(LOGO)
Hellooo, everybody! If you've been watching my channel for a while,
then you already know that I think one of the most important parts of the writing process is the beta
reader process. For those of you who don't know, a beta reader is someone who reads your book before
it's published. A beta reader will tell you what's working in your story, and what still needs to be
fixed. That way, you know you're putting out the absolute best version of your book possible, come
publication. I've got a couple of vlogs detailing my beta reader process, and let me tell you, it's
a pretty awesome process. Links to the vlogs are listed below. Now, a lot of you have been taking my
advice and implementing beta reviews into your writing process, which I think is great. But
what makes me even more excited is that so many of you have reached out to me and asked, “Hey Jenna,
how can I be a better beta reader for my writer friends?” This honestly makes me so happy, because
as a writer, you have no idea how much it means to us when we finally snag an awesome beta! I've
gone through a lot of crappy betas. And when you finally get one that's informative, and helpful,
and fun to work with, it's like… “My precious!” So that's what we're talking about today! I'm giving
you five tips on how to be an awesome beta reader. And I would know, because I've had some great ones…
And, well, as for the rest… I don't wanna talk about it. Number One (1): Respect your
author's time. There are a lot of parts of the beta process that are annoying, but you know which
one's the worst? Waiting. The writer just sent you off a piece of their manuscript. A piece of
their baby. While that might not be a big deal to you, trust me, it's a big deal to them. While it's
chilling in your inbox, the writer is sitting there watching the clock thinking, “Oh my gosh,
oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Did she read it? It's been a whole week. Oh, shit, she hated it! Oh my gosh,
she read it, she hated it, and now she doesn't want to tell me! Okay, don't panic,
don't panic, don’t panic.” (Screeching) “I’m panicking!” We all get that you have a life
and obligations, but you shouldn't sign up for the job if you can't complete the reviews in
a reasonable amount of time. And if at any point you realize this just isn't gonna work for you,
say something. Don't leave the writer hanging, speak up! That way they can replace you,
quickly. The writer is counting on your feedback. This is a pivotal part of the writing process,
and you need to take it seriously. Number Two (2): Be long winded. If a writer’s asking you questions
about their manuscript, that's because they want answers. Long ones. This is not gonna cut
it. “So, can you tell me your thoughts on the protagonist?” (Beta Reader Voice) “I liked him,
he sounds hot.” As writers, we put a lot of time and energy into creating these worlds
and characters. And if you give us short, piddly answers, it's kind of like dismissing all of our
hard work. Writers sometimes spend days mapping out a single character, and if all you have to say
is, “He’s hot.” Really? Now, it’s possible you don't have a lot to say because the character
didn't leave a strong impression. If that's the case, say that. (Beta Reader Voice) “I mean, the
protagonist was all right. To be honest, I don't have much of an opinion. I didn't really connect
with him.” The writer can work with that. “I like him,” or “It's good,” or other three word sentences
aren't gonna do shit. Try to give as detailed of answers as possible. If you're coming up short,
there's probably a reason for that, and you should state it. Number Three (3): Be honest. I know you
wanna be super friendly, but the author didn't recruit you to jerk ‘em off, okay? They recruited
you for the sake of improving their story. Every author's worst nightmare is launching a book
and having it slammed in the reviews. The whole point of the beta reader process is to prevent
this from happening. If you notice big problems that could potentially get your writer slammed,
you need to tell them! Don't think that by sparing their feelings, you're being nice. You're actually
being a huge dick. You're just sending them off to slaughter! What the fuck is wrong with
you? So no matter how bad you may feel, or how much you think the writer’s gonna hate you,
you gotta tell the truth. Some writers will react poorly. They're expecting the beta
process to be filled with praise, because they're stupid. I've heard of writers who
just blatantly dismiss every piece of criticism their betas give to them. And if that happens,
you know what? That's their problem. You can go to sleep at night knowing you did your part.
You kept up your end of the deal, and if the book gets slammed by bloggers and reviewers, the writer
has no one to blame but themself. Number Four (4): Be kind. Criticism doesn't have to be cruel,
you know. Writing a book is a deeply vulnerable experience. The fact that this author is even
letting you read their manuscript is probably giving them anxiety like you wouldn't believe.
They're already terrified about what you're going to say. Don't give them any additional reason to
feel like their fear is justified. Now, I'm not saying lie or sugarcoat the feedback, because as I
already mentioned, honesty is very important. But that doesn't mean you have to be an ass, either.
You can give criticism without tearing your writer a new one. If you're not clear on the difference,
let me show you what a good beta looks like next to an asshole. (Good Beta) “The chapter dragged.
I found myself skimming parts, especially the description of Hannah's bedroom. It was really
long and detailed, and overall it just felt unnecessary.” (Asshole Beta) “This chapter
was boring. Oh my gosh, enough with the bedroom. I literally don't give a single shit about the
bedroom. Can we please move on?” (Good Beta) “I wasn't feeling the love interest. I get
that he's supposed to be sexy and confident, but I just found him arrogant and kinda douchey.
He seemed way more interested in himself than Hannah, so I didn't really understand why she
was raving about the date.” (Asshole Beta) “Dude was such a fucking dick! Reading their date was a
nightmare. AHHH! Please tell me you kill him off.” Some of you might be thinking, “Well, of course,
Jenna. Obviously, I wouldn't be that blunt! Who would?” A lot of people. Trust me. It's
good to be honest, but you don't want to heckle the writer. This is a scary process for them,
so deliver the blows as compassionately as possible. And if you compare the honest
criticism to the asshole criticism, you'll notice a huge difference–aside from the soul crushing
humiliation. The honest criticism was a lot more helpful. It pinpointed specifics. It covered not
only how the reader felt, but why they felt that way. Which, of course, leads to my last point.
Number Five (5): Understand your feelings. You're gonna have a lot of feelings about what you read,
and it is much more helpful to the writer if you can pinpoint exactly why you feel the way
you feel. Don't just list your opinions, provide examples to back them up. Saying something like,
“I think this character’s a jerk. I don't know why, I just do,” isn't helpful.
But if you can cite examples from the text that made your jerk radar go off,
that's something they can work with. The character was a jerk because he was always making fun of
people. The character was a jerk because he kicked a puppy. (Hurt Voice) “Awww, why?” Additionally,
reading is a personal experience. We all have personal biases and there's a good chance that
some of your biases will affect the way you feel about what you're reading. If a character
looks like your ex-girlfriend, and it's making you kinda hate the chick without any justification,
that's worth mentioning. Don't just rant about how much you hate the character. Let the writer know
that she reminds you of someone from your past, and you're having trouble separating reality from
fiction. Believe it or not, this happens a lot, and not just with characters. I'm personally
really turned off by zombies. So if I'm beta reading a book and all of a sudden the living
dead pops up, the first thing I do is let the writer know that I have a personal bias against
zombies, and whatever I have to say is gonna reflect that. If you're honest about your biases,
then the writer knows to take your feedback with a grain of salt. So whenever you beta
read for someone, don't just react to the text. Try to understand why you're reacting that way,
and then communicate that to the writer. So that's all I got for you today! Beta reading can be a
long and involved process, so if you're gonna sign on, might as well do it right. Be kind, be honest,
and be thorough. That way the writer can produce the best manuscript possible and feel confident
in it come publication. On that note, don't forget to subscribe to my channel! I post new videos on
Wednesdays. Eve: The Awakening is still available in ebook and paperback on Amazon right now,
so check it out! And if you have any questions, or if there's something you'd like me to talk
about in my next video, be sure to tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!
(Silly Voice) Why hello there…