Beta Readers

​Jenna Moreci's video is not only entertaining (with some NSFW language) but it's chock full of some great tips for both the writer and the beta reader.  Here are some tips for you if you decide to ask me to beta for you.

I'm in the middle of a a great beta read.  The novel is in a genre that is fun, and the text is well-edited overall. While beta reading is often this way, there are some things that you should consider, especially if you want to ask me (or really anyone) to be your beta reader:

• How does the beta like to read?  Unlike Moreci, I'd rather read the full draft at once and then talk about it.  I can see where going chapter by chapter with interviews would be nice, but I like to see the larger arc.  Some of my questions will likely be answered once I've finished the book and I can make better suggestions on the text as a whole.
• What genres does the beta reader tend to read? This doesn't necessarily knock your book out of the process.  For instance, I don't tend to read a lot of general sci-fi, but I'm all over sci-fi novels with a strong female lead.  I also don't tend to read a lot of YA literature, but Hugh Howey's Molly Fyde is a favorite--both sci-fi and YA. So, take a moment to get to know who is reading your work; even if it's not a typical genre for them you may find that there are elements that draw them to your work.  
• Edit your work.  Moreci is correct that you don't want to pay an editor or proofreader before you work with beta readers (who often serve as developmental editors for you). While a misplaced punctuation mark here and there isn't the end of the world, constant errors and basic bloated writing can really impact the reader.  I teach writing, and I often indicate to  students that their ideas are good, but I just can't slog through the errors.  If I have to analyze each sentence to get to what you are trying to say because there are multiple word choice and sentence construction errors, that's a problem.
• Realize that your beta has a day job.  Some beta readers charge--many do not.  As someone who currently does beta reading for free, I'm making an investment in your work. You get the experience of a life-long reader who also happens to be an indie writer and an educator in the field of literature and composition with over two decades of experience.  So, be aware of that.  Can you get a 48 hour turn around from a high-school graduate on Good Reads who volunteered to read your book?  Sure.  Will that feedback be as useful to you as my feedback? Probably not.  It's the old fast, cheap, good dilemma.  If you're asking for my investment in your work (hours of time I could be writing my own work) for free, it's going to take me a bit.  I do communicate with writers, though, to let them know where I am in the process.
• Communicate.  There are two people in a Good Reads group I am in that I reached out to recently because the book synopses they provided were really interesting to me (one was even in the same genre and sub-genre that my Olivia Chronicles Series is in). I asked them to come to my site and look around and let me know if they were interested in me beta reading for them.  Neither person responded.  Do you know what that tells me?  That they don't really care who is reading their work and they don't really understand the value of a focused reader with experience.  It also indicated to me that reading for those folks would be a nightmare experience most likely.  
• Consider paying for the work.  I recently worked with Nicole Frail on my current manuscript and it was a great experience.  Her rates are reasonable, and we hashed out all of the details above before I hired her.  I'll definitely be returning to ask her for more assistance in the future, and it was nice to have someone who was invested not only because they love to read but because they literally are being paid for their time and it is in their best interest to give you the best feedback possible.  
• Consider your own writing group.  I am fortunate that I have writer friends.  I know that many of you starting out may not. You may also not have experience with creative writing workshops, which are a great way to get some of that give and take experience.  If you don't have writer friends who are willing to do beta swaps, think about looking up your local NanoWriMo group and starting to make friends.  Virtual friends can be great as well; consider asking someone you read if you can get them to look at your work.  The worst thing that can happen is they say yes and you wait in a sweaty mess for the feedback, hoping you don't  reveal that you're a charlatan (and by the way, if you never have that fear, I think you're probably doing it wrong).