Beta Readers Part Three: What Kind of Beta Reader Do You Need
It's Monday once again. :) Hope everyone had an awesome weekend as we look forward to what will hopefully be a great week.
Last week we talked about finding a beta reader. Now that you know where to look, let's talk about what kind of beta reader you need. Beta readers vary as much as writers do in terms of style. They're all good, but they might not be right for your story.
One major way that beta readers vary is by what kind of critique they offer. Some betas are best at line-by-line and others are best at general, big picture critiques. Line by lines involve pointing out typos, grammar mistakes, awkward sentences, plot holes, and anything else that occurs to the reader. They're generally stricter and more thorough and are best for third or fourth drafts before the author begins querying. General critiques involve the reader giving their opinion on their general impression of the story: plot, characters, etc. It's more of a "looking at the big picture" critique rather than taking things line by line. General critiques are best for earlier drafts when the writer wants a reader's opinion on the story in general. Other beta readers do more of a mix of the two. They point out things line by line, but also up their general opinion. They aren't as thorough in any one category as some, but they can make good betas.
Whether you need a line by line or general critque depends on what you need the most help with and what stage you are in the writing of your manuscript. If it's a second draft and you want to know what a real reader is going to think about the story, find someone that does general or half and half critiques. A line by line of an early draft could take a lot of time because of the amount of errors -- especially a first draft. Some people can write a moderately good first draft, but most won't be as good as they could be. If it's a later draft that you want someone to read for typos and plot holes after you've ran the manuscript through several edits and just want to know if you've missed anything, spring for a line by line. These take more time and are commonly quite strict if you have an attentive beta reader. Be prepared to read all the comments and make changes if necessary.
In addition to line by line or general, beta readers all have their strengths and weaknesses. For example, I'm very good at picking out spelling mistakes. But I'm not so good with pacing. So if you need particular help with pacing, don't come to me. Make sure the beta reader you choose is strong in the area that you need help with. If you're not sure how realistic your characters are, a beta reader that's not good at analyzing characters wouldn't be a good fit. Be honest with yourself on what you need help with and find out what each potential beta reader is best at doing. Every writer has their strengths and weaknesses and beta readers aren't any different.
Whatever kind of beta reader you have, you want them to be honest. The best beta readers are strict and honest, but tactful. Others will be softer on your work, especially if you want them to be. If you want them to be really hard on your manuscript, tell them not to hold anything back, but make sure that you want them to be hard on it. If you can't take the criticism, either learn to take it or ask them to be softer. Softer DOESN'T mean dishonest. No matter how strict or soft a beta reader is you want them to be honest. Agents and publishers will be honest with you. If the work sucks, they'll reject it. If something doesn't work, they'll reject it (or if they're really nice, they'll tell you to fix it and resubmit, but that doesn't happen often and only if they really like the work.) If they don't like the beginning, they're not going to ask for more. Use beta readers as a chance to get a real reader's opinion and fix any last mistakes that you might have missed.
Now that we've spent the last three weeks talking about why you need a beta reader, where to find one, and what kind of beta reader you need, next week we'll talk about actually sending the project.
Last week we talked about finding a beta reader. Now that you know where to look, let's talk about what kind of beta reader you need. Beta readers vary as much as writers do in terms of style. They're all good, but they might not be right for your story.
One major way that beta readers vary is by what kind of critique they offer. Some betas are best at line-by-line and others are best at general, big picture critiques. Line by lines involve pointing out typos, grammar mistakes, awkward sentences, plot holes, and anything else that occurs to the reader. They're generally stricter and more thorough and are best for third or fourth drafts before the author begins querying. General critiques involve the reader giving their opinion on their general impression of the story: plot, characters, etc. It's more of a "looking at the big picture" critique rather than taking things line by line. General critiques are best for earlier drafts when the writer wants a reader's opinion on the story in general. Other beta readers do more of a mix of the two. They point out things line by line, but also up their general opinion. They aren't as thorough in any one category as some, but they can make good betas.
Whether you need a line by line or general critque depends on what you need the most help with and what stage you are in the writing of your manuscript. If it's a second draft and you want to know what a real reader is going to think about the story, find someone that does general or half and half critiques. A line by line of an early draft could take a lot of time because of the amount of errors -- especially a first draft. Some people can write a moderately good first draft, but most won't be as good as they could be. If it's a later draft that you want someone to read for typos and plot holes after you've ran the manuscript through several edits and just want to know if you've missed anything, spring for a line by line. These take more time and are commonly quite strict if you have an attentive beta reader. Be prepared to read all the comments and make changes if necessary.
In addition to line by line or general, beta readers all have their strengths and weaknesses. For example, I'm very good at picking out spelling mistakes. But I'm not so good with pacing. So if you need particular help with pacing, don't come to me. Make sure the beta reader you choose is strong in the area that you need help with. If you're not sure how realistic your characters are, a beta reader that's not good at analyzing characters wouldn't be a good fit. Be honest with yourself on what you need help with and find out what each potential beta reader is best at doing. Every writer has their strengths and weaknesses and beta readers aren't any different.
Whatever kind of beta reader you have, you want them to be honest. The best beta readers are strict and honest, but tactful. Others will be softer on your work, especially if you want them to be. If you want them to be really hard on your manuscript, tell them not to hold anything back, but make sure that you want them to be hard on it. If you can't take the criticism, either learn to take it or ask them to be softer. Softer DOESN'T mean dishonest. No matter how strict or soft a beta reader is you want them to be honest. Agents and publishers will be honest with you. If the work sucks, they'll reject it. If something doesn't work, they'll reject it (or if they're really nice, they'll tell you to fix it and resubmit, but that doesn't happen often and only if they really like the work.) If they don't like the beginning, they're not going to ask for more. Use beta readers as a chance to get a real reader's opinion and fix any last mistakes that you might have missed.
Now that we've spent the last three weeks talking about why you need a beta reader, where to find one, and what kind of beta reader you need, next week we'll talk about actually sending the project.
Comments
Of course a story can be read by more than one beta reader. I actually suggest it since each beta reader is going to have their own strengths, weaknesses, and opinions. One beta reader might hate the ending for instance, while another will love it. It's all subjective, just like the rest of publishing.
Readers can be good at more than one aspect. They might be good at spotting plot holes and analyzing characters, or pacing and grammar mistakes.