Beta Readers Question

Carol Rose

Tell Me Something GOOD

  • Carol Rose
  • Replies: 49
K

eye of newt and toe of frog

  • K.J. Simmill
  • Replies: 26
Status
Not open for further replies.
I've been really bowled over by the fantastic support I've had from the Litopia crowd, but especially in relation to test reading.

So far I've had really excellent feedback. @Jason Byrne even provided recommendations that went on to change the first And last paragraphs of my book.
@Jennifer Stone gave me a boost, just when I needed it, and @Karen Gray has now been good enough to endure something else I've put together.
It makes a massive difference to know it's being read by somebody, doesn't it?
 
David Steele said:
I've been really bowled over by the fantastic support I've had from the Litopia crowd, but especially in relation to test reading.

So far I've had really excellent feedback. @Jason Byrne even provided recommendations that went on to change the first And last paragraphs of my book.
@Jennifer Stone gave me a boost, just when I needed it, and @Karen Gray has now been good enough to endure something else I've put together.
It makes a massive difference to know it's being read by somebody, doesn't it?
Click to expand...
You're not wrong there! It's one thing loving your own work, of course you do, it's your own. But to have someone comment on it positively, or even council on issues you have completely overlooked, noted plot holes you missed, it's so worth while and a huge learning curve. But I feel that - at least for me - it is a real element of a peer environment in a social setting which I've been missing for way too long.

It's all well and good family and friends saying... 'yeah, it's good.'

They may laugh of get a bit teary where you hope they do, but they really don't understand the mechanics behind the work.

They don't quite understand the extreme excitement you feel when your character has a break through, or the utter heartache you feel when a character you're fond of dies, or loses everything they hold dear.

You all on the other hand, absolutely understand and getting feedback from other writers is a wonderful and massively valuable experience.
 
David Steele said:
I've been really bowled over by the fantastic support I've had from the Litopia crowd, but especially in relation to test reading.

So far I've had really excellent feedback. @Jason Byrne even provided recommendations that went on to change the first And last paragraphs of my book.
@Jennifer Stone gave me a boost, just when I needed it, and @Karen Gray has now been good enough to endure something else I've put together.
It makes a massive difference to know it's being read by somebody, doesn't it?
Click to expand...
Yes, it does!
 
Nicole Wilson said:
If you use beta readers, how do you find them? And how do you make sure they do what they promised to?

For my first novel, I had eight beta readers. One was my hubby, two were my parents, three were friends, and two were people my husband works with who asked to read it. I gave them my manuscript back in December with a cover letter that laid out what I was looking for: honest feedback (even if it sucked as long as they told me where it sucked) and a couple questions for after they read it. And I asked for it back in the March-April area.

Of those eight, two (that's right, TWO) have gotten them back to me. Seven months later. My husband, who's a writer and understands the importance of beta readers, and a friend were the two. The other six have either said they're still working on it or they've stopped responding to my texts completely. At this point, they're reading such an outdated version of my book that it doesn't matter terribly much if they get it back to me.

But, now gun-shy from my first experience, I'm coming up on the time when I'll need beta readers for my second book. Yet I don't know how to find them. Are friends a bad idea? Do I have to pay for beta readers? Any advice?
Click to expand...

My first beta readers are a respected selection from my professional network. From editors, consultants to teachers and marketeers and other writers. I had about 10 altogether. They give me initial stage feedback. But yeah - they are from my professional network - some are close some have helped me in the past with my other projects and some just know a good story when they read one and were curious what I was up to.

When I first sent it out it felt very raw and scary knowing people were going to look inside of me!! Weird saying that having had a cesarean! Although I did feel more like a rummaged handbag at the time:eek: - my cesarean not my book reveal!
 
I asked three people to beta read my novel. One read it in two days, one in about two weeks. I wrote out a list of questions and did a sort of interview with them on the phone, asking about certain scenes, characters, plot points, and other things I wanted to know. They both singled out the same scene as their least favorite (without knowing the other had done it), which was hard to hear, as it was one of my favorite scenes, but it confirmed the nagging feeling I had that it needed work and serious editing down. The third beta never read it. I had to just let it go, and try not to take it personally.

I've used the same two beta readers again for shorts, and incorporated other friends for others. Sometimes I ask someone when I need a particular point of view, like a man's or someone within a specific age group. I've also been lucky to find a writer on Twitter with whom I've become good friends, and he and I beta read for each other some now.
 
All good points. My beta-reader that never got back to me happened to be my mother. I was all like, "well I guess I know who doesn't love me that much."
Haha, not really. But I did think that.
 
I always sought out as many beta readers as I could get in an effort to get as much feedback as possible. Some might say that's an example of too many chefs (or editors?), but I always felt that having family, close friends, passing friends, people I barely knew from work, and total strangers from various internet sites all giving feedback helped to make certain I was avoiding unconscious bias as much as possible while also gathering a broad range of opinions and personality types in feedback.
 
Quillwitch said:
Any suggestions as to where one would find decent Beta readers on the internet. I live in Mexico, so it´s practically impossible to find anyone who reads English well enough to be a beta reader.
Click to expand...

As Jen said, here is a good place. I've been told that Goodreads's beta reader groups are good as well, though I have yet to try them. May be worth a look.
 
Quillwitch said:
Thank you! I look forward to being read and to read other people´s work here! And Jason--don´t get too excited. I may live in Mexico but I write like a Londoner. Writing about Mexico is the last thing on my mind.
Click to expand...
Oh. Well never mind then.

In all seriousness, I often prefer the "texture" of UK literature to its trans-pond counterparts. There's a subtle difference in the fundamental thought process, I think. The same reason people go to foreign film festivals.
 
Jason Byrne said:
Oh. Well never mind then.

In all seriousness, I often prefer the "texture" of UK literature to its trans-pond counterparts. There's a subtle difference in the fundamental thought process, I think. The same reason people go to foreign film festivals.
Click to expand...

I grew up in Caifornia and was always a mega-anglophile from a very young age, so that is what´s in my brain. By the time I came back to Mexico, the damage was already done. :D
 
Jason Byrne said:
I would love to beta-read for you, @Quillwitch. I would very interested to be exposed to new cultural perspectives and insights. I've amassed one hell of a beat-reading backlog by now, but would be interested to see what you've written, after I finish with @Karen Gray, @Jennifer Stone, and @Alistair Roberts' works.
Click to expand...
Mwahahaha! you will never be done with mine and you know it :p World domination one litopian at a time ;) Lol

Only joking. I'd actually be happy to read for you too @Quillwitch though right this second I am busy with the start of my Graphic Design HND and family stuff (I care for hubby) but i will give you an honest opinion from a slightly different angle x
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Carol Rose

Tell Me Something GOOD

  • Carol Rose
  • Replies: 49
K

eye of newt and toe of frog

  • K.J. Simmill
  • Replies: 26
Back
Top