Novel Writing Made Less Impossible - The Care and Feeding of Beta Readers

With your book now as edited, and error-free, as you can make it, it's time to share it with your beta readers.

In the computer field, beta testers pretty much work with a new program to find the bugs in it before official release. If you think of your readers as being the end-user, you definitely want to give them the best reading experience you can. And who better to point out your errors than people who are, for the most part, kindly disposed towards you?

The job of the beta reader is NOT to give you line-by-line editing.* Their job is to read your manuscript and judge it by readability, story pacing, the relatability of the characters, the crispness of the dialog and the descriptions, the whole entertainment package.

* However, if they offer, don't turn it down! My beta readers for The Haunting Scripts of Bachelors Grove included teachers, other novelists, and many people whose Hulk-like punctuation skills made my own appear absolutely Bruce Banner-ish by comparison.

How do you find them? Put out the word on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Craigslist, wherever). While it's kinda complicated, beta readers can change your book for the better. (I'll probably do a column or two just on beta readers, just on my recent experience)

How many beta readers you want to work with is up to you. I wound up using around 30 people for the Bachelors Grove book, but not everyone read all three of the novellas. Next time, I should cap the number at around 12-15 people.

Also, some people will sign up and you'll never hear from them again. Others will take a chapter or a story and won't do anything. So don't be afraid to recruit more than you think you'll need.

Definitely be prepared for them. Have your work ready for them to read when you launch the beta phase and praise them often. Be sure you listen to their criticisms and weigh each one thoughtfully. If one person offers a good idea, consider it strongly. But if two or three of your betas give the same criticism, give some definite thought to changing what annoys them.

Talk with them frequently. Be totally transparent with them as you keep them in the loop. Heck, give them some insider info because they're on the inside track of your next release.

Just remember, when you get your betas' feedback, it's YOUR name on the manuscript and YOU are the desk upon which the buck stops. So when given any criticism by them, don't ask, "What do they know?" Instead, ask, "What do they know that I don't?"

Then once you've incorporate their suggestions, self-edit the manuscript a couple more times. Make sure everything you liked in the first draft is still there.

Once you're done, since you're a first-timer, you're going to turn this editing gig over to the pros! It would behoove you to hire a professional editor, possibly two. You'll want a copy editor who will check your punctuation and spelling. Then you'll want a developmental editor who can judge how well the story reads, how it flows, how the characters are rendered, etc. To find these people, aside from an online search, ask your writer friends for recommendations. Or write to these people and explain the type of book you are writing to see if they're simpatico with the genre and approach. Also, see who fits into your budget. Some charge by the line, others charge by the page.

Then do one more self-edit, just to be sure. Heck, make it two.

Okay, now you've polished your story as much as you are able, no doubt. The next part is where we figure out the manuscript's destination ... and your fate. And by the way ... CONGRATULATIONS! You have a BOOK!!!

NEXT WEEK: Now Here's Where You Make A Decision ... (Traditional Publishing Vs. Self-Publishing)

TOMORROW (Yeah, we're doing it again): What Happened to Freelance Words?

SPECIAL NOTE: My newest book, The Haunting Scripts of Bachelors Grove, is currently on sale. It's part memoir, part grimoire. The first half deals with my entry into writing indie comics and joining Silver Phoenix Entertainment. I print four of my comic scripts for The Haunting Tales of Bachelors Grove, three of which have not been produced yet. Then I add four horror prose tales, three of which are NEW. All this behind a great cover by my Art Sherpa, Trevor Erick Hawkins, over 300 pages of terror and history for only $19.95.

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#Writing #Editing #BachelorsGrove