#finding beta readers

hi anon !!!! sorry this is so late— I just got back from my studying hole !!

I’ve only started using betas around maybe last fall?? so the only chapter that’s been beta read so far is Chapter 7 of BBP. :-) before that, I just read and reread everything on my own and just hoped for the best that I was getting my point across. I really only decided to enlist some help when I realized I wanted to write the hug scene and make it very special!

To clarify: I have about three betas and one of them sort of works as a writing partner of mine. In other words, this beta does NOT write the fic with me, but they sort of lend a listening ear when I try to work out plot stuff out loud or just need to get another push of encouragement and cheer me on while I write. I actually prefer the term “writing buddy.” :’)

as for finding them—I’ve been really lucky! A few people befriended me when I started up this blog last summer saying that they really liked BBP and just loved talking to me about the story and where it could go and such. They love my characters as much as I do and we have fun talking about the story. I consider them friends above all else. :D When the time came that I decided to get betas, the choice was obvious—I asked my new friends if they could look at my writing and tell me what they thought, if certain things felt out of place, etc. I actually ended up adding the bedtime scene in Chapter 7 because a few mentioned wanting to see more interactions like that in the future and I decided to spoil everyone haha! Judging by Chapter 7’s enthusiastic reception, I’d say they all did a really wonderful job!! Some claps please, for my sweet anonymous betas 👏

I’m going to assume you are curious about finding betas for fanfiction, but from what I’ve learned from friends who are publishing their work, these are pretty standard guidelines.

Now I wouldn’t call these tips “the Bible” or a “Rule Book” by any means, but I hope these tips are very useful for you:

Find out what you would like from a beta first. Me personally—I just want people who are going to cheer me on and give some loose suggestions. I made it clear that I was not looking for an editor or fact checker, etc., and that I would only send certain scenes (and would only require small sections to be beta read). Know what you want first so that you can communicate that to any potential beta readers. Betas can fact-check/spell-check, edit, look for plot holes, cheer you on, etc. They can do all of this or they can just do some of these things. Find out what you need and want from one before determining whether or not you’d like to look for one.

Next! Find people who you can trust, who love your writing and are as passionate about your stories as you are. Enthusiastic betas will make you want to write more. You can post on tumblr, writing forums (I’ve seen people look for betas on reddit), look for the fandom online (tumblr, perhaps?) and connect with other fic writers, or even just stick a little note in the author’s section for the next chapter of your fic saying that you’d like a beta. You cannot afford to be shy here! You must have the courage to approach people yourself. Rejection is a little scary but I’m glad I asked for help when I needed it.

On the other hand, you can simply ask friends (who read your work and love your writing and want to help) to beta for you. You don’t need someone who’s strictly designated themselves a beta reader to have them beta for you! :) My betas had not beta-read before and they have given such helpful feedback that gave me another much needed push to keep working. Sometimes that’s all you need!

ALSO make sure that you get along with them. Betas who give “good advice” but irritate the fuck out of you are not worth it. I’m lucky to not have experienced that problem, but I figured it’s worth saying. You should be excited to talk to them and share your WIP, not dreading their advice.

Make sure they give back feedback that is useful and encouraging. They should make you want to keep writing and working on your story. A beta who makes you insecure and doesn’t know how to deal helpful and encouraging advice isn’t going to help you. (Gauge the person and please use your better judgement!)

Make sure they can answer questions in regard to feedback. If you’re confused about some feedback and they can’t explain why they think “x” won’t work then their advice is not helpful for your writing. 

Giving detailed feedback. Anyone can give back feedback, and if you’ve written a story and posted it somewhere or shared it with anyone, you’ve probably gotten a comment on it. A beta is there to give you detailed feedback. Absolutely not helpful to be told “this was good/bad” if there’s no in depth explanation to accompany it.

Set some rules (refer to the first step)! Let them know what you expect, if you want someone to edit for you, someone to just bounce ideas off of, or someone to fact-check or search for translations for you, etc. It’s important that you’re clear on this so in the event that the prospective beta cannot provide what you need, you can go back to searching again.

Set a schedule. Slow betas might not be a problem for some, but it might be a problem for a writer who’s set themselves a deadline. Make sure you can both work around the same schedule.

I say that it’s important to have people who are encouraging and love your work, but also make sure there’s a balance between “sugar-sweet” and “bitter truth.” You need someone who knows how to give advice without being an asshole, but you should also have someone who isn’t afraid to tell you that your writing has the potential to do “x” instead of being stuck at “y,” so to speak.

Going to repeat this again: find someone who loves your work! Writing can be a very solitary activity and it’s nice to share part of that journey with someone who is enthusiastic as your work as you are. When you find your beta, cherish them !!!

Hey, Flo! 

I don’t write poetry or anthologies (yet), so I have no experience in searching for beta readers for such projects, but I cannot imagine it would be much different than finding beta readers for a novel, which I talked about in length in this post. 

With anything that requires gathering an audience, you have a few things you can use in your favor:

Talk to people who like the thing you’re creating. If that’s fantasy novels, then talk to people who like fantasy novels. If it’s poetry, then talk to people who like poetry. The more people you talk to, the more likely you’ll find someone who can beta for you. 

Let these people know what exactly you’re creating. For novels, this can mean a blurb and a first chapter. For Poetry, a variety of poems or snippet of poems which represent what your full project looks like. For an anthology, perhaps part of a story or a full story, depending on how long they are, and short blurbs of the other stories in the anthology.

Make sure potential beta readers know what you expect of them. If you’re looking for readers to casually read and suggest changes, then say so. If you’re looking for readers who will stick to a schedule and fill out questionnaires, let them know this ahead of time. There’s nothing more frustrating then having a reader who isn’t giving you the type of feedback you find useful.

Don’t feel bad if you can’t find very many beta readers, or if some of the ones you find end up backing out. A good beta reader has to check a lot of boxes. They have to:

Like your project and your writing style.

Have time in their schedule.

Have the desire and skill to offer the type of feedback you need in a way that’s courteous and takes your personal writing style into account.

Have the ability to both deal with procrastination and remember to actually do the beta reading in the first place.

And be able to communicate well with you.

The fourth revision of my debut novel is complete! Now, in the runup to Thanksgiving and the Holiday season, it's time to begin the Beta Reader process.

The fourth – and final pre-Beta – edit of The Watching is complete! I’m still not satisfied with the Prologue – it serves a purpose, but I’m not sure how well. It might be better to let the reader put the world together as they read the novel, but at least for now I think a primer might be worth the effort.

The Watching, 4th edit project statistics.

I’ve come in at a little under 90,000…

N' Oven Doing - Good days, bad days and progress made, although not on the Beta Reader front...

Last week actually went very well. I remember one fine afternoon – I’m pretty sure it was Wednesday. I’d reached a point where there were about three hours ahead of me that weren’t instantly and automatically filled with high priority work that desperately needed doing. Toute-suite. Stat. Immediately. Right away.

The bliss of being able to use my time in whatever manner I saw fit actually…

I've finished with the Pre-Beta revision and I have a few thoughts on migrating the manuscript into Scrivener which I wish I'd thought of earlier...

So, on Wednesday just gone I finally reached the end of my pre-Beta revision process! There are a few things I’d like to comb through again and straighten out, but the reality is that fixing them before Beta could possibly be an enormous waste of time because it’s entirely possible that the whole thing might get flagged up as being in need of a complete re-write.

I seriously hope not though.

Mig…

I'm almost done with my Post-Alpha read through, thinking about how and where to find Beta Readers to move forward once I've combed the manuscript through one last time.

Old Man Update.

I’ve actually been a little hard on myself for not having completed the post-Alpha read-through, but on checking I find I’ve been at it a mere three weeks and I’m about 75% of the way through, so I should be complete before next blog post.

Beta Readers. Thinking About Betas.

As far as progress on the novel goes, I’ll have to leave it at that introductory paragraph, but…

Why We Love Beta Readers

Finding a perfect stranger to read a hundred thousand words you have written is not an easy thing. A writer is asking for about ten hours of a reader’s time in addition to whatever feedback can be shared.

I found my betas mostly via this blog and through a local community website. My upcoming science fiction novel Nineveh’s Childcan be considered young adult (YA) because the main character is a…