Friday, January 19, 2018

How to Find a Great Beta Reader for your Manuscript

How to Find a Great Beta Reader for your Manuscript



For an upcoming author, getting a person to read your manuscript and critique it is not as easy as it may seem. The value of a good beta reader to a book often goes unappreciated once the big stakeholders such as publishers and editors come into play. Most of the time, a writer will value the feedback of the people who have been around during the development of the book; forgetting that since these people have listened to your ideas and have given their ideas during the creation of the work, they are probably prone to bias. A fresh set of eyes is what every writer needs just before evolving into an author.

Qualities to look for in a beta reader

Falls in the bracket of your target audience
Having a critic that is a potential buyer for your book will give you valuable insight into the needs of your audience. A good beta reader will be able to identify with the story and /or the characters you write about without having to try at all. Their feedback will automatically reflect the thoughts of the rest of your target audience. This will go a long way in grabbing the attention of your potential buyers because you write what they need to read and not what they want to read.

Is interested in your genre
There will always be a willing reader out there who is genuinely interested in the genre that you have chosen to write for. Getting a beta reader of this kind is a plus because they understand the facts you write about. If it is romance, they will be able to give you pointers on where you did not express emotion in your writing to their contentment. There are parts where you rush over the details and there are parts where you draw it out. A reader who has a good eye for such qualities will point out the areas that need refining for your book to get the future audience to that place you wanted; whether emotionally, mentally or psychologically.

Is not afraid to be honest
This is a key quality of any beta reader. How else are you supposed to make the changes that need to be made to transform your book from an okay to a work of art? The job of a beta reader is to read and evaluate your work critically; and give you feedback that is meant to propel your work to the next level and not to soothe your ego. If this is something the person is afraid to do, it won't be easy to get correct feedback and this could end up damaging your work.
Is not a stranger to the world of writing

Only a person who has gone through the same thing will be able to understand your situation as well as you do, or even better. A great beta reader is one who is not new to writing. This does not necessarily mean that they have to be writers; they can be publishers or editors as well. A beta reader who falls in this group will know how to give you feedback on your work in a manner that you need to hear. if it isn't a good book, they'll be blunt about it and give you a couple of pointers to guide you better. They are not new to writing and therefore, they know what sells and what doesn't.

Where to find a beta reader
Friends and family
Most writers overlook their friends and family when looking for people to read their manuscripts and give them feedback about it. As a writer, you may assume that the people close to you may be too scared to hurt your feelings to give you honest criticism. This may be true in some cases; but because we know these people so well, we will be able to tell if they are being dishonest as opposed to when a beta reader you are not familiar with gives you dishonest feedback as well. 

Responses such as "It's really good" without additional details are pointers that the book does not live up to their expectations. In addition, alienation of specific aspects of the book could also be a hint of dishonesty. "I really liked the setting of the story" could mean you might need to look into other features such as the plot or the characters. However, others may have the characteristic of being straight shooters and these are the ones you will definitely want to approach.

If you are a new writer you will have to get accustomed to rejection every now and then. Accepting criticism from the people close to you is not only the first step to building your fan base, but also a good way to start developing thick skin to weather the brutally honest comments you are likely to get from strangers. 

Local Writing Groups
These groups are a vast source of untapped information and are usually very hungry to get their hands on a new book to devour. A good way of finding good beta readers is by joining such a club. These clubs meet at the local library, writing workshops or book reviews. The great thing about the people you meet in these groups is that they are not too close to you to be unafraid to be honest; neither are they too far or too much of strangers to be able to be extremely brutal with their opinions. They are just the right balance for anyone who is seeking feedback from a neutral party.
You can find these groups by looking them up on meetup.com.

Online platforms
The easiest place to find beta readers is on social media. There are a good number of sites that are platforms dedicated to helping budding authors who are seeking positive criticism for their manuscripts. The great thing about these platforms is that they have people from all walks of life. Getting beta readers from different parts of the world is more often than not a better deal than restricting yourself to people from the same locality as you. Having readers from different ethnic backgrounds and cultures read and critique your work will give it more rounded feel because it will be inclusive of diverse people and the ideologies they subscribe to.

Some of these platforms include booktownusa.org, writershelpingwriters.net, critiquecircle.com and goodreads.com. There are also Facebook pages such as Indie Author Group and Beta Readers and Critiques that you can visit. 

On twitter, hashtags such as #writershelpingwriters will lead you to readers or writers who may be interested in reading your manuscript.

However, it is one thing to find a site with lots of beta readers to choose from and it is a whole other matter to find a beta reader with whom you click and are able to build a relationship. It might take a while to find a person you are comfortable working with on a regular basis. If you are looking for a long term relationship with your beta reader, it is a good idea to start even before your manuscript is ready for reading. First, find the people you feel you connect with and build a relationship with them. When the time comes and your manuscript is ready for reading, you won't have to start looking for a beta reader; you'll already have one who will be glad to be of assistance to you.

CONCLUSION 
it goes without saying; if you want someone to take the time to read your work, you have to take time to read another writer's work as well. Writers are supposed to help each other grow in the same way individuals in other careers build each other up. The more you help others, the better relationships you have with others in the field who qualify to be great beta readers to you when you need them.

Finally, before looking for a beta reader, it is important to ask yourself whether your work qualifies to be read by others. An author should be able to develop two personas; one as a reader and one as a writer; and should be able to switch between the two personas effectively. Critiquing your own work will help save the time you may need to make later adjustments after a third party points out mistakes and loops in your work if you are able to notice the mistakes beforehand. 

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