Beta-Reader: some poor sap who has to read through the roughest draft of your manuscript and red-pen it into oblivion. Luckily they love their red pen (and you, the author, do too.)

I see a lot of authors working with as many as 10 beta-readers. Now, since creative types can get flaky and life can always jump in the way, that might be a good safety net to make sure at least one person gets through your entire manuscript in the time frame you need.

But after 4 years in a Creative Writing program, taking endless semesters of workshops, by the time I was ready to find a beta-reader, I knew exactly the kind of person I wanted.

Beta-Reading: Quality over Quantity

4 years of writing workshops in college taught me one thing–many people, including other writers, aren’t always great at giving advice to improve your writing. It depends on their own skill level as writers and their own experience in critique groups. If your beta-reader has never been part of a writing workshop, you might not want to expect very much going in.

For this reason, I don’t usually recommend bloggers as beta-readers, as most respond to a story via “gut reaction.” A “gut reaction” is not necessarily a “critique.”

Beta-readers don’t do this. Copyeditors fix grammar. Beta-readers critique stories.

I came out of my English program knowing with cold certainty that if I could find one excellent beta-reader who knew more about their craft than “writing from the gut”…one who’s studied creative writing or taken some literature courses, who preferably has some sort of training in higher education, and who takes the time to really pick a story apart…I could improve my work.

If you can work with someone like that, you don’t need a huge critique group. You really only need that one person.

See, I went through many semesters of writing groups where I only got very useful feedback from about 5 people in a 30-person class. Maybe the other 25 people weren’t trying. Or maybe they just weren’t very advanced with their own writing, so when it came to critique, they usually stuck to the obvious: “this phrase is overused” or “the story ends too fast.” Everything they said came from reading the story on a surface level, and critiquing from a place of gut reaction. Mix together 25 different gut reactions from different people, and who can you trust?

Everyone has something different to say about how to improve a story. In the end, you want to use someone’s advice who really knows what they’re talking about.

An excellent example: I wrote a short story for one workshop where I left the ending intentionally open-ended, sort of like Pan’s Labyrinth, where you’re not sure if the main character went on to commit suicide or if she really returned to the fairy realms and became a princess.

One person in the critique group said: “This is confusing, you need to rewrite the ending of the story so it has a conclusion, it feels like you sort of just petered off. You should rewrite this so as not to confuse the reader.”

Another, more experienced writer commented: “Nice use of ambiguity. I appreciate how you leave the ending up to the reader. I think you can improve a few sections in the middle to make the conclusion more powerful.”

The first response was from a young writer who is still used to thinking only in terms of black and white: either a story has a conclusion, or it doesn’t.

The second response was from someone who understood what I was trying to do with my work. They a) evaluated it, b) had knowledge of other short stories that used the same technique, and c) made pointed suggestions how to improve the story, within the style I was attempting.

If you’re serious about improving your craft and making your latest book the best it can be, it’s not enough to have a beta-reader who simply says “I like this” or “I don’t like that.” You want someone who understands what you are trying to do with your work, where it fits in the bigger scheme of things, and the small, key things you can change to improve it.

7 Traits of a Perfect Beta-Reader

Because I am introverted, I tend to keep most of what I do a huge secret, even if nobody cares. Totally normal, right?

1) First, their own writing should blow you away. You should read their work and think–wow. I feel inspired. I’d love this person’s input on my own writing. And since most of us are indie-authors, you should try reaching out to these other indies and see if you can strike up some sort of beta-reading arrangement. Choosing old high school friends or family members probably isn’t the best idea, unless they are also writers, English teachers/professors, or very critical and analytically minded readers.

2) Find someone specific to your genre. Someone who writes literary fiction probably isn’t going to appreciate your paranormal romance novel unless they’re also a huge fan of paranormal romance. Make sure to pick a beta reader who has a special passion for your genre.

3) As stated before, pick someone with an extensive knowledge base. A lot of readers don’t really know what goes into writing a novel. They know basic stuff like “main character” and “plot,” but as for more technical things like active/passive voice, foreshadowing, themes, motifs and character arc, they might not have much to say. For this reason, I can’t emphasize enough–pick someone who knows more about writing than you do. And if you can’t find someone like that because you have limited resources, pick somebody who reads a TON, is usually very analytical, and at least understands the finer aspects of storytelling.

4) Find someone who also enjoys your work. I’ve ran into some beta-readers who think critiquing a story should be a “sassy” or “snarky” experience. This isn’t helpful to anyone. Find someone who nurtures your work and who believes in you as a writer, not someone who tears you down. Of course beta-readers can have a sense of humor and that can make the whole experience a lot more fun. But if someone is outright mocking your work, chances are they might be overly critical, and I’d ditch them and find someone with a better attitude.

5) Be careful of overly critical people. During my Creative Writing major, particularly as I hit my senior year, I found some feedback to be spot on (meaning, I saw immediately how it could improve the story), while some seemed overly (or uselessly) critical. For instance, nitpicking at tiny word choices or character names. A good beta-reader will give you a good mix of both: big-picture plot feedback, scene feedback, and maybe word choice here or there, just to strengthen that last sentence. Starting out, it might be hard to know the right balance. You might go through one or two beta-readers before you really click with one.

6) You and your beta-reader are a team. So speak up! Ideally, you’ll even become friends. If you have an issue with a scene in your own book, or maybe a certain character arc, but the beta-reader doesn’t mention it, write them an email. Ask questions. Start a conversation. A good beta-reader will take the time to write you back and discuss their thoughts on what might be improved.

7) Trust your gut instinct. In the end, your beta-reader’s word is NOT set in stone. If you feel like you want to change that scene, trust your instincts. This is your book, after all, and you have the last say. Similarly, if a beta-reader targets a section that you think is essential to the story–perhaps you have an idea of what’s going to happen at the end, or in the next book, and you really can’t justify changing that scene–then don’t. Again, as the author, you have the final say. And be confident about your own writing instinct. Feedback is just someone’s opinion, and sometimes opinions don’t mesh. There will be plenty of everyday readers who will appreciate whatever scene you leave in.

How Many Beta-Readers Do You Really Need?

If the world were an ideal place, I’d say find 1 person–a mentor of sorts–who meets all the qualifiers above. That way you have two targeted minds (author+beta-reader) working to streamline the same novel, and both voices blend to create a powerful reading experience.

But knowing how creative types can be flaky and how life can get in the way of a writing schedule, it’s good to have 2 or 3 solid, trustworthy writers on hand to beta-read your book. It helps when they’re up to speed with your series, or if you’ve read their books, so you can both make informed decisions about working together. I’ve made several wonderful friendships with beta-readers and I always have my eye open for a talented, lesser known author who might be added to my team. But I think, if you can get really solid feedback from 1 or 2 people, your manuscript will be fine. I wouldn’t suggest picking more than 4 people because then opinions will become conflicting and confusing, and as we discussed before, you might not be certain whose opinion is “best” for the story. So keep it simple. Keep it quality. And keep having fun!