Being a part of the writing community has been a learning experience for me. So much goes into writing a book and so many people are involved in making a book the final product that reaches the readers, that I feel honored to be part of this amazing cycle of creation. On The Creator’s Roulette today, I have Phoebe Ritter, author od Daughter of the Zel, sharing her experiences in working with beta readers.
Phoebe writes YA Fantasy fiction and feedback on her work is very important to her. In this post, she is exploring the process of getting feedback from different people and how beta readers can help make a story better. As you read this post, reflect on your own experience with beta readers and share it with us in the comments!
Working with Beta Readers
By Phoebe Ritter
If you’re anything like me, the moment you finish a story, you’re desperate to share it. Obviously, I’d never make anyone suffer through reading one of my first drafts – they’re awful, just awful – but once the writing is a bit more detailed and polished and you’ve had a chance to root out the worst typos and errors, then getting someone else’s views can be immensely helpful to turning your story into a finished product.
So where can you get feedback?
Firstly, pick someone who is used to reading the genre and enjoys it. If they’re a hardened criminal thriller fan and you want them to give you feedback on your cutesy YA romance, you’re not likely to get anything useful.
Consider what sort of books they’re into and, if they’re a paid beta, whether they have provided feedback on similar stories.
What sort of feedback do you want?
Something I didn’t know when I started is that there are alpha and beta readers (and I do occasionally slip into calling all feedback beta feedback).
Alphas are there to give you the big picture, point out plot holes and where things are a little dull. It’s pointless to ask them to help you find typos because the manuscript will go through so many more rounds of edits and other feedback that it won’t make a difference later.
Betas are helpful later on to see if you’ve fixed the glaring plot holes, if there is continuity, if the story is enjoyable and, yes, help find those typos.
There are different readers you can use and there are pros and cons to both:
Family and friends.
This can be a mixed bag. You know who is likely to be brutally honest and who might be more supportive. You need both; brutally honest to make it a better story and supportive to actually encourage you to get the edits done, get it out there and work on something new.
If you’re someone who reacts badly to negative feedback, I’d recommend asking outsiders for feedback rather than risking your relationships!
Paid readers.
I’m always on a budget, but I highly recommend getting at least one paid reader. They can offer a level of objectivity that friends and family can’t. However, balance this against the fact they are being paid, so may want to be nice to you to a certain degree.
I’d recommend finding someone who will offer their feedback in the form of a detailed written report. This should be on a variety of aspects (characterisation, world building, clarity of the writing, etc.) and this more in-depth feedback can help pinpoint the issues with the story better than the less specific feedback of friends and family.
Fans of your work.
Okay, so this isn’t applicable for your first book. But once you have struggled and put something out there and someone is a fan, why not ask them to beta read your next story?
I found one of my absolutely best betas after she won a copy of my first book in a competition and she gave it a good review. I already knew she liked my style of writing and the genre, so asking for her thoughts on the second book seemed obvious.
An added bonus: if someone has already written a review (on Amazon or Goodreads), there’s a good chance they’ll write another for the next book and early reviews are everything.
Whoever it is reading your work, and whatever the scope of the feedback, be grateful. Someone has given their time to try and help you. No one likes finding out there is a cavernous plot hole in their story, but better they point it out than your first reviewer.
What are the benefits of feedback?
It is a great way of getting some objectivity. Whether you think that what you’ve written is awful or wonderful, you need that outside opinion.
The key thing you’ll want to know is how quickly they read it. If they struggled through it, then there are some big changes to be made.
After this, your reader will let you know when the reader doesn’t understand something – while it might be obvious for you why your main character can’t get out of a problem by doing X, it might not be to the reader. Just because it’s all in your head, doesn’t mean you’ve communicated it well enough on paper.
They’ll also be able to let you know if your characters are likeable. Do they have a clear idea of them in their head? How’s the pacing? Once you’ve got their feedback, it will make your editing more focussed and help you improve the story.
Feel free to ask your alpha or beta reader for advice, but remember not every idea is a good idea. It’s your story at the end of the day.
Later on, it’s unbelievably helpful to have another set of eyes to pick up embarrassing typos. It can also make you aware of your overused phrases and hideous misuses of grammar, all of which are helpful before you finally get your work out there and when you start something new.
Finally, having someone beta read your work can give you the push you need to edit and publish. Without the support of my betas, I’d never have published Daughter of the Zel, never mind a trilogy. Since then I’ve learnt a lot about feedback and it’s changed, and undoubtedly improved, the way I write.
While writing my first book felt like an achievement, without beta feedback, no one else would have ever read it.
What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve received?
I hope you enjoyed this insightful post about beta readers by Phoebe. You can learn more about her work from her website and connect with her on Twitter, Goodreads and Facebook. Be sure to check out Daughter of the Zel – it is also one of the prizes of our Armed with A Bingo check in for this quarter!
Banner image from Unsplash.
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