Christian Speculative Fiction discussion

Fellow writers, what's your experience with beta readers?

The content editor for my last novel mentioned that I should probably get my work beta-read before submitting it for editing. I've decided to try this for my next novel, but now I'm wondering just how much the rest of you use beta readers, and how you go about finding them.

One of my primary concerns with giving my manuscripts away to beta readers is the issue of plagarism. I was told to join some beta reading groups on social media to find lots of beta readers, but I'm really leery of giving my unpublished work away to total strangers. Even though under US copyright law (which I fall under, being in the US), I hold the copyright to my work the moment I produce it, copyright law does not prevent someone from re-using my ideas. I read an article that mentioned an author who gave her manuscript to another author for beta reading, and a few months later that author came out with a novel whose plot, characters, and themes closely mirrored the first author's still-unpublished manuscript, effectively beating her to the punch. (And I'm not concerned here about authors simply getting inspired by an idea and taking it in their own direction, which happens all the time; this was a case of someone basically re-telling someone else's story in its entirety.)

That article also mentioned the possibility of beta readers uploading a manuscript to an illegal file-sharing site. It warned that no publisher will want to take on an author whose work is already available for free. However, as this article was found on the website of a company that provides paid beta editing services, I suspect they may have been playing things up a bit to scare authors into hiring them, especially since they proceeded to mention that the only good beta reader is a professional (i.e. paid) beta reader. Hmmm. (Also, the version on the illegal site would be the crummy early-drafts version, which might be substantially different than the finished manuscript anyway.)

Actually, I'm not sure what the difference is between a professional beta reader and a professional editor; it's not like I have an unlimited budget, so I'd rather just pay for one editorial service rather than two. And when it comes to beta readers, I'm not expecting a detailed, line-by-line nitpick--I just want to see what's generally working and not working, so I can give the manuscript more polish before it goes to the editor. For example, in this novel I'm currently working on, there's a character I think is endearing and fun, but I'm worried she could come across as obnoxious to readers (although part of her character arc is struggling with other people thinking she's obnoxious). So I'd love to get reader feedback to see if my concerns are valid, so I can rework her as needed and not embarrass myself in front of my editor. :)

If you do use beta readers--where do you find ones you trust? I currently have one beta reader lined up for this novel, and it's my proofreader. She likes my work so much that she wanted to beta read as well, for free. My attempts to reach out to communities I'm part of on social media haven't proven fruitful. As I mentioned before, I don't feel comfortable with the idea of joining beta reading groups and giving my work away to complete strangers. So I'm trying to figure out where else I can turn.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on all of this!

It might be the enemy. Beta readers are a problem to me also. I'm not worried about plagiary. They'd be stealing from God, and that's a real problem for them. My concern is finding spirit-filled beta readers. I imagine that we all have concerns. I don't know what to do but pray and take what the Lord gives.

If you have someone in your life who cares enough to help you with beta reading, that's more than some people have. I would suggest, first and foremost, holding your work up to the Bible to see if it's pleasing to the Lord. Then, take your beta reader's advice to heart. Last, read and re-read your own work yourself, and make sure you're saying what you want to say. You might have to step away from your work for a bit and then read it again with fresh eyes, and try to put aside the author's mindset and question how your work is coming off to an outsider.

Honor God above all, really listen to your beta reader (even if what she says doesn't sound like what you were going for - she's giving you an honest impression), and take your time.

I wouldn't pay for beta reading, personally. I worked with an editor who didn't even care to really read my work, and ended up messing up my manuscript. I mean sentence structures, and a minor plot twist, destroyed. I had to edit my editor. Not to sound bitter, but if you work with someone who doesn't care, whether you pay them or not, they can't know your care and heart for your work, and they won't do you any good. Just be confident in your work, and thankful for the resources and help the Lord has provided.

J.K. wrote: "If you have someone in your life who cares enough to help you with beta reading, that's more than some people have. I would suggest, first and foremost, holding your work up to the Bible to see if ..."

Solid advice, thank you!

I hear you, I had a really frustrating experience in the past with an editor who seemed to have completely different ideas for my books than I did. She kept wanting me to pare down elements that held the most meaning for me, while urging me to expand on parts of the stories that I had purposely glossed over a little, because giving them a detailed treatment would drastically alter the tone of the books. When she started saying that she wanted me to write an entire prequel about a villain's dysfunctional backstory, I knew I needed a different editor for the next book.

In my opinion, a good editor has the ability to recognize what an author is trying to do with their book, and makes suggestions with the aim of helping the author tell their story more effectively, without starting to take over and try to steer the story in a different direction. Not all editors have perfected that skill, but I think a good editor is someone who at least leans more on the side of assisting you in your literary vision instead of theirs. I know an editor is helpful when I get feedback like "this character arc wasn't quite resolved satisfactorily" and "I noticed a plot hole here", rather than stuff like "I don't like this character's personality" or "doing this instead would make it more dramatic". For a recent novel, I hired an editor who made some edits that I just didn't agree with because they weren't what I had in mind for the story (such as suggesting a running gag for a character that didn't quite jive with the rest of the book's humor), but overall she gave me some really solid feedback that helped me fine-tune the manuscript, so I'm planning on hiring her again for this next book.

As for where beta reading comes in, I consider beta reading to be the "test screening" of a book--where you give it to actual recreational readers who enjoy the genre (and/or enjoy your work specifically) and just see what they think overall. For me, casual reader feedback is a different beast than a professional analysis, and I also feel like if any business is trying to charge an author for beta reading, what they're really selling is editing services.

Fun fact: movie test screen audiences aren't paid for watching the movie. They're often paid for submitting their feedback, but they only receive about the cost of a movie ticket. Being part of a test audience is for people who love watching movies, like getting to preview a film in its early stages, and enjoy giving their opinion, all without expecting much compensation. I think it should be the same thing for beta reading--beta readers should be people who love reading and love giving their opinion, and getting a free book and the opportunity to help the author improve it should be enough of a reward for any bookworm.

T.K. wrote: "J.K. wrote: "If you have someone in your life who cares enough to help you with beta reading, that's more than some people have. I would suggest, first and foremost, holding your work up to the Bib..."

I hear you. And I totally agree on the differences between editing and beta reading. My example of the editor was a little abrupt, but I meant to use it to show how any professional you pay to help you could potentially fail to meet expectations, simply because they don't really care about (or respect) their client's work. Of course, everyone seems to want to make a profit, but you're totally right about beta reading - it should be left to enthusiasts, friends, family, anyone who actually wants to support the project. I stick by my opinion that I wouldn't pay anyone to do that - that tells me right there they probably aren't going to give good, solid opinions. Sorry if that sounds cynical.

J.K. wrote: "T.K. wrote: "J.K. wrote: "If you have someone in your life who cares enough to help you with beta reading, that's more than some people have. I would suggest, first and foremost, holding your work ..."

I totally understand; it can be really upsetting when someone who's supposed to be helping you with your work ends up invalidating it. I always appreciate when I find an editor who is at least trying to catch the spirit of my work. Tone, style, and themes can vary so widely even within a genre, I think it behooves any professional editor to throw personal taste to the wind and focus on the technical side of things.