If not, now you may need one in the future.

Published on by Jean M. Cogdell

So get prepared for your —

Beta Readers. fish-bowl-846060_640

Yes, you read that right. Plural, you’ll need more than one.

Why? Because beta readers are different from editors or critique partners. They are readers. But they are an invaluable tool for a writer.

That’s why I’m passing on a great post by Jo Robinson as well as a couple of other great posts on the subject. Check out the links below.

Although, a beta reader can and should point out glaring typos and comma splices, that’s not their primary purpose.

No, the primary purpose of a beta reader is to give you a reader’s perspective of your book, what they might see and think.

A beta reader reads like a consumer not an editor.pennies-15402_640

With that in mind, I’d like to add my two cents.

Make sure you are clear on what you expect from the beta reader. Make a list of questions you’d like answered, but don’t make it too long. You don’t want it to look like a college assignment. There are a few basics every writer wants to know, but maybe you are looking for a particular reaction. If so make sure you ask a question that would reflect it.

Here are a few questions to get you started.

  1. Did the story hook you?
  2. How far into the story before you were hooked? 1st paragraph, 1st page, 1st chapter?
  3. How quickly were you anchored in the story? Or did you get lost in a maze?
  4. Did you relate, understand the characters?
  5. Which character stood out the most?
  6. Could you envision the characters and settings?
  7. Any discrepancies or inconsistencies of details? Descriptions, sequences, places, details? (House on wrong side of road, hair color changed along the way)
  8. Does the story and writing style fit the genre or age group aimed?
  9. Did you skip ahead through any parts? Where?
  10. Did you savor any passages? Where? Why?

Have you ever used Beta Readers?

What was your experience?

Want more questions? Go to the bottom of this post for a link to 15 more.

I’d love to hear from you! Click to write me or contact me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at  jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on and I’m waiting.

Please remember to share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

BETA READERS by JoRobinson

What the Heck is a Beta Reader? Do I Need One?   by SHEILA M. GOOD

15 questions for your beta readers – and to focus your own revisions by Jodie Renner

11 thoughts on “If not, now you may need one in the future.”

  1. Pingback: If not, now you may need one in the future. | turkmed

  4. Jean, I reblogged a post on Beta Readers yesterday and one person who is getting ready to publish their first book had some questions. Where to find beta readers and how many should they get? I recommended at least 10. I used my Reader’s list (newsletter) to find beta readers, but when I did a group search on Facebook, there are also lots of groups there for authors who don’t have a newsletter. Do you have any recommendations for finding beta readers or how many an author needs? I’m going to reblog your post to give my readers more options to research the information.

    Like

    1. Kim, I think it can vary between authors. As to where, start close to home. Friends, family, neighbors, local library and book clubs are all good places to look. Hope that helps. Of course the more the better, this is an area I fell short on last time around and is why I did a little research now. Trying to be better prepared

      Like

Comments are closed.