There are all kinds of benefits to using beta readers to help produce your novel. From figuring out what works with a character to finding plot holes, good readers can help turn a mediocre tale into a work of art. Of course, that also depends on who you have reading your manuscript.
Not everyone is going to view the book the same way, and some may have suggestions that you might not want to put in your story. Always remember that as the author, you have the final say.
However, I’ve found that beta readers have influenced the stories greatly for the better.
7 Realistic Benefits of Beta Readers
Beta readers are essentially a “test audience” for your work. Much like how television shows and movies premiere to a select audience to see what works, readers offer the same valuable feedback.
Let’s face it; not all of your ideas are going to come from the golden goose. And these readers will let you know what isn’t sitting right in the storyline.
1. Receiving Objective Feedback
Writing a good book is subjective. Not everyone is going to like the same story or style. However, beta readers can help by pointing out a few objective elements as feedback.
For instance, if several are pointing out that a certain character seems too whiney to really fit in the story, you might want to consider re-writing it. Or, maybe there is a continuity issue such as landmarks not being in the right spaces in a person’s imagination.
Another possibility is the lack of details in a specific scene or if the pacing of the book is off. Objective feedback is extremely useful for delivering a great story.
2. Finding Weak Sections in the Book
Part of getting objective feedback involves finding the weak sections of a book. This could be anything from the overall plot to specific details of a character.
For instance, someone could highlight how they would like to “see” what a monster looks like. This would indicate a lack of detail that you might want to include.
Weak sections could also include poorly written dialogue despite excellent worldbuilding and background ambiance.
3. Improving Overall Readability
Beta readers aren’t trying to edit your manuscript for grammar, punctuation, or spelling. That’s the job of an editor. However, they still need the story to be comprehensible.
In a lot of cases, especially with newer authors, the reading difficulty is much too high for the target audience. This is often because the writer believes that good writing requires advanced linguistic skills and terminology.
Trust me, you don’t want to read like an IKEA manual on downers. If your audience is bored or cannot understand the story, they’re going to stop reading the book and possibly send it back for a refund.
There is a reason why the Flesch Reading Ease Score is a thing.
4. Enhancing Story Flow and Development
Beta readers can help you enhance the overall flow and development of a story by pointing out things you might not have considered. This could be fleshing out details of a specific scene, adding something for context, or even highlighting discrepancies in the dialogue.
For instance, I had a reader suggest that I add a bit of spice to a certain scene in a book. After working on it for a few days, I found that he was right – the details added a lot more to the scene in general while amplifying the connection between the reader and the characters.
Now, you don’t need to take every suggestion tossed your way. But don’t discredit something that might wind up affecting the story in a very positive manner.
5. Improving Storytelling Tactics
There are a lot of ways beta readers can help you improve the way you convey a story. Virtually all of the points I mentioned above do this for you. And as you learn what your target audience wants to read, you become better at laying it out there from the first draft.
The benefits of beta readers give you insight into how the general populace may view your book. There might be things you’ll want to change in regard to how you deliver certain bits of information.
For example, one of my goals is to make one of my friends cry if I kill off a character. If I see tears, then I know I made an emotional connection within the story. If there are no tears, then I figure out why and make adjustments.
Getting a reader emotionally invested in the story and the characters results in a great experience. It becomes a book people will want to share with others and suggest to friends and family.
6. Building Confidence as an Author
Having people read your manuscript will help with building confidence in your skills. A lot of authors suffer from impostor syndrome and don’t feel worthy of praise. But if beta readers highlight the good along with the bad, it goes a long way to helping you feel better about yourself.
Another way beta reading boosts confidence is from the act itself. Instead of not knowing how the book will perform once published and being afraid of releasing a bad story, you’re more confident about releasing it to the public.
This is especially true if your beta readers deliver great praises of the manuscript alongside proper critiques.
7. Hardening the Skin
One of the greatest benefits of using beta readers is that it helps you develop a thick skin. If you’re able to accept constructive criticism from those individuals, it helps fortify you against the trolls.
You’re not going to please 100% of the people 100% of the time. And if you’re not able to receive negative feedback without internalizing it, you won’t make it long as an author. You need to realize that some people are going to hate for the sake of hating.
Beta readers will help you learn how to accept criticism. Of course, they’ll be a lot kinder than many people online. However, learning how to accept or reject criticism as early as possible will ultimately affect your success.
Where to Find Beta Readers
There are many places where you can find beta readers nowadays. The trick is to make sure you’re not surrounding yourself with “yes men.” These are people who are not going to give you criticisms in the slightest and will always agree with everything you say and write.
You won’t learn how to become a better writer by sticking your head in the sand. Without actionable and sincere feedback, you won’t know what needs adjustments in your style.
Facebook Groups
There are a number of Facebook writing groups that focus on helping writers and authors. And a large portion of them are full of beta readers who are willing to give your manuscript a good once-over.
Just keep in mind that not all Facebook groups are equal. I’ve been in a few where it felt most authors went out of their way to put new writers down to make themselves feel superior.
Social Media Followers
Social media is a decent place to get beta readers, especially if you use people who are fans of your work. They are usually already interested in your content, so they are also more likely to be interested in your genre.
Just make sure you can trust these individuals. While it’s unlikely someone will try to take your story and run, it’s always better to err on the side of caution.
Critique Partners
Critique partners are a bit different than beta readers but offer many of the same benefits. They are other writers with whom you share stories to critique each other’s work. You can do this with entire manuscripts or chapters at a time.
The nice thing about using other writers is that they can guide you to make good changes as they know the process. Besides, it’s always good to network with other authors.
Writing App Forums
A lot of writing apps out there have forums that are full of people willing to beta-read your manuscript. They usually have a community mindset and will work to help you crank out the best book possible.
Not all writing apps have a forum, but I’ve found that most of the ones that are web-based usually have some kind of community-building element. AutoCrit and Reedsy are two of the best that I’ve come across.
Online Free Book Platforms
Wattpad, Inkitt, Archive of Our Own, and many others can offer a slew of benefits from beta readers. It’s common for an author to put up the first draft of a manuscript on something like Wattpad to get feedback from the audience.
In fact, I know several authors personally who posted an earlier draft to get feedback and then published the final version on Amazon. One, in particular, left the first chapter up on Wattpad as a teaser to buy the completed book.
Friends and Family
Friends and family could be a decent resource for readers. However, you need to make sure they’re going to offer the best feedback possible. Some family members might spare your feelings and tell you the manuscript is perfect when it most certainly is not.
In my experience, though, most have been willing to offer actionable feedback to help me tighten up the storyline. Then again, I have one person in my family who is extremely difficult to please to the point of almost being a troll himself.
But as I pointed out earlier, you gotta develop a thick skin to deal with those kinds of people.
Website Contact Form
There’s nothing wrong with having visitors register on your website to become a beta reader. Just make sure you’re responding to true inquiries and spend a few moments researching the person.
There are a lot of scammers who abuse the contact form, and you don’t want to get ripped off or subject yourself to some form of trolling through email.
Hiring from Fiverr and Other Sites
A lot of authors will hire beta readers from sites like Fiverr, but I’m not convinced of the benefits of doing so. It’s akin to paying for reviews, which you should never do as well.
Some authors swear up and down how effective hiring readers is for their books, but it’s probably not something I would do myself. Still, it’s something you can consider yourself if the money is right.
What Makes a Good Beta Reader?
Just because someone likes to read doesn’t necessarily mean they’d make a good beta reader for your manuscript. You need actionable feedback, and not everyone knows how to provide that aspect.
So, what kind of person would make a good beta reader for your needs?
- Someone who enjoys your genre.
Someone who doesn’t like your genre is going to have a negative opinion before he or she even cracks open the book. Find those who enjoy your genre as it will enhance the experience for both you and the reader. - A person who is reliable and trustworthy.
You want someone who is going to provide feedback in a timely manner. You don’t want to be sitting around for months on end waiting for people to read the book. And you don’t want someone who is going to jump onto social media and spoil the ending. - Someone who is honest with constructive criticism.
You don’t want trolls going over the manuscript. You want someone who is going to be honest with what does and doesn’t work. Constructive criticism is not the same as trolling. It’s meant to help improve your story. - A person who loves to read and/or is a writer themselves.
An active reader is more likely to have a lot of feedback for everything from character development to the storyline. And if he or she is a writer, all the better. Plus, an active reader will more than likely have the book read in a shorter amount of time. - Someone who likes you, or at least is neutral.
Lastly, you want beta readers who like you. Not because you’re looking for glowing feedback that you can do no wrong, but because their opinions won’t be tainted by their dislike.
How Often Do You Use Beta Readers?
Initially, I invited beta readers as a perk for Buy Me a Coffee. Since then, it’s expanded a bit and I invite some of the most adamant folks who want to read the original while helping me put together a good story.
As a thank you, I include them in the Acknowledgments page of the book. It’s the least I could do to help me polish up a story to make it better than the original.
Never underestimate the benefits that can come from good beta readers. They can help you turn an otherwise mundane tale into something extravagant. Plus, they can help you push your own boundaries while diving into elements you may not have considered or were too embarrassed to try.
Yes, chapter 13 in Kingmaker was in large part due to Chris – who helped me come out of my shell a bit. The scene is easily among my favorites in the book.
At the end of the day, betas can help you put together a story that is well beyond your original draft.
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