The Beta Reader
Welcome to another Wednesday Writers Wisdom. I feel great everyone! I just finished my novel now what? Time to find myself some Beta readers, that’s what.
So what is a Beta reader and why do I need one you might ask? Well its simple, a
beta reader gives you feedback on your finished manuscript. They are the ones
that find the bugs in your work before the final “release” version goes out.
They can improve its readability, its usefulness and even its saleability,
probably not a word but it sounds good.
Seriously guys the Beta readers are your best friends. You
have spent so much time with your novel, hoping you got all those pesky errors
down. You are probably biting at the bit to get it to the world so that
everyone can see how great you are as a writer, but hold on. You spend so much time on our own manuscripts
that you might not be seeing it objectively that’s where the Beta reader comes
in.
I came across this article by Belinda Pollard the other day
which she talked about the need for Beta
Readers In her post she states what a beta reader is and why every author no
matter if they are going the self-publishing route or the traditional way, we
all need good Beta Readers.
In her second post on Beta
Readers she talked about how to find that perfect reader for your manuscript.
She pointed out some clear and precise aspects of the Beta Reader. All of which
I agreed, and urge you to take a look at what she said. If you don’t have the
time I’ve narrowed them down to what I thought were important for me and
perhaps you might find them help as well.
Personal
characteristics of the Beta: You want
to look for someone that is in your target demographics. That means someone
that reads the kind of stories that you have written. That makes common sense
since they will respond to your book similar to the way of your intended
readers. Okay, you can’t find these gems. Then try the next best thing. Look for readers with that publishing understanding,
these are the type of readers that can put themselves in your target reader’s
shoes. If you find one any of these Beta’s
you have found pure gold. You want
someone that’s opinionated, but know how to justify their opinion without
killing your dream. With that said, you do not want to get anyone close to you,
like a life partner or your Mom. They will only tell you want you want to hear.
Reading and writing of
the Beta Way: Keep an ear out, Beta’s are regular readers. Remember those
friends or co-workers who often mention
a book they’ve read. Ideally, Beta’s read broadly, not restricting themselves
to just one type of book. They are also writers who are motivated to
help you with your book, because they know how much they appreciate help with
their own work. They comprehend the value of a good beta read.
Publishing smarts of
a Beta: They understand what makes a good book, plot development and characterization,
structure and purpose they even understand what creates suspense etc. They comprehend the difference in a writer’s
“voice” from what’s “technically correct” They recognize that a few typos in
the beta read doesn’t make a bad book. (Those any good copy editor or
proofreader can fix)
Ideally you would want at least 2-4 Beta Readers for your manuscript.
Perhaps you know more than 4 people that you can ask, but keep in mind; you are
looking for the above characteristics to help guide you in choosing the right
Beta for your baby. These characteristics aren’t set in stone
however. You are the author and thus the best judge of what kind of input your
book needs to take it to the next level whatever that might be.
You can find out more by Belinda Pollard on her site Smallbluedog.com
Copyright © 2013 Glynis Rankin
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