New Author Series: How Do You Find Beta Readers?

I’ve received quite a few questions (more than two, I’m certain of it) from folks finishing up their first books and wondering about self-publishing. A year or two ago, the main one was “should I self-publish or seek an agent/publisher?” but there seem to be more authors these days who know they’re going to jump straight into the independent route. Given some of the impressive success stories out there (here’s a new one by an author who was losing money traditionally publishing, but who may hit seven figures in 2013 after two years of self-publishing) it’s not surprising.

So, I’m doing a series of blog posts answering basic questions for those just getting started. I hope these will be of some use to the writers in the crowd.

First up, a question I’ve  been asked to blog about by a couple of different people, where do you find beta readers?

If nobody except a couple of friends and family members have read your work, it’s a good idea to get outside feedback before assuming you’re ready to find an editor and publish that bad boy. This is especially true if we’re talking about the first novel you’ve ever written and you don’t have a track record of short story sales or any other sort of outside validation to suggest, “You’re ready, kid.”

Technically anybody can be a beta reader, but it’s wise to solicit other writers/editors who are very familiar with your genre/niche (i.e. they can spot a clunky sentence a mile away, and they’ve seen all the been-there-done-that plots, character archetypes, and cliches). Peers like these are going to be hard people to please, which is, believe it or not, a good thing. If you can get them to give your novel a thumb’s up, it might just be ready for the masses.

And where do you find these elusive souls?

If you take classes or join writing workshops, you’re going to have an opportunity to meet a lot of other writers, some of whom will specialize in your genre. Some will be serious about writing and some will already be published, independently or otherwise.

Classes and workshops will not only give you a chance to get your work critiqued, but you’ll have a chance to do the same for other people. Yes, that’s work, but it can be amazingly educational work. I’m sure I’ve learned as much from analyzing what works and what doesn’t in other people’s fiction as I have from having my stuff brutalized, erm, critiqued by others.

I have a fondness for online writing workshops myself (not only do you tend to get more honest feedback when people aren’t gazing into your hopeful eyes, but you’ll have a larger variety of folks from which to choose long-term beta readers). As a fantasy author, I’ve belonged to Critters and the Online Writing Workshop for SF, F, and H. I’m sure there are similar types of online workshops for other genres.

I’ve seen some authors pooh pooh peer-based writing workshops (blind leading the blind, grammar and sentence structure get focused on to the detriment of character/story, writing “rules” are emphasized too much, etc.), but they are, if nothing else, a good place to meet other writers. You won’t click with everybody, but you only need a couple of good beta readers to help you grow as an author and publish better stories, stories that are ready for broader audiences. I also think that if you can survive the workshop experience, you’ll feel more confident about the work you’re producing and less likely to make radical (perhaps unfounded) changes at the first sign of a negative review.

Thanks for reading, and let us know if you have any suggestions for places to find beta readers in the comments. If there are other “new author” topics you’d like to see discussed, feel free to mention those too.

 

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19 Responses to New Author Series: How Do You Find Beta Readers?

  1. Kendra says:

    And workshops can help you find great long-term crit partners by allowing you work with several and determine who’s the most helpful. OWW was great for that for me!

    • Becca says:

      Amen to that! OWW was great. I learned so much from the experience. And the friends I made are the best. 😉

  2. I was a member at OWW for a while and definitely gained some valuable experience there. I still remember vividly the first time I posted something. I was probably twenty years old, definitely thought I had written something pretty good–and then BOOM. Brutalized is too kind a word for those first few critiques. It hurt at the time. Hurt a lot, actually. But it was the best thing that ever happened to me writing-wise. I realized that I had lots of growing to do in terms of craft, story-telling, everything. I still do.

    One of the biggest keys for me (and Lindsay already highlights this in the post) is to know when to make revisions in response to a comment/critique and when to smile, nod, say “Thanks for the feedback,” and then just move on without changing anything. The last thing that you want to do is get caught in a spiral of endless revisions, because not only will you never be finished (because even the best story will not please everyone), but you will probably end up diluting your voice and bastardizing your story to the point where it ends up as some sort of Franken-tale. I know I ended up in that cycle with some of my early work, and the danger there is that you spend all your time trying to polish one story when you could have used that time to write four more.

    I think Heinlein’s Rules are the best approach to follow. Write the best story that you can. Get feedback from beta readers and make any minor changes/revisions that you agree with (emphasis on minor!). Then go ahead and publish it. It won’t be perfect. It never is. Yes, your next book will probably be better. But that’s OK. Take the lessons that you have learned, keep working on your craft, and then start writing the next book.

  3. Rebecca says:

    I love being on Critters. I haven’t submitted anything but I’ve been giving critiques for awhile and seeing the variations in skill has been a real eye opener. Critters does have an option to Request Long Term Readers, but I’ve never looked at any of the submitted requests.

    Being exposed to different kinds of writing to evaluate on a weekly basis has helped me be a little more secure in what I write and I think I have a better sense of where I am personally.

    What I do wish is that I had taken advantage of having beta readers when I wrote fanfiction. I feel like I missed out of cultivating a beta that was used to my style of writing and knew what my flaws were.

    Some people want diamond rings, I just want a long-term beta.

  4. A. R. Tan says:

    I belong to a Scribophile.com. I’ve only been a member since the beginning of the year and I’ve gotten some good feedback on my writing.

    I’m pretty honest on my critiques. As I learn more about self editing from how-to books, my critiques has moved from line editing to critiquing global issues with the story and scene in the last three months.

    I find that I get just as much from critiquing other writers. Once you spot dialogue tag issues over and over again, it becomes second nature to pick it out on your own writing.

  5. Moondreamer says:

    In our case, a certain forum was extremely helpful both in getting ouselves started and finding a few good beta-reader who will hopfully will stay so in the long term 😛 I’d have to check Critters, though the idea of external critiques by some unknown make me somewhat uneasy.

    • Lindsay says:

      It’s scary posting your stuff for anyone to critique, but you do tend to get a lot of utter honesty that way.

  6. Margaret Y. says:

    Let’s say you click with someone at a writer’s conference. It can be scary to say, “We write the same kind of fiction. Would you be open to exchanging some chapters for a beta read?” but that is exactly what you must do.

    Also, I always give before I get. It’s just good karma. I give the best beta read I am capable of, and in return, other people put a lot of time and care into helping me improve my manuscripts.

  7. Mcat says:

    I am trying to get into beta reading because I want to be an editor one day and I feel this is a good place to start. It is a little difficult for me because I an not a writer. I am an English major, but I feel that my real experience comes from simply reading every urban fantasy, romance, or science fiction book I can get my hands on. And not just the main-stream 7.99 published books but indie authors as well. There are some hidden gems in the indie world that I love to find.
    I have read so much, that I get this feeling in my stomach when I recognize a unique and powerful new story. Has anyone else felt that? That butterfly-feeling in your stomach?

  8. Mo says:

    How do these online forums protect against theft and general fraud?

    • Lindsay says:

      They’re password protected, Mo. Works posted that way don’t count as published either.

      As for theft, new writers tend to assume people are dying to steal their ideas, but it just isn’t true. Our stuff isn’t nearly as spectacular as we think it is, and the gift is in the execution, not the idea, anyway.

      • Mo says:

        Ain’t that the truth. I can now rest easy in the knowledge that a child catcher-esque villain isn’t waiting for my not so epic novel. Sigh.

  9. ED Martin says:

    I second Scribophile, where I’ve been a member for 2.5 years. It’s a karma-based system; you earn karma for the critiques you write, which you then spend to post works for critique. I’ve found several great beta-readers on the site. Because of the diversity of the members, you get feedback from lots of different aspects: grammar and syntax, theme, plot arcs and character development, fact-checking, overall readability, etc. It also has forums to anything writing-related. And it’s password protected, so your stories are safe.

  10. Ilana Waters says:

    You know a “weird” place I’ve found some great betas? Twitter, believe it or not! Many of followers/followed are writers, so after getting to know them a while, you familiarize yourself with their genre, style, etc. It helps determine if you’re a good fit even before you exchange WIP’s. And of course, Lindsay’s on there. 😉

  11. Dale says:

    Belonging to a local writer’s organization is another place to find potential beta readers. Here in Portland we have Willamette Writers, Rose City Romance Writers, Oregon Writer’s Colony, and members of the Northwest Independent Writers Association, especially at their local meetings and annual conferences.

    Participating in a writer’s workshop at a genre convention can also lead to meeting potential beta readers.

  12. Elissa says:

    Lindsay, as you know, I’m a member of OWW. Though no group is perfect, I can’t say enough good things about my experience. And of course, if not for OWW I wouldn’t have “met” you!

    One thing I want to bring up that hasn’t been emphasized enough: letting “strangers” read and review your work is an important step toward the life of an author. In a workshop, whether online or with an in-person group, people are actually trying to help. It may not always feel that way, but truly they are.

    Once you’re published, the readers reviewing your work are not at all concerned about your feelings. They are expressing their opinion for the world at large. If they enjoyed your book, they’ll let people know. If they were in any way disappointed in it, they will also let people know. NO writer is immune to getting a bad review.

    If you can’t handle feedback from fellow writers who are trying to help you, you are NOT ready to publish, no matter how brilliantly you write.

  13. Mary Sisson says:

    I’ve found some good feedback groups through Meetup. And I second the notion that critiquing other people’s writing helps you develop the skills to improve your own.

  14. I played around with Critters about two years ago, but I’m no longer a card-carrying member. I always fulfilled my weekly quota of reviews, mainly waiting to get my own chance. I went through the process three times, but didn’t get much from it.

    The first time I submitted the first chapter or so of the first novel I wrote, the Jongurian Mission. I got about 20 reviews or feedbacks and most were pretty positive, but they pretty much just said they liked it. That was fine, but I wanted more.

    I submitted another chapter from another book a few weeks later and got the harsh treatment. People were honest, and I probably went back and changed some things, although I can’t remember now. Next I submitted a fight scene from a chapter. I remember one review from someone saying it reminded them of the Conan comics they liked as a kid. I took that as a compliment.

    After that it was goodbye to Critters. I decided to focus more on my own writing and less on that of others. Mainly I just got tired of reading stories I didn’t really want to read anyways.

  15. I’ve had awful luck with beta readers. When pulled from the general population of my friends, family, and acquaintances, only 1 of 4 ever follows through. When pulled from my writing friends it’s even fewer than that on anything longer than a chapter. When I exchange beta reading with someone it’s almost the worst. I’ve never yet failed to follow-through on a promised crit (of any length), though I was late once when I wasn’t given the deadline. Yet I think at most one person out of six I’ve exchanged with ever read the whole thing and gave me meaningful critique.

    I keep trying. I have a call out for beta readers right now, disguised as a virtual book launch team for my new novel. Actually I hope anyone who responds will also be on the launch team.

    Very timely post for me, Lindsay. Thank you.

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