For a lot of writers, showing your work to a stranger can be a daunting process. Let’s face it, no parent or family member will tell you that your work is rubbish and needs work. It’s a biased opinion. That’s one reason why we need something called beta-readers. These are, put simply, people who read your work and give you honest feedback, suggestions on where you can improve, and where you went right.

However, to be clear, they are not editors. They shouldn’t be editors. That is a completely different part of the process. A beta-reader should be someone with no connection to you, who loves to read, and who doesn’t mind taking some time to help out writers.

So, where do we find beta-readers? They shouldn’t have a prior connection to you, making them biased, so friends and family are out. The easiest way to find a beta-reader is to jump on social media, join reading groups, connect with other writers and readers. Or, if you prefer a real-world approach, go down to your local library or bookstore and connect with people.

The value of beta-readers lies in story improvement. It’s not their responsibility to proofread your work as much as it is to look for where your plot and characters might be improved. Ask them if a character is believable, or if a specific action correlates with that character’s personality.

If you find the right people to beta-read your work and you take their feedback on board, your work can be improved ten-fold. Outsiders will see your work with more clarity and be able to spot things you can’t. Break through your fear and allow beta-readers to see your work! The results will speak for themselves.

Sources:

Beta-Readers vs Editors vs ARCs

How to Find a Beta-Reader