Simon Whaley chats to one author about how beta-readers can lead to better books.
Someone once said to me, “Beta readers are an author’s crash-test dummy. They take your book for a ride and, if they survive the journey, they’ll tell you what they liked and what they didn’t.”
Ever since then, I’ve always imagined beta-readers as crash-test dummies with their hands out in front of them, holding a book instead of a steering wheel.
But the analogy works well. Car manufacturers test their products for safety once the vehicle’s exterior and interior design have been finalised, and they’ve created a physical version that’s as close to the mass-production model they intend to sell.
Similarly, writers can use beta-readers to check their work prior to launch. But what exactly is a beta-reader, what are they testing for, and how do we go about finding them?
Alexander Lane (alexanderlane.co.uk) writes the Nightmare Vacations supernatural horror novels. He’s used beta-readers and found them to be extremely useful.
Real Readers
‘The beta reader is both your manuscript’s first encounter with a real reader in the wild and sometimes your last chance to catch important feedback before it becomes a book that people will review in public and pay to read,’ he explains.
‘Their job is to give you an authentic snapshot of your story as a reading experience and help you to understand whether your book delivers the experience that has been promised to your reader by the cover, the blurb, the first few pages, and any other marketing you’ve done.’
‘But,’ as Alexander continues, ‘it’s also important to understand what a beta reader doesn’t do. A beta reader isn’t an editor or a proofreader—the feedback you get might indicate that you need more editing or proofreading, but it’s not their job to give you line-by-line corrections and editing suggestions.’
This is an important point because, as writers, we need people with different skill sets at different stages of our writing process. Developmental editors are experts in the big-picture structure. Line and copyeditors are skilled at style, rhythm, tone, pace, and clarity at the paragraph and line level. If they spot issues, they can offer solutions on how we can resolve them.
Alexander uses beta-readers when he’s nearly ready to launch his book to market.
‘For me, beta reading comes at the end of your process when you’ve been through editors and rewrites and proofreaders. The feedback might indicate that you need another round of rewrites because your beta readers find a huge plot-hole, a continuity error, or your characters don’t land in the way you felt they should. If it’s a significant change, you might need another group of beta readers to kick the tyres on this revised edition.’
Going back to the crash-test dummy analogy, our editors and proofreaders are the designers and engineers. They understand the science of putting these things together.
Beta-readers are ordinary readers. Ideally, they need to be people who read a lot of books. And it makes sense to seek those who enjoy reading our genre. It’s not their job to tell us how to resolve any issues, but they can tell us what works well and what doesn’t.
When a stone smacks against your car’s windscreen on the motorway, shattering it into smithereens, do you curse the manufacturer and say you expect a windscreen to crack, fracture, and stay put so you can safely get the car to the side of the road? Or do you go back to them and explain they should have taken two layers of thin glass and sandwiched a clear plastic layer between them, perhaps using polyvinyl butyral or ethylene-vinyl acetate in order to stop it shattering?
As drivers, it’s not our job to tell manufacturers how to build cars. We simply need to give feedback on what we expect from a car.
Likewise, our beta-readers are finished product testers, not word engineers. That doesn’t mean to say that beta-readers can’t offer solution suggestions, but we shouldn’t expect them. If a beta-reader is also a writer, then the advice they offer may be constructive.
‘A beta reader should be as close to a real reader as you can get,’ says Alexander. ‘They should know your genre and enjoy reading it. Most of all, they should be a fresh set of eyes who haven’t read a lot of previous drafts and already know your story. They need to experience your twists and surprises genuinely, without having pre-set opinions.’
Reader Recruitment
Alexander finds his beta-readers in a variety of places. If you visit his website, like many authors, you’ll see an invitation to join his newsletter. But you’ll also see an invitation to become a beta-reader. This makes sense because if readers enjoy his books, they’re just the sort of readers who might enjoy being a beta-reader. But he doesn’t rely solely on his website.
‘I recruit through friends, through my newsletter, and through forums like Facebook and Reddit,’ he says. ‘There are some private Facebook groups for writers, particularly in specific genres like horror, where you can ask for beta readers. I used Books of Horror Freview for both beta and ARC readers, and the readers I found were motivated people who wanted to provide useful comments.’
Ideally, we want beta-readers who understand what the job entails, but not everyone does, as Alexander has noted.
‘It is hard to find beta readers who will finish a book and provide feedback on a useful timescale, and I have considered using paid services that recruit panels of beta readers, but my budget doesn’t allow it yet.’
Beta Blueprint
To get the best from beta-readers, build a relationship with them. Be clear about what you expect from them and the timeframe that’s available. Most beta-readers do this for free, in their spare time, so our books are not their top priority in their lives.
‘Don’t worry about finding a lot of beta readers,’ Alexander advises, ‘but stay in touch to keep the momentum going. Don’t be despondent or frustrated when you lose a few. Life gets in the way, and they’re doing you a favour by reading your work and providing their comments. A handful of beta readers is still very useful.’
Rather than seeking general feedback, asking specific questions can produce more useful data, but limit them to a few. Alexander uses an American author’s system for getting the most from his beta-readers.
‘I use Mary Robinette Kowal’s ABCD system that asks just four questions:
- What was Awesome?
- What was Boring?
- Was anything Confusing?
- What Didn’t you believe?’
‘Ideally,’ he continues, ‘it’s all awesome, but it’s great to see which moments or characters stand out for your readers. They might not be the ones you’d intended.’
Alexander also interrupts the reading process to ask these pertinent questions, rather than leaving them all to the end.
‘I’ll put an ABCD questionnaire into the story at roughly 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%, depending on where key beats fall in the story.’
The benefit of this is that it captures their thoughts at the key stages of their reading journey, and he still gets some feedback if they don’t finish the book, for whatever reason.
Asking every beta-reader the same question not only means they are given guidance on what to think about and give feedback on, but it also means he can easily identify where any potential weak spots in his story are.
‘The bonus of using these questions is that they help you to receive consistent feedback that’s easy to understand. If one person mentions a confusing moment, it might be nothing, but if several people mention the same thing, you should do something about it.’
Always give beta-readers a deadline. Give them enough time to read your book in their spare time, without pressurising them to do it, but don’t give them so much time that you then struggle to meet your own book production deadlines.
‘Six weeks might seem like a long time for someone to read your book,’ Alexander suggests, ‘but reading and commenting needs a lot more time than you’d think. And when they do finish, be sure to thank them.’
Comment Collection
Think about how you will collect beta-readers’ comments. While their emailed thoughts are useful, if you have several beta-readers testing your book, having their comments returned in a structured format can be much more beneficial. Create a simple form for them to complete.
‘After trying a few tools,’ explains Alexander, ‘I decided that Google Docs is the most flexible platform for me and my readers: it works on any device, you can quickly create a unique copy for each beta reader, and you can use their comments to see how far they’ve got. If they seem to have stopped reading, you can politely ask if there’s a problem. Most of the time, something’s come up in their lives, and they don’t have the time.’
Beta-readers can be a fantastic way to test our story before launching it to the wider world. It’s much better for a fresh pair of eyes to pick up a plot hole or a character issue prior to publication than to risk the wrath of poor reviews. And a dedicated fan may even remember something from an earlier book that has implications for this book that we’d forgotten.
Ultimately, beta-readers can help us produce better books.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, no crash-test dummies were seriously injured in the production of this article.
Business Directory – Find Your Beta-Readers
- Approach your existing readers, if you already have some, via your newsletter, website, and social media channels.
- Search ‘beta-readers’ and your genre in Facebook groups, Goodreads, or Reddit.
- Check dedicated beta-reader platforms like BetaReader.io.
- Consider paying. Thousands of beta-readers advertise on Fiverr.com.
- Approach writer friends in writers’ groups or critique groups.
© Simon Whaley