Hello dear readers!
After a week's hiatus we are back over on my YouTube channel! This time we're talking beta readers.
When do you get beta readers for your work? After you have a finished draft but BEFORE you seek out professional editing services. (Oh and, by the way, congratulations! You have already succeeded where many fail—you have completed a manuscript! Many set out to do this. Few actually do!)
See if you can get someone to read your completed manuscript, and give you their thoughts—what bugs them about the book? What do they really like? What simply isn't working? What is confusing? Where have you made them laugh or cry or shake in fear? How do they feel about your characters? What do they think is missing or what do they think you have too much of?
It can be anxiety inducing to seek feedback on your work at this point, but it is so important. Make sure you choose beta readers who will be honest with you—friends, family, or colleagues you trust.
It is important to note that this is not at all the same thing as having your book carefully and thoroughly edited by a professional who specializes in this. This is just to see if your story has legs, if there are any major issues that appear to a casual reader, and how you handle getting feedback on your work.
Your beta readers can alert to issues that you didn't see, and you can fix them before you pay an editor to do an even finer tuning on your work.
If you're wondering where to find beta readers, how about your writing groups? Your social media? If you're truly stumped, leave me a message here via email, or on my YouTube page, or Tweet me!
As always, happy reading, keep writing, and stay tuned!
E.