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Hellooo, everybody! Today we're covering part two of my beta reader extravaganza. Last
week I covered ten of your most common questions regarding beta readers. If you haven't watched it
yet, I've got a link listed below. If you're all caught up, I'm diving into your next ten questions
right now. Number One (1): Do I need to pay beta readers? No, you don't. They're volunteering to
help you, which means you should be nice to them, because they're doing you a favor for free. Number
Two (2): How much time should a beta reader take to read my story? The amount of time they take
to read will likely depend on the length of the section you've sent to them. As I mentioned in
my last video, you typically send your betas one chapter or a chunk of chapters at a time.
Obviously, we'd love for our betas to finish the section the moment it's sent, but believe it or
not, these people have lives. Plus, they're not getting paid, remember? Which means you're not
gonna be their number one priority. That said, I typically expect my betas to get through their
section within one week. If a week has passed and I haven't heard from them, I'll give them a
friendly reminder. If two weeks have passed, I'm probably looking for a replacement. The general
rule of thumb is if a month has gone by and you still haven't heard from them, they're not
gonna read your book. Number Three (3): How do I organize my beta reader’s feedback? Typically,
the beta process is done via an interview or questionnaire. If you're doing a questionnaire,
then you just save their questionnaire. Boom! Done. If you're doing an interview,
which are typically conducted online, you copy and paste their answers into a Word document. Some
writers will create one document per chapter and then save everyone's answers together so they can
compare ‘em side by side. I typically create one document per beta reader, and save their feedback
that way. Number Four (4): How should I send my chapters to beta readers? PDFs work fine for me.
Some people use Google Docs. Do you. Number Five (5): What should I expect from my betas when the
time comes? First of all, expect criticism. A lot of people go into the beta process expecting
nothing but praise, and these people are idiots. You're asking for honest feedback, not empty
compliments. There are writers who receive mostly positive feedback from their betas, but this is a
rare situation that you shouldn't bank on. Second, most betas don't know what they're doing. A lot of
betas are new to the experience, which means you need to tell them exactly what you're looking for.
I let all my betas know the timeframe I'm willing to work in, the format I'm looking for, and most
importantly, what sort of detail I expect in their answers. I make sure to tell my betas that most
of their answers should at least be a paragraph long. If I ask them what their favorite scene is,
I expect them to tell me why it was their favorite. If they find a particular part boring, I
expect them to tell me why it was boring. Details are pivotal to the beta process. But your readers
won't know this unless you tell them. Number Six (6): How do I handle the feedback, especially if
it's critical? Look, no matter how amazing your book is, you are going to receive criticism.
Always thank your betas. Be sure to tell them how much you appreciate their help. And if they
give you criticism that hurts your feelings, nod, smile and keep your mouth shut. If you're
struggling to understand their point, you can ask for clarification. You can discuss it with them.
But good God, do not yell at them. (Angry Voice) “You’re wrong, you pitiful fool! My book is too
advanced for your feeble mind.” Believe it or not, if you berate your beta readers, they’ll probably
stop reading for you. No one wants to work with a dick. Shocking, I know. Number Seven (7): What
do I do if my beta reader sucks? Shitty betas come in a variety. There are the betas who give
you 1 to 3 word answers per question. (Ignorant Drawl) “I liked it. It was cool. Things happened.”
Then there are betas who take two months to read a chapter, or can't seem to follow the
instructions. For these types of situations, I'll usually give them a gentle reminder of what
I'm expecting out of the process. Then I'll give them one to two more opportunities to get into the
swing of things. If they still can't hack it, they get the boot. Politely, of course. Then there are
the “ass” betas. I'm talking about assholes, and dumbasses. Asshole betas are the ones who don't
really offer constructive criticism, they're just mean. (Valley Girl Voice) “Your main character is
a fucking bitch. I would rather kill myself than read about her.” And dumbass betas are,
well, dumbasses. (Dense/Clueless Voice) “Wait, I was supposed to read this?” In these rare cases,
it's fine to sever ties earlier rather than later. But be honest with yourself. Is this person really
an asshole, or are you just being sensitive about their criticism? Betas are gonna find fault with
your work. That doesn't mean they're a dick. And is this person really a dumbass? Or is your book
just hard to follow? Because that's a problem you should be aware of. And if you're claiming nearly
all of your betas are assholes or dumbasses, I'd wager it's probably not them. It's you… and your
book. Number Eight (8): What do I do if a beta reader quits? You… let them. They're not your
prisoner, they're a volunteer. They have the right to bail. But you'd be wise to politely ask them
why they're quitting. If they're quitting because they didn't enjoy the book, that's feedback in
itself. Number Nine (9): Aren't you afraid betas are gonna steal your ideas? Oh God,
here we go. Look, this kind of plagiarism is not as common or as easy as you think it is. First
of all, your work is considered copyrighted once it's written, so there's that. Second,
ideas are a dime a dozen. Anyone can come up with an idea, it's not hard. But you know what is hard?
Writing a fucking book. So maybe you do enlist a villainous beta, and they decide “Mwahahaha, I'm
going to steal their idea.” That doesn't mean shit unless this person has the talent and work ethic
to put pen to paper and do your idea justice. “But Jenna! What if they steal the book itself?”
I'm glad you asked! The beta process occurs before the professional edit, which means your novel is
flawed as fuck. In fact, there's a good chance your betas will think your book sucks, and you
know who wants to steal a sucky book? A whole lot of no one. Now say they do steal it. Ignoring the
whole copyright complication, what can this person really do with your novel? They'll have to hire a
professional editor, which costs thousands of dollars. They'll have to hire a cover artist and formatter,
develop an author platform, and market the shit out of your work if they want to see any monetary
gain on it whatsoever. Or, they'll have to pitch your novel to agents and wait months or even
years to receive any representation, let alone publication. The point I'm making is publishing
is a bitch and it takes an insane amount of work to make money off of your book. Most betas
don't have the talent, time or resources to make this elaborate scheme work for them. Now, I'm not
saying plagiarism doesn't happen. I'm just saying it's a lot more effort than it's worth, and thus,
it's pretty rare. If you're still shitting yourself over this, you are more than welcome
to have your betas sign an NDA. But remember, just because you think your ideas are special,
doesn't mean anyone else agrees. Number Ten (10): Are beta readers really necessary? Yes! Do you
really want your introduction to reader reactions to happen after the book is already published,
once it's too late to fix anything? That sounds like a disaster. Now, you might see writers online
who claim the beta reader process is useless. Quite often, these are writers who received
negative feedback from their betas and they didn't take it very well. So maybe take their opinions
with a grain of salt. The fact is, the point of writing a book is so other people can enjoy it. So
it's kind of important to determine whether or not you hit this mark. And bonus option Eleven (11):
“Jenna, will you be my beta reader?” No! Guys, I literally get beta reader requests on a daily
basis, and I do not have the time. If you really want my opinion regarding your work in progress,
I have a critique package available on Patreon, link is listed below. So that's all I got for you
today! I will be posting an update to my personal beta reader process next week, so stay tuned. A
huge thank you to Shari for requesting this topic and for supporting me over on Patreon! You're the
best! If you'd like the chance to have a vlog dedicated to you, or you want access to tons of
other rewards, check me out on Patreon! I got a link in the description below. 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!