, all their little flaws and quarks, and the things that make them who they are. We know our story line by heart, and may even have an idea of the direction the series is going (If it’s not a stand-alone). Because of this, we may not see the little plot holes that a new reader might catch. We may not read and interpret the book the same way that someone with a fresh set of eyes might. In the end, this is bad news for an author and can result in bad reviews or a reader just dropping the book and never picking it up again.
Now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. As much as we are proud of ourselves for finishing a book and want to show it off to everyone we know…Friends and family may not be honest with you about the quality of your story. Don’t let that stop you from sharing your little book baby with them, but DON’T rely on them to adequately give you the feedback to get your book needs to be at its best. And ultimately you do want the thing you spent so much time, energy, and emotion on to be at its best…right? Of course you do, so let’s move on to my next point.
What not to do:
A beta reader is essentially going to be a stranger. Yes, it is important to form a relationship with your beta reader and make sure they are a good fit for you. You don’t want someone who mostly reads Non-fiction religious books to critique your Urban Fantasy Romance book. That’s just asking for disaster.
Now remember once you’ve chosen your beta reader, they are doing YOU the favor and they aren’t getting paid for it. Don’t get mad when they don’t get to your story in 24 hours. They have their own lives and you should remain grateful they are helping you, even if it takes a week or two. They may not have the same time restrictions you do, so be clear when setting up your arrangement about any deadlines you may have. You can’t have a release date of a week and expect them to cater to that. It’s unrealistic and poor planning on your part as the author.
This next thing is the biggest NO-NO I see from other authors. Authors get upset about the feedback they asked for. If you want someone to blow smoke up your bum, give your book to your granny or best friend. That’s about how much good it’s going to do you, and it won’t benefit your writing in any way.
Don’t get mad at your beta readers input. Ultimately it’s up to you to take it or leave it. Remember you asked them to find flaws and aren’t even paying them for it. . I know it’s hard, and you have to grow a thicker skin, but the point of a beta isn’t to tell you how good your book is, it is to tell you where you messed up. Think of it as more of an opportunity to grow as a writer….or you can completely ignore everything they told you and lock yourself in your room and cry. Either way, the choice is yours.
Now for the ‘what to do’ section:
First and MOST important - Give your beta reader your best copy. It’s kind of an insult to send them something you haven’t even spent the time going over and double/triple checking. These guys aren’t your editor. They are a free resource you can use to help make your book better, so don’t treat them as your personal dictionary and grammar teacher. Please revise your book a couple times before you send it to them so they aren’t overwhelmed with piss poor quality and lazy editing on your end. If you show them right out the gate that you don’t care about your story, then why should they. Give them quality to work with so they can concentrate on the story like they are supposed to.
Find more than one beta reader. As we’ve all heard ‘It takes all kinds to make the world go round.’ One beta reader may enjoy your genre more than another, while another might see something the other missed. Don’t be shy, grab a few beta readers from here and there…besides more is better, right? Don’t limit yourself to a group of beta readers who are just readers. Try and find some authors as well. Authors think a little differently than readers. It is good to get both sides of the spectrum.
Be prepared to send your story in different formats. Each beta reader might ask for something different. One may want a PDF while another may want a DOC. Be flexible and have a few different options available. It will save everyone some aggravation if you as the author come prepared and are flexible.
So you’ve got your beta reader group picked out and your best revised copy available to send them. What’s next?
Let your beta buddies know exactly what kind of feedback you are looking for; Grammar, plot holes, sentence structure, overall feedback on storyline. If you aren’t clear with them you can’t be upset when you don’t get the results you are looking for. If you went in expecting your beta to find every punctuation mistake you’ve made and they come back with just notes on character development, you can’t be upset if you didn’t make your expectations clear. Now you’ve wasted your time and your beta’s time and it’s no one’s fault but your own.
When everything is done and you are putting together the last pieces of your book, give your beta reader a shout-out. That little ‘Acknowledgements’ page we see as readers at the beginning of a book…that’s what that is. It’s not just a spot for you to say ‘Hi Mom’ like you’re on The Price is Right or something. It’s to acknowledge the people who made your book as good as it is. A beta reader might not have put in all the hard work that you did, but they still put in a great deal of effort and their time to help you out. Besides, who wouldn’t love to open a book by one of their favorite authors and see their name? If you said ‘me’ for that question….something is wrong with you.
You’ve decided a Beta reader is for you. Awesome, now where do you find one?
Shop around and find the right beta group. You need to find someone who enjoys your genre but also knows what they are doing. It would be pointless to have someone who isn’t well read or terrible with story structure to read your book.
A good place to start would be Goodreads. If you go to the ‘Groups’ section of their site you’ll find that there is a group for just about everyone, on every genre and sub-genre. Sign up for a couple that have to do with your book. You’ll find that many of these groups have a list of beta readers available. There are literally dozens in most groups with people saying, “Pick me! Pick me! I want to be on your team!!”
Social Media is another good place to find a beta. If you aren’t already part of some Facebook author groups, start signing up now. Not only can these groups of experienced writers help you answer questions as you are getting ready to publish (if you are new to publishing), the groups can help you network. Some in the group may have ready and available trusted beta readers and may be willing to help you out. Instagram also has beta reader groups if you know where to look. Try searching keywords like the obvious ‘Beta’. There are a lot of good groups to follow, and it is a good resource for finding your perfect beta reader fit.
Worst comes to worst and you can’t find a beta reader ANYWHERE…well there is always good old fashioned Google. It’s amazing what that little search engine can find, and as authors wed be lost without it.
By doing all of this, and developing a good relationship with your beta, you’re also starting to build your reader platform. Beta readers usually recommend books they like. They are also the people who will buy other books by you if they really like what they read.
If you have more than one series out you may need to find a different group of beta readers. Don’t forget that they are not a one size fits all.
Wrapping it up.
Since you haven’t hit that publish button yet:
If you are worried about copyright issues…they do have agreements you can send and have signed (Legal Zoom) but it is better to find and communicate with your reader first to get to know them, before you just send all your hard work to a stranger all willy-nilly. Legally, as soon as the words are written down, you own them, however as authors we don’t make a ton of money right out of the gate, and it’s not like we are going to spend money on a law suit…so know your reader. Keep documentation of communications as a safe guard. If you want to stay on the safe side, don’t give a beta reader your entire work. It’s hard to do if you want a full story line review but this way they can’t completely copy your plot line.