How To Have a Good Beta Reading Experience (or: what I've learned from 3 years of beta reading)

So lately I've been having a lot of discussions about beta reading with my discord groups so I thought I would write it out here and also share some resources I've used over the years.

This is mostly by and for writers, however readers can learn from this post as well!

DISCLAIMER: I'm by no means a writing expert, but I have been either beta reading others' books, or having my own stories beta read consistently since 2020. THIS IS ALL PERSONAL EXPERIENCE/OPINION. Others may agree or disagree ❤️

Here are the main points I'm going to talk about in this post, and I'll do it under the cut to save your dash space:

Understanding Alpha vs. Beta Readers
Choosing Readers
Being Clear About Feedback
Swapping / Compensation
The Importance of Writing Community/Groups
Websites/Resources for Finding Beta Readers

#alpha reader #beta reader #writing stuff #editing #publishing

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ink-flavored

slayingfiction

Questions to ask your alpha/beta readers

I thought I would put together a master list of all the questions to ask your alpha and beta reader to help you improve your story.

You can choose to ask questions every chapter, every few chapters or after the whole book. This list of questions will be more generic and all encompassing for you to tailor to your needs.

Reminder: Beta readers typically receive a completed and polished version of your story. They give feedback on any last improvements based on the reader’s perspective. Alpha readers read your story or manuscript before it’s completed, usually a rough draft. Alpha readers are best if they also have some writing experience to give reader and writer feedback.

Choose some of the following questions to ask your readers:

Start:

When did you first feel the story was truly starting?
Do you like how the story started? If not, why?
Do you find characters were introduced slow enough to learn them all?
Did you find settings, different languages, and cultural differences were introduced slowly enough to not be confusing or overwhelming?
Were there any moments you found yourself going back over old exposition just to understand what was happening?
When, if at all, did you find yourself being pulled into the book?
Did the first sentence grab your attention?
Did the first few pages draw you into the story?
Did you find the opening paragraph/page interesting enough to continue reading?

Characters:

What do you like about the MC? What don’t you like? Can you name at least one relatable trait between yourself and the MC?
How did you feel about the character(s)’s growth from the start to finish of the story? Did you find there was enough? Was it believable?
Are the MC’s motivations and goals clear and strong enough?
Did you feel the MC’s fears, hopes, excitement, passions, etc.?
Did you get confused between the characters?
Were the characters believable?
Are there any characters you wish were more interesting? Why and how?
Do you feel each supporting character had their own motivations and contributed to the plot?
Are there any characters that seem cliché, underdeveloped, or stereotypical? If so, why?
Were the character relationships believable?
Did the romantic relationships build naturally, or did it feel forced?
Are there any character names that were too difficult to read or sounded too similar to others?
Were there any parts where the characters seemed to be acting out of character?
Who was your favorite character?
Which character, if any, did you wish was more present?
Which character do you care for the least?
What are your thoughts/feelings on the MC’s character arc?
Do you feel like the antagonists and/or villain is just as fleshed out and relatable as the MC?
If you had to remove one character, who would it be, and why?
Which character would you like to meet, and why?
Did you hope or dread any character relationships?
Are there any characters you found annoying and frustrating?
What are your general thoughts and feelings about the MC or supporting characters?
Which character did you find least developed?

Plot:

Which moments in the book did you find the most suspenseful?
Were there any moments in the book you found boring, lagging, or uneventful and unnecessary?
Did you find the pacing to suit the story well? Are there any areas you found moved too fast or too slow?
Was there ever a time you felt like you weren’t excited or intrigued enough to want to continue?
Did you find any plot holes? Any discrepancies in timeline, characters, descriptions, or other details?
Were there any scenes you found did not further the plot at all?
Are there any scenes or events you found to be too long or too short?
Did you find all explanations and revelations came out naturally and at appropriate times?
What was your favourite scene in the book? Why?
What was your least favourite scene in the book? Why?
Are there any chapters you found lacked conflict?
Did the action scenes make sense as you read them? Did you understand how they came to that action scene (or did they feel random)?
Where there any moments or scenes that made you feel emotional? Happy, sad, cringy and disgusted, etc.
Do you find the plot moved logically and naturally between scenes and chapters?
Are there any moments you felt detached or pulled out of the story? When and why?
Are there any events or scenes you found confusing? Either what was happening or how the characters came to that point?
Where you surprised by the plot twist?

Settings:

Which setting in the book was the clearest for you to visualize? Which do you remember the best?
Did you find the setting interesting, with vivid and real description?
Were there any scenes you thought lacked description?
Were there any moments you thought there was too much exposition, or not enough?
Did you find there were moments you didn’t know where the characters were unless stated?
Do you find the culture and historical events are realistic and add depth to the story?
Is there any exposition you found unnecessary? Are there any moments you wish you had more exposition?
Did all technology and science, or magic, make sense or seem believable?
Was there ever too much or too little description?

Dialogue:

Did you find that each character had their own personal voice when speaking?
Are there times where you couldn’t figure out who was talking solely based on how they spoke?
Is there any dialogue that sounded unnatural?
Could you see what the characters were doing and where they were while talking?
Was there any dialogue that seemed to not fit well with the story?
Was there any dialogue that you thought had too much exposition or explanation?
Did you find the dialogue kept your interest?

Ending:

Did you find the ending to be satisfying and emotionally fulfilling?
Are there any questions you had left after the story ended? (Mostly for stand-alone)
What did you hate most about the ending?
Did you find the ending believable?
Did you feel the tension building to the climax?
Was the climax worth the read, or did it feel weak?
Do you feel the ending came on naturally, or did it feel forced or rushed?
Did the book feel too short or too long?

General:

Were there parts where you found yourself skimming?
Which parts of the story did you find it easy to put the book down?
At what moment did you decide you wanted to finish the book? (If not DNF)
What are some of your favourite lines/quotes from the book?
Do you have any predictions for what you think will come next? (Good for chapters or end of book)
Is there something you hope will happen?
Is there anything you hoped would happen and was sad when it didn’t?
Did you find the map and glossary helpful? Is there anything you think would be beneficial to add, such as terms or names?
Are there any moments or scenes you found ethically and socially problematic and unacceptable.
Were there any moments in the story that made you stop and think?
Were you able to identify the story themes? Did you find the themes well developed throughout the story?
Did you think about the story when you weren’t reading it? If so, what were your thoughts?
Were there times during the story where you felt description was told instead of shown?
Does this book make you feel the same as other books in the genre when reading?
Is there anything you really enjoy from this genre that you found lacking in this story?
Did you find the story kept your attention with enough action, conflict, intrigue, and tension?
Do you find the story or writing style like other books you have read?
Are there any moments you found confusing, irritating, annoying or frustrating?
Are there any moments in the story you thought, “this could/would never happen”?
Did you have any questions after reading the book?
What are your general thoughts and feelings about the story?
Is there anything you wish there was more or less of?
What do you think were the best/ strongest aspects of this book?
What do you think were the worst/ weakest aspects of this books?
How would you describe this book to a friend?
Would you recommend this story to someone?
How likely/ eager are you to read the next book in the series?

Chapter specific

On a scale from 1-5, how much did you enjoy this chapter?
On a scale from 1-5, how eager are you to read the next chapter?
What predictions do you have for the next chapter?
What do you hope will happen next?

Please keeping in mind: Don't let another writer tell you what to change or how they would write it. You are the writer, and any changes are your decision. This feedback is only to give you an idea on which areas to improve.

Alpha and Beta readers should be readers in the same genre that you write. People who mostly read mystery will not be good a/b readers for a romance novelist, or any mismatch. If you write romance, find a/b readers who love to read romance. Otherwise, any advice they give may not be as valuable or useful as you hope.

If you have other questions you think would be useful to ask your readers, message me or add them in the comments so our list is comprehensive.

Happy Writing!

#alpha reader #beta reader #publishing #editing #writing stuff

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ink-flavored

zmwrites

hello all! i am finally doing the thing!

basically i’ve hit a wall. and i’ve been working on this project forever without feedback (aside from tag games—which i am eternally grateful for). and i would like some godsdang validation!

so, things to know:

HERE is the wip intro for those of you unfamiliar with the project
i’m sharing six chapters, about 20k words, which constitutes “part one” of the book
the book is not done, nor has it been edited at all, so i’m not looking for feedback on the nitty gritty details. this is more to see if the general direction is interesting to people who aren’t me and if the characters are likeable outside of the fun snippets i’ve shared previously. and, as i said, some kind comments and validation would be appreciated as well but isn’t necessary if it isn’t deserved.
i’ll be sharing the section to each person individually, so everyone can comment freely without worrying about anyone other than me seeing them. as fun as the chaos of a shared google doc sounds, the privacy concerns are too great.
thank you to the people who interacted with my initial post about this idea for encouraging this!

HERE is the Google Form to sign up if you’re interested. i’ll start sending out docs tomorrow when i’m more awake!

taglists below the cut:

Keep reading

#zmlorenz #not my writing #alpha reader #signal boost #writeblr #this is so valid of you #like half the reason im writing fanfic is because i can post it and get feedback

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esbarrison-author

Anonymous asked:

Hi! I really like your reviews and was wondering if you'd ever consider reviewing someone's draft if they were looking for criticism? Or if you could point to some places that could help with this (and where to get an editor too. I also don't even know what alpha or beta readers are). I like that your critiques tell someone where they could improve and provide more of a guideline on how to fix what's wrong. Sorry for all the questions, I'm pretty new at this writer thing.

cogesque-deactivated20210410 answered:

hey there! first! this is such a sweet ask, thank you

it sounds like what you’re looking for right now are beta readers. (in general, editors come much later in the process, but it really depends on what you’re writing and what your end goal is). i have beta read in the past, and i’m still open to it, depending on the project and writer :)

Call for Alpha Readers for “The Curse of the Mad Dragon”

Hey friends. I am not dead. And, in fact, I may have found my creativity again, lurking somewhere at the bottom of a handbag or a forgotten drawer…

And I am ready to get some constructive feedback on “The Curse of the Mad Dragon!”

The novel is “finished” at around 60,000 words; however, because it was a NaNo project, it feels chronically underwritten to me.

So my main goal for feedback from alpha readers would be to find out where it feels too thin and where there are plot holes or they have questions.

I’m also adding a new, NEVER BEFORE SEEN subplot, inspired by the sequel. ;)

Interested? Send me a PM and let me know. It would be helpful for me to know if you have any beta-reading experience and how long you estimate it would take you to read and provide feedback. (It should be ready to go in a week or so.)

About the book:

The Curse of the Mad Dragon

Genre: Mystery / Urban Fantasy

𝚂𝚢𝚗𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚜:

Julia Cartwright is a normal human girl, just trying to get ahead in the big city until the night she is shot in the head.

When she wakes up the next day, she discovers that what she thought were a gun and a bullet were actually a curse, giving her “the sight” so that she can now perceive the supernatural world. The problem is that nobody knows who cursed her, why, or most importantly how — as no known spell can give a human the sight.

Detective David MacInish takes up the case — and the job of introducing Julia to the supernatural world she’s suddenly a part of. They must navigate a cast of creatures and beings (including a mad dragon, a rich witch bitch, an erudite ogre, a vegan vampire, and a fae lawyer who cannot lie) to find out who cursed Julia and why, before she ends up murdered by anti-human bigots or dissected as a magical science experiment.

𝙸𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚜:

Mystery
Fantasy / Urban Fantasy
Faeries + modern interpretations of faerie lore
Witches (who drink a lot of wine with their covens)
Vampires (and VETH, Vampires for the Ethical Treatment of Humans)
Dragons (who invest their treasure in Bitcoin, with terrible results)
Demons (who really feel very misunderstood)
Werewolves (with positive pack dynamics!)
Ogres (who wear too much cheap cologne)
Trolls (who get paid in fish)
Positive LGBTQAI characters
Found Family
Noir-esque dialogue and themes
A salty immortal becoming friends with a naive human
Mutual pining? They were roommates (sort of)? RIDICULOUSLY SLOW BURN ROMANCE????? CHECK.

Alpha Readers Wanted

for a Science Fiction Biopunk/Cyberpunk Thriller

I’ve decided to enlist alpha readers for my new project, Spectrum!

Please note: I’ll be closing this search next weekend (05/10).

What is Spectrum?

Spectrum is my newest project. It’s a science fiction thriller set about a hundred years from now that walks the line between biopunk and cyberpunk.

Maud is a biohacker who alters her clients’ biological codes to hide them from the government. Some of her clients are criminals, others simply want to escape from their government-assigned lives.

When a man whose code has been altered more times than Maud can count stumbles into her shop one night, leaving her with a chilling (if cryptic message) she doesn’t think much of it …

… until she learns that her father has been murdered, and she’s inherited everything. Including ownership of society’s collective right to speak.

Here’s what the story is actually about:

that one thing i learned in telecommunications
adhd biohacker vs. the government
her gender fluid best friend, zee
~mysterious~ man who is falling apart a tiny bit bc he’s been rewritten so many times … may also have killed maud’s father
a discussion about the right to free speech
& maud’s moral dilemma when she finds herself with the sole power to decide whether people really do get speech. yikes.
lots of sign language, on that note
some corporate nonsense i’m sure

It’s fun, I promise. I’m going to try to keep a lighter tone, but it will be dealing with some fairly heavy topics, so keep that in mind.

Feel free to ask any questions before committing.

What is an alpha reader?

An alpha reader is a reader who sees the worst version of a book. As an alpha reader, your job would be to 1) read the provided chapters, 2) tell me what you like and don’t like re: plot, character, and world, and 3) be there for me to bounce ideas off of every now and then.

An alpha reader is a lot like a critique partner but with less strings attached.

ADDITIONALLY: BEING AN ALPHA READER IS NOT A SPOILER-FREE JOB. I’ll likely be spoiling the book in a big way.

Why do I want alpha readers?

Two reasons!

I’d really like to try this process out. I think it could help me finish a better draft faster, and I love the idea of having more long-term writing buddies.
I need someone that’s willing to say “cog this is bad” when I have a bad idea (or, less-frequently, tell me an idea is great when I have a good idea!)

Other Info …

I’m looking for 3-5 alpha readers right now. I’m planning to set us up on a Discord server so we can quickly and easily chat.

I’m planning to post at least one chapter per week, and would like responses within two weeks of it being posted. (But of course, life happens!) I’ll also drop in to ask questions every now and then and present new and shiny ideas I’ve had.

Still interested???

Read the first chapter & fill out the questionnaire on my website.

https://www.coleridley.com/alpha-reader-form.html

Or read the first chapter and don’t fill out the questionnaire, that works too :)

I’ve received a lot of great applications so far, but just in case anyone missed it!

#alpha reader #signal boost #writeblr

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(Make your own!!)

Say hello to the cast of Spectrum!

Top left is Maud, our darling biohacker protagonist. Has ADHD and really badly needs to get more sleep please. Top right is Zee, Maud’s gender fluid best friend. An ex-ER nurse, Zee gets shit done.

Bottom left is Transient, a minor character who’s pulling so many strings. Not yet very developed. Bottom right is Lazarus, the mysterious man who shows up on Maud’s doorstep and up-ends her life. May or may not have killed her father.

I’m currently looking for alpha readers (search is closing 05/10), so if you think you might be interested in a biopunk/cyberpunk thriller that doesn’t give a fuck about gender norms, check out this post.

#alpha reader #signal boost #writeblr

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perditism

atelierwriting

looking for two (2) alpha readers for: the drowned girl

the drowned girl is a haunting story about three drastically different people: the student council president, the star athlete, and the school pariah. they are an unlikely group with everything to lose, facing a web of secrets when one boy disappears and a sister never returns.

blurb: (wip page) (preview)

Viv’s problems start on a Monday. After disappearing for a summer, things have already begun to pile up for her, but she fully intends to fade into obscurity now that her older sister - star student Cecilia Yee - has graduated and gone off to live her life.

But people in the small town of Nottinghill, Michigan don’t just leave.

In her wake, Cece has left a tangle of secrets full of ambition, obsession, and hidden plans. There’s one for the boy down the street, resident soccer star with an inheritance and a missing older brother to boot; there’s one for the cashier at the town’s only gas station, the student council president and less than faithful son; there’s even one for Viv herself.

And the thing is, it’s all been set in motion. Amidst it all, Noah Cunningham and Callum South join Viv, drawn together by circumstance to form a group that should have next to nothing in common. But as they delve deeper into Cece’s past, things become much more complicated than a search for a missing brother.

warning: this is not a story for the lighthearted.

trigger warnings for suicide mentions and blood.

what i am looking for:

readers who are fans of ya, mystery, and stories about a deceptively normal town.

interested? fill out this form!

#alpha reader #signal boost #writeblr

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atelierwriting

looking for two (2) alpha readers for: the drowned girl

blurb: (wip page) (preview)

But people in the small town of Nottinghill, Michigan don’t just leave.

warning: this is not a story for the lighthearted.

trigger warnings for suicide mentions and blood.

what i am looking for:

readers who are fans of ya, mystery, and stories about a deceptively normal town.

interested? fill out this form!

#alpha reader #signal boost #writeblr