Beta Readers: Who, When, Why, and So What?

beta readers
Photo credit: Nanagyei on Visualhunt / CC BY

Today’s guest post is by writer Barbara Linn Probst.


If you’re reading this essay, you’ve probably heard the term beta reader. Although some people do offer beta reading for a fee, the term usually refers to unpaid non-professionals who give feedback on writing prior to publication. Unlike critique partners, there’s no requirement to exchange manuscripts; unlike editors, there’s no expectation that beta readers will have advice about how to fix whatever weaknesses they find. They’re civilians, proxies for our future readers. Typically, they’re people we know, if not personally, then through a friend or writing community. We trust them enough to test our books on them and (presumably) listen to what they have to say.

Use of beta readers is widespread, but surprisingly little has been written about how writers actually use them and how they help—or if they do. Most articles focus on how to find beta readers or what questions to ask. See, for example, How to Find and Work with Beta Readers by Kristen Kieffer. But that’s not quite the same thing.

As a former qualitative researcher, trained to look at what folks on the “using” or “receiving” end have to say, I got curious about this gap. I put the word out on five different Facebook groups for writers, asking whether, who, when, why, and how people used beta readers. Within a few days, I got 92 responses. After parsing the responses into topics and themes, I ended up with nearly 200 distinct “bits” of information.

Here’s what I learned about how my fellow authors use beta readers. Not what other blogs tell them to do, but what they actually do.

Most people use a variety of beta readers—writers and non-writers.

Whenever 92 people respond to a question, there’s bound to be a spectrum of experience and opinion. However, responses to this particular question fell into three clear camps.

Readers only, please! Some people only used readers, never fellow writers, because they felt that readers were more authentic, representative, and jargon-free. They liked readers with “a sharp mind and attention to detail,” preferably from their target audience, who were familiar with and liked their genre, and whose judgment they could trust. Some preferred non-friends who had no expectations, vested interest, or reason to soften their response for the sake of the friendship. “I’ve had plenty of betas who ‘yes’ me to death and while nice for the ego, it’s not what you need.”

At times, specialty readers were also sought, either because they were experts in an area relevant to the book’s setting or plot (e.g., legal or mental health issues, a particular time or place) or because they could serve as “sensitivity readers” for content or characters outside the author’s experience.

Writers only, please! Other people were equally adamant that they preferred to use fellow writers, whom they considered better equipped to spot and articulate specific plot, pacing, and character issues. “Civilian readers don’t catch snafus like we do.”

On the other hand, they were well aware of the pitfalls of using fellow writers—in particular, the challenge for a writer of being able to switch gears and simply “read as a reader.” “We writers have a tendency to want to change it to how we would write it ourselves.” Interestingly, this is very much what I found, back when I was an academic and doing research on therapists who returned to “the client chair.” Most had a very difficult time surrendering to the patient role, even for an hour.

Both, please! More often, however, people preferred a variety of beta readers, both writers and non-writers. That could include family members, trusted critique partners, representatives of the target audience, strangers, and “intelligent friends.”

“You need a good variety to get a full understanding of the good and bad in your writing.” One person used one-third supporters/cheerleaders, one-third tough critics, and one-third “wild cards” whose opinion she couldn’t predict. “I like to ask two sets of people: a few that are my target audience and a few who can help edit and deal with higher level critiques.” 

What matters isn’t just who, but when.

Rather than thinking of beta readers as a single group, or of beta reading as a single event, many people use different groups of readers at different points in their writing, and for different reasons. They liked to have one kind of reader to review an early draft, but wanted a different kind of reader for a revision and a third kind for a polished manuscript.

These three “points in time”—early draft, revision stage, and final version—weren’t rigidly defined, of course. Nevertheless, people were consistent in stating that different types of beta readers were useful at different stages.

Fellow writers were seen as most helpful for early drafts, ongoing critique, and feedback when one was stuck, at a crossroad, or “when I have done everything I can with a draft but don’t know how to go further and need assistance with recognizing craft issues.” Drawing on a common lexicon, fellow writers could explain, more specifically, what was lacking or wrong—as long as they didn’t cross the line into “this is how I would have done it.”

Non-writers, on the other hand, were more helpful later, when the book was done, “as a test audience, almost as quality assurance,” but not for material that still required considerable work. Respondents emphasized that it was up to the writer to make the manuscript as polished as possible before showing it to non-writers, who “don’t want to read something that’s not been edited or is hard to follow.”

Using beta readers is worthwhile, if not essential.

Those who responded to the survey felt that beta readers were a necessary part of the writing process. “They are a huge part of my process since the longer I work on a manuscript, the more susceptible I am to blind spots.”

In some cases, people used beta readers because they couldn’t afford a paid professional. Betas were seen as an alternative way to get an independent, impartial view of their work. For other people, beta readers complemented the feedback they received from paid editors, preceding or following their input; that is, they used—and valued—both. “Betas tell you how the average reader will respond to your book, and the editor will make your book marketable.”

Getting the most benefit from a beta reader was a key issue. To avoid both generic praise and generic criticism, some people felt it was important to give readers a list of specific questions about structure, clarity, continuity, and character development. “The questions are the key to focusing the comments—otherwise you run the danger of vague praise or people thinking they’re line editors.”

On the other hand, some preferred to leave things open-ended, letting readers report what they actually felt, without being limited or primed—the way people will focus only on the color of a flower, ignoring its shape and scent, if you tell them that’s what you’re interested in.

Using beta readers has its pitfalls and limitations.

Problems can stem from an over-abundance of feedback—a trap that writers can fall into when feedback is free. “It’s way too easy to ask ten people for comments, and then implement all their comments and lose what I intended for the story.” Confusion and loss of focus will make the manuscript worse, rather than better. “If you get too many chefs in the kitchen, it can change the recipe, which is almost never the best solution.”

Because feedback from beta readers doesn’t reflect knowledge of writing craft, it may lack the specificity necessary for it to be “actionable.” As one person put it, “reverse engineering” is needed to translate a beta reader’s reaction into what exactly went wrong and what to do about it, requiring so many extra steps that it left him wishing he’d hired a professional—or never asked. In his view, willingness to provide useful feedback and the ability to do so aren’t the same thing.

As with all forms of feedback, quality will vary. “My experience is that you can find beta readers that are spectacular and some that are useless. And it is the same for professional editors. It depends on who you can find, not on whether you pay them or not, or whether they’re writers or not.”

Ultimately, of course, writers must decide what to do with the feedback they receive. People tended to feel free to accept or reject what beta readers told them. If a number of people pointed out the same weakness—especially if they included both writers and non-writers—or if the comments resonated strongly, the feedback was more likely to be taken seriously. What I don’t know—because I didn’t ask—was whether people felt the same way about feedback they had to pay for.

I guess that’s another study.

What can we learn from this study?

  • Know—and communicate—what you want from a beta reader. That may be different at different points in the writing process.
  • Seek diversity of background and viewpoint, depending on your aim. Sometimes you’ll want a heterogeneous group of readers, and sometimes you’ll want someone specific. Think about what you need before you ask.
  • Regardless of whether you also use a paid professional, beta readers can serve a vital role as a test audience. Just remember the difference between asking for someone’s experience and asking for her expertise.

What is your experience with beta readers? Share in the comments.

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Jean M. Grant

Great article and summary of beta reading. I found myself nodding while I read.

BarbaraLinnProbst

So glad, Jean! It’s great to know that others who did not participate in the survey have very similar views! I also think it’s helpful to hear what other writers actually do, which isn’t always what the “advice blogs” tell us to do 🙂

Linda Strader

I prefer using both. As Barbara mentions, writers catch more in the way of plot, but I’ve had some that wanted me to write it their way, or were brutally critical. As long as you can recognized that and take or leave advice, writers are helpful. Readers are good at just reading and letting you know if they connected to characters and if they enjoyed the story overall. I prefer readers that enjoy my genre, and writers who write in my genre. I also prefer to limit the number of beta readers. For sure if you have 10 betas you will get 10 completely different views, which can be overwhelming.

BarbaraLinnProbst

Great point about the question of how many beta readers to use. The people I spoke with told me that they used between two and twelve. So true that more isn’t always more! If several beta readers agree, that’s something to pay attention to. But if they don’t, that raises another set of questions!

Liz Boeger

Thanks for sharing this research–very helpful. I have used Beta readers mainly at the early draft stage and from both the reader and writer categories. I think the most difficult issue for me was to find readers who had the time to commit to the process. If you can find a contest that reads the entire manuscript and gives feedback that can be helpful too. But I suppose those Betas fall into the writer category. I don’t rush to make changes unless I have some type of consensus. As a MS swap partner, I like to set up expectations and look-fors with my partner before we start the work. I have had both positive and negative swaps. The best was with a book in the same genre, the least productive was with another writer, in a different genre, who just did not get (read: like) my genre. That became obvious after we started. I had to graciously end that swap. I think the best advice I ever received about Betas was not to rush to use one until my story was complete and I’d had a chance to work it over a bit.

BarbaraLinnProbst

Thanks for all these comments, Liz! Many of the people I talked to distinguished between “manuscript swap partners” and true beta readers, mostly because partners were more likely to be swapping chapters and scenes along the way rather than waiting till the entire manuscript was complete. And yes, people may agree to read the entire book but then not have the time. You raise another interesting question: what if my beta reader loses interest and doesn’t want to finish? Is she obliged to, before she can give a true response? Or not? The topic keeps getting more interesting 🙂

Yvonne Hertzberger

I use beta readers after the draft if as final as I can make it after listening to my critique group. Most are “readers only” and I do ask some questions based on what my critique group have said – that I agree with or not. I do try to get at least one who does not normally read my genre, to see if it can pass muster with those other than avid fans of my genre. Once I have the feedback I do one more revision based on commonalities. Then it goes to my editor. Often I find that the readers restore my confidence in the story and their feedback helps me make it even better.

BarbaraLinnProbst

An interesting point, Yvonne, about including one beta reader who’s outside your genre! Many of the people I spoke with also emphasized the need for a range of readers. And I love your point about people who read for the story itself, not as editors, can restore your confidence that the forest is lovely and intact, even if some of the trees still need pruning!

Carolyn Studer

Such a helpful article. After learning the hard way, I appreciate the work that went into this piece.

BarbaraLinnProbst

Thank you, Carolyn! I really hoped I might make a contribution and write a useful piece that folks could always find, rather than one that appears and disappears quickly. As for “learning the hard way,” don’t we all! That’s what fuels our writing 🙂

Cynthia

This may be a stupid question, but what format do most people use with their beta readers? Hard copy? Dropbox? Send it on a disk? Thanks in advance

BarbaraLinnProbst

Hi, Cynthia. This wasn’t a question I asked, so I’m afraid I dom’t know! Personally, I just email a PDF. That way, people can also read on Kindle. If anyone else has a response, please weigh in!

Walt Scrivens

Both of the authors I read for send me a Word document. I add comments and e-mail it back to them.
The newsletter I edit uses Google Docs – all of us have access to the document, but our remarks are separate and attributed to the editor. That has the advantage of letting everyone see all the comments, probably more appropriate to our technical newsletter than a work of fiction IMHO.

Jane Friedman

Hi Cynthia: I find practices vary dramatically, but if you’re interested in a service that helps streamline the process, I highly recommend http://BetaBooks.co

Barbara Dena

As a Beta reader, I have received mostly PDF files, Dropbox and hardcopy. Today, I worked with one of my favorite authors and we did our table read of his hard copy. We do not read the whole text of course but go over notes I have “red-penned” and discuss my thoughts. I do find PDF the most common format. Also, some Betas use Track Changes in their methods of reading if asked to help make corrections. Hope this helps. This is a great article and a wonderful response to it. Barbara has done an excellent job. Kudos

Linda C Boberg

Thanks for doing this study. I’ve been a beta reader and I hated it. I prefer writing. I imagine any readers of my future books (they’re coming! Soon!) would do the same thing a beta would: say that they wished I’d written something different, dislike scenes, whatever! I was part of a Facebook discussion group for a new book by a traditionally published author and it was like there were 43 beta readers! So many varying opinions on the writing, the content – I wanted to scream, “It’s her book! she can write whatever she wants!” (And I think I did post that.) So, I think I fall into the category of wondering if a beta reader is worth it. I do, however, believe in a good editor and I think I have one. His deep edit of my first book really spawned lots of questions and ideas for the book as well as pointing out problems in my writing, and I was glad for it. Yes, he is not cheap. But I prefer spending money and time on someone who knows the craft of writing over sending it to someone for free who has all sorts of biases about my writing. just sayin’.

BarbaraLinnProbst

Hi Linda. Yes, there are definitely people who feel as you do! I did talk to a few people who shared your viewpoint, as I indicated in the article. For sure, not all beta readers are equally helpful—depending, in part, on one’s expectations and whether the beta reader is a good match for those expectations. It does seem unlikely that one can get a “deep edit” with spotlight and advice for improving one’s writing (as you describe your editor) for free. And yikes—43 voices, all at once! It would be hard to weed through that to figure out what was useful and what wasn’t. You also raise good questions about the impact of preconceived ideas and biases. Paid editors no doubt have those too!

T. L. Criswell

Although I have a critique partner, Beta readers are still an absolute must for me. I use people who will give me honest feedback. After all they are my readers. I have them to write down all their questions, and I open the story back up and answer the question within the story. Bets readers make you stronger.

Great article.

BarbaraLinnProbst

Nicely put! Beta readers serve a different purpose than critique partners. They seen the book through a reader’s eyes and notice holes, dropped threads, missteps, shifts that don’t feel natural, etc.

Nancy Peske

I’m curious about beta readers for nonfiction that will be self-published as an eBook with print-on-demand. I’ve used beta readers for sections of my book, including the update, but don’t feel they’re strictly necessary for nonfiction if you’re working with a developmental editor and you’ve tried out some ideas on your followers and received feedback.

BarbaraLinnProbst

Interesting question, Nancy. A beta reader for nonfiction would, I imagine, have to have a specific interest in the topic and possibly some background. For example, my first book was a nonfiction book for parents of challenging children. This was back before I’d even heard of beta readers, so I can’t speak from experience. But it seems to me that asking a few people in your target audience to have a look at the book as a whole can’t hurt! They’ll be looking for different things than a reader of a novel would, of course. Clarity, order, credibility, and so on. Why not?

Leanne Dyck

As a person with dyslexia, I find beta readers very help (especially in finding errors in spelling and grammar)–never instead of, but as well as an editor.

BarbaraLinnProbst

Thank you for this point, Leanne! If someone had the time, it would be wonderful to ask a beta reader to read the manuscript aloud while you were in the room. Then you both could hear how the language flows. For sure, making an audio recording of oneself or someone else reading the book is another way to get useful feedback.