7 Tips to Be a Better Beta-Reader
Greetings and salutations Scribblers!
From the outside, writing may seem like a solo activity, but it takes a village to write and prepare a manuscript for publication. Part of that team is your beta readers. So, today, we’re going to talk about what beta reading is and give you some tips on being a good beta reader for your fellow writers.
First off, what is a beta reader? A beta reader is someone who’s going to read your manuscript and offer you constructive feedback on what works and what doesn’t. When you decide to have someone beta read is entirely up to you. For me, I like to bring in my first round of beta readers once I’ve done a thorough revision of my zero draft and then after each consecutive thorough revision.
Being a beta reader is an essential part of building your writing community. It allows you to exchange manuscripts with each other and offer feedback, which helps both of you grow as writers. But it’s more than just reading a manuscript and sharing your thoughts. You need to put yourself into the right frame of mind to beta read.
Tip #1: You’re reading with a purpose
Beta reading isn’t pleasure reading. That’s not to say that it can’t be if you get a manuscript that’s so wonderful you just caught up in reading it! I had a beta read recently where I went in with the intention of leaving inline comments as needed and left zero because everything was so well done I only had a few overall comments to share with the author. Reading with a purpose means you’re extra aware of story structure, pacing, character development, objects and rules being introduced and then used or adhered to, etc. And you need to be thinking about why that element is or isn’t working. Which brings us to
Tip #2: Explain Yourself
Whether something works or doesn’t work, you need to be able to explain why. This is a little less true with things that work, but an absolute must with elements you bump up against in the manuscript. You shouldn’t just say “this doesn’t work like this.” You need to elaborate to something more along the lines of “Jim yelling like this seems out of character since so far we’ve only seen him cuddle puppies and help old people cross the street. I feel like I don’t have enough insight into Jim’s thoughts to understand this sudden shift in behavior.”
Yes, it’s more typing. But now the author your reading for has an understanding of what might not be coming across on the page and they can work with that. So please always make sure you support your comments with what’s going in your brain to help that author see what’s potentially missing.
Tip #3: Be aware of your biases
This goes for everything! What tropes do you like or dislike? What genres? What type of character archetypes do you love or hate? I’m a lover of fantasy and that’s where I’m most comfortable beta reading. That’s not to say I can’t beta or offer feedback on a mystery or a contemporary, but my notes are more likely to be focused on structural things than genre conventions because I just don’t read enough of those genres to be as helpful. Similarly, I am not a fan of books that include fae folk. So if a friend says they have a fae book they want me to beta, I either bow out or let them know that my notes may not be as helpful as they’d like. Regardless of what you like or disklike, remember to treat the book as a whole and to look at how that element functions in the narrative. Is it working or not and then explain why. Nothing is more frustrating for an author than getting notes where their beta reader has applied their own bias because it doesn’t help them realize their vision of the book, its realizing the beta readers. I think it’s great to beta read outside of your genre–you learn a lot! But it’s so, so, so, important to realize you need to give objective feedback to the author.
Tip #4 Sometimes You Are Not the Reader this book needs
Occasionally, you’re going to run into a book where you are just not the intended audience. This is okay. You have two choices, you can contact the author and let them know you can’t continue to beta read because you’re just not the right persion. Or you can continue to read and really focus in the structural aspects while still noting in your feedback the emotional disconnect you had–making sure to explain it has nothing to do with their writing, it’s just you and your preferences!
Tip #5: COMMUNICATE
Good, open communication between you and the author is so important. The author is giving you a piece of their soul when they share a manuscript with you. You need to be respectful of that. This means being honest with them in your feedback. The author shouldn’t be hesitant to talk to you about your feedback or to ask questions and likewise, you should feel comfortable with every comment you’re leaving. This can lead to some great brainstorming and problem solving for the author. Similarly, be aware of any timeline they gave you for getting feedback to them and communicate if you’re not going to be able to meet that deadline.
Tip #6 Only give what an author asks for
What I mean by this is that hopefully the author has given you some direction for what they’re looking for. Maybe they’re looking for lots of feedback on character arcs and worldbuilding, but they say to ignore any grammar issues. Don’t go in there and start commenting on grammar conventions! If the author says feel free to comment on anything, nothing is off the table, then you’ll need to make some inferences about the author and decide where you want to focus your feedback. This also goes for an author’s feedback style. If they say they prefer gentle feedback, make sure it’s gentle! Your goal is always to help the author to fully realize their vision for the manuscript, so keep that in mind with every comment or suggestion you leave. And of course, if there is something problematic with the novel, definitely say something! Be polite about pointing it out, but let them know.
Tip #7 You Can Only Do So Much
There will be times you might beta read a manuscript in its very early stages and the author feels it's further along than it is. There might be so many elements that need attention you don’t know where to begin. In these cases, I suggest sticking to just three main structural pieces. This could be plot, pacing, world building, or characters. But really focus in on just three of those and offer what help you can. Each author’s journey is different and bringing all the pieces together needed for a coherent manuscript takes time to learn. So again, be helpful in guiding them toward their final vision.
In the end, the biggest takeaway I hope you have from these tips is to put aside your own preferences and biases and focus on what the author is trying to create. They’ve asked you to assist them in building their perfect story and your feedback is invaluable. Being asked to beta read is an honor and you should always thank people for the chance to read and celebrate their work.
As always, your mileage may vary! Take what helps and leave what doesn't! Tell us why you love your beta readers! Comment below!
