Harsh Does Not Equal Honest: Pick Your Beta Readers Carefully

By Dario Ciriello, @Dario_Ciriello 

Part of The Writer's Life Series

JH: Feedback doesn't have to be mean to be useful. Dario Ciriello shares thoughts on dealing with beta readers, tough crits, and the struggles of new authors just trying to get help. 

I’ve seen more than one new author crushed by tactless or even downright mean feedback from beta readers, and I don’t like it. So a couple of weeks ago, I tweeted the following as a simple PSA:

Too many writers upset by overly harsh feedback from betas. PICK YOUR BETAS CAREFULLY. They should be people you know well, who get your genre, whom you trust, and who are experienced, secure writers. Don't just let anyone read your draft.

Surprisingly, this got pushback from a few people who insisted they wanted and welcomed harsh feedback, didn’t want to be coddled, didn’t want to use people they knew as betas because they wouldn’t give honest feedback, wanted people who didn’t read their genre because that would let them appeal to a wider audience, and yada yada.

Wrong.

The Difference Between Critique Partners and Beta Readers

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Critique partners and beta readers have similar jobs, but they’re not the same thing.

January is a common month to start revisions and the search for critique partners and beta readers, and my various social media feeds are always filled with comments and thoughts related to both.

This year, I received a direct question from a reader about the difference between a critique and a beta read—and the people who do them.

Like so many other writing terms, these are often used interchangeably, but have slightly different meanings.

Do Sensitivity Readers Hurt or Help Our Novels?

By Bonnie Randall 

Part of the How They Do It Series (Monthly Contributor)

This month’s column is more a discussion invitation than a tutorial. ‘Sensitivity Readers’—I confess I am on two sides of the column on this issue.

Now, at their base purpose, ‘sensitivity readers’ are critical partners in the novel crafting process. For example (and in an effort to keep races, sexual orientations, religions or genders out of the equation) let’s pretend you are writing a story about a social worker. It would be in your best interest to have your story vetted by a few bona-fide social workers because let me tell you—as a social worker myself I find that characters crafted in the vein of my profession almost inevitably fall into one of two (grossly aggravating) stereotypes: they are either baby-snatching lunatics who rip well-loved children from the arms of doting parents OR they are brain-dead dupes who can be hoodwinked by teens with one single, well-spun lie.

Beta Readers Need Love, Too

By Scott Reintgen, @Scott_Thought

Part of the How They Do It Series (Monthly Contributor)

Confession: I love my beta readers.

It’s safe to say that the history of writing has not always made use of the modern beta reader. If you happened to watch the movie Genius, which highlights the relationship between editor Max Perkins and writer Thomas Wolfe, you saw a glimpse of the more traditional form. A writer writes. An editor edits. As they craft the story together, it almost seems like there isn’t room for any other voices. There’s such chemistry and magic there, why risk breaking the spell?

Questions for Your Beta Readers – and To Focus Your Own Revisions

By Jodie Renner, @JodieRennerEd

Part of the Indie Author Series

So you’ve completed the first draft of your novel? Congratulations! Now it’s time to start the all-important revision process. Be sure not to shoot yourself in the foot by sending it off or self-publishing it too soon. That’s the biggest mistake of unsuccessful novelists – being in too much of a hurry to get their book out, when it still needs (major or minor) revisions and final polishing.

To start, put it aside for a week or more, then change the font and print it up and read it in a different location, where you don’t write. Or, to save paper, put it on your e-reader or tablet and take it outside to a park or a (different) coffee shop to read. That way, you can approach it with fresh eyes and a bit of distance, as a reader, rather than in too close as the writer.

On Critique and Beta Reader Etiquette

By Michael Kinn

Part of the How They Do It Series

JH: Please welcome back Michael Kinn today to share a few thoughts on being a good writer while waiting for a critique. Offering advice can be tricky for both reader and writer, but some basic manners can make the whole process easier.

Michael makes up stuff as a scientist, a storyteller and a writer, any combination of which sets his creative juices flowing. He loves the ocean, writes under the influence of green tea and finds life a breeze compared to negotiating his teenagers’ freedom charters. Michael is addicted to great stories and in dire need of extra lives.

Take it away Michael...

Even Alpha Writers Need Beta Readers

By Tiffany Reisz, @tiffanyreisz

Let’s talk betas! Not the fishies, the people! First of all, what is a beta? You often hear the term in reference to software programs or video games. Beta testers are customers or users a company chooses to try out their new product before it’s ready for the market. The everyday user might find bugs and quirks that the software engineer who designed the game or product missed. A product in “beta” is an almost finished product not ready for market yet.

For writers, betas are our first readers of our new books. Many published writers, even bestselling and award-winning authors, have either a critique partner or a set of beta readers who read their books prior to publication. Not every writer uses betas, however. And usually you can tell who those writers are when you read their books.