Comments on: Beta Readers

By: Andrea

Andrea — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:47:46 +0000

Beta readers are a great idea! Sometimes it’s hard to tell if the “big picture” works, and whether the story as a whole is satisfying emotionally. For me, the reader’s emotional reaction is key. Fresh eyes are especially valuable for this, because new readers don’t know what to expect from the story.

“Just” is one of my overused words too. A close second is “But”.

By: Christina

Christina — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:11:08 +0000

Stirling- No! You aren’t crazy! Or maybe all of us writers are crazy together. Glad you found us here.

By: Christina

Christina — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 03:08:08 +0000

Nandini- Since this is my first time doing this, I’m learning as I go. But I would say that if you want to get impressions on how the plot unfolds or how the characters’ develop, then I’d get fresh readers. This way they don’t have any preconceived ideas.

Paul- Oh I know what you mean about that four letter word ‘just’. I just love using that word too.

Carla- Yes, it can be hard finding people who are willing to take time to read your book. And I think it’s also hard to find someone that you can trust and will provide you with valuable feedback too.

By: Stirling

Stirling — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 01:04:06 +0000

Hi–found my way over here from the Blueboards, and just wanted to say I’m glad I’ve had my theory confirmed–that I need to rotate my beta readers. I have six or eight people who want to read my ms (who I trust to do so and respect their reading opinions) but I’m only going to let two read it per revision. So I’ll always have fresh eyes.

So thanks! It’s nice to know I’m not crazy. I mean, probably not.

By: Carla Ulbrich

Carla Ulbrich — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:17:56 +0000

another great blog, Debbie! I’m so glad i’m following you on twitter. You tweet links are always so helpful.

My husband was/ is also my first beta reader and some stuff he’s read twice.

My book is under contract, so i had 2 editors- a copy editor and some other kind of editor (it’s my first “real” book, so I don’t know all the lingo) who caught all the typos and grammatical badness (case in point) and made suggestions about tone, rewrites, etc. But when i re-read it with fresh eyes 5 months after submitting it, I saw a lot I wanted to change.

I also had a peer/ friend read it because she is also a funny songwriter, and gets me, knows my voice, and reads a *lot* so she knows a good book when she sees one.

I would say yes to having new beta readers for each major revision. Because i had a long break between submitting the book and getting it back, my husband got 2 reads. but if i asked him for a 3rd read of the whole book, i think it would get confusing to him – or anyone. But repeated reads of smaller sections are OK, i think.

By: Paul Michael Murphy

Paul Michael Murphy — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:36:23 +0000

Great post. I just received my story back from my Beta readers and you’re right–they saw things I hadn’t seen even though I’ve read the thing probably fifty times. One thing to add to your list: Overuse of words. I must have used the word “just” 100 times, but it took someone else to point it out to me.

By: Nandini

Nandini — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:54:16 +0000

D’you find you need fresh beta readers for the revision? I’ve been wondering about that … Had some brave souls read my 1st draft over summer and need to buckle down for revisions as soon as the kids go back to school (14 DAYS!!!). Wonder if it will read the same way to them since they’ve seen an earlier version. Hmmm.