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Hellooo, everybody! Today I'm covering one of the most asked about topics on my platform,
and that's beta readers. If you've been following my platform for a while, you'll know I've already
discussed beta readers in the past. However, time has gone by, my process has evolved,
and you guys still have so many questions. Because of this, I decided to answer all of
your beta reader questions in one video. Until I realized there are just way too many questions and
it would be really, really long. This is a great opportunity for a penis joke, I’m just going to
bypass it for now. So instead, I'll be answering all of them in two videos. This is the first one,
if that wasn't obvious. And this video is extra special because it was requested by one of my
patrons over on Patreon, Shari. (Singing) “Shari, her name rhymes with cherry. She isn't very
hairy.” Shari wanted to hear different pointers regarding betas and what to expect out of the
process. So that's what we're covering today… as well as next week. Number One (1): What's a beta
reader? A beta reader is a non-professional who reads through your story long before publication
with the intention of helping you improve your work. They'll list all the stuff they're loving
about your story, as well as all the stuff that sucks dick. The point of enlisting beta readers
is to get the reader perspective. Sure, you're probably a reader as well, but you're biased.
You wrote the damn book. Beta readers provide the insight you'll need in order to determine
whether or not your story will be well received by your future audience. Number Two (2): When should
you enlist beta readers? Typically, you want to enlist beta readers before the professional edit.
The reason for this is simple: beta readers are gonna point out a lot of shit they don't like,
and you gotta fix it. It's not ideal to revise, or possibly rewrite, an entire manuscript
after you've already dropped hella cash on cleaning it up. However, you don't want to
send your beta readers a pile of garbage. If your manuscript is filled with errors, it's going to be
extremely hard to read. That means you want to recruit beta readers during that special sweet
spot between drafting and the professional edit. Once you’ve cleaned up your manuscript on your own,
and it's as good as you can possibly get it without the help of a professional, that's when
you call in the betas. Number Three (3): How does the beta process work? It completely depends on
the writer. But typically, the process looks like this. The writer will either send their betas a
chunk of chapters, or possibly one chapter at a time. Once the beta has finished their section,
the writer will either interview them asking about their reader experience, or the writer will send
them a questionnaire to fill out detailing their thoughts and reactions. Once the interview or the
questionnaire is complete, the reader will receive the next section. This process continues until
either the book is complete, or the beta says, “Hey, this book sucks. I don't want to read any
more of this shit.” If you want more info on this, I will be uploading a video detailing my personal
beta reader process in the near future, so stay tuned. Number Four (4): What kind of questions
should you ask your betas? Typically, you want to ask them opinion based questions. What was their
favorite part? Who was their favorite character? What was their favorite scene? Were there any
parts they didn't like? Was anything boring? Or didn't make sense? I ask my betas about
every single character and every single scene that occurred in the section they just read.
It's also important to ask your betas about their theories and predictions, especially if your story
includes any surprises, cliffhangers, or plot twists. Lastly, it's not a bad idea to ask your
betas for some kind of rating, either on a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 10. This question isn't necessarily
imperative, but it might give you an idea of how much your story needs to improve. Number Five (5):
What's the difference between beta readers and critique partners? A beta reader typically gives
you a reader based impression of the novel. They tell you what they liked, what they didn't like,
what was exciting, what was lame. A critique partner is a fellow writer. They'll cover their
enjoyment of the novel, but they'll also go over grammar, punctuation. You know, writerly shit. And
critique partners will typically leave edits and comments on the document itself, whereas
betas don't really do that. They'll just give you a summary of their thoughts. Additionally, a
critique partner can read your novel at any stage or even multiple stages of the writing process,
no matter how rough the story is. But this isn't the case with betas. Number Six (6): What's the
difference between beta readers and ARC reviewers? An ARC reviewer is nothing like a beta reader.
They're not even remotely comparable. ARC stands for Advanced Reader Copy. These people receive a
copy of your novel long after it's edited and ready for publication. Their job is to read
your book once it's in its final, pristine form, and leave a review either on Amazon, Goodreads,
their blog, or their vlog. Their job is to help promote your novel for its upcoming release,
not to help you improve your work. If you're recruiting ARC reviewers, the assumption is the
book is done. No more edits, it's good to go. Number Seven (7): What's the difference between
beta readers and editors? Seriously? An editor is a trained professional who is paid to edit your
work. Their feedback should be the most thorough out of everyone because they know their shit and
you're giving them your money. And while it's very important to recruit beta readers and critique
partners, they in no way serve as a replacement for a professional editor. The professional edit
is a mandatory step in the writing process. Number Eight (8): How many beta readers do you need? In
my opinion, 20 at an absolute minimum. Sorry ‘bout it! Number Nine (9): Who can be a beta reader?
Anyone who likes to read. Beta readers are not professionals. They don't have to be writers,
they don't have to be experts, they just have to be readers. And typically, you want
to recruit beta readers who reflect your target audience. If you're writing a Young Adult novel,
that means your beta readers should mostly be teenagers. If you're writing science-fiction,
that means your beta readers should mostly be sci-fi fans. It's also a good idea to recruit a
diverse pool of readers: different genders, sexual orientations, races and so on. This will give you
a wider range of opinions and perspectives. Plus, it'll help you determine if you've unknowingly
written something offensive. And Number Ten (10): Where do you find beta readers? Uranus!
Really you can find beta readers anywhere. Because they're just people… who read books. Obviously,
it's easy to find potential betas in places where readers congregate, like Goodreads or reading and
writing forums. I believe there are also websites available that focus on pairing writers with beta
readers. I haven't used them myself, so I can't speak on the validity of them. But honestly,
even long before I had a writing platform, I’ve had no trouble finding beta readers on social media.
Sometimes it's as simple as posting a status update asking for beta readers and watching the offers
come in. Post an update on Facebook, Tumblr or Twitter, provide an explanation of what
your book is about, what you're looking for in a beta reader, and the applicable writing hashtags,
and see who volunteers. So that's all I got for you today! Those are the answers to your first
ten questions all about beta readers, and next week, I'll be answering ten more questions. So
many questions! And shortly afterward, I will be sharing my personal beta reader process, so stay
tuned. With that said, don't forget to subscribe to my channel! I post new videos on Wednesdays. My
book is available in ebook and paperback on Amazon right now. You can also order a signed copy!
Links are listed below. And if you have any questions, be sure to tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!