My Writing Process: Beta Readers

Let's start with a definition: A beta reader reads a manuscript before it's published and furnishes the author with a report, suggesting changes to the text. I have always used them and always will. I consider them an integral part of my development process.

Right from the beginning, dating all the way back to 2013 with my first attempt at NaNoWriMo, I recognised I didn't know what I was doing and sought the help of others. Over the years, I've used the platform Fiverr to find people. From the acknowledgements of my first novel:

Beta readers: they are too numerous to mention, but I sincerely thank each and every one of them. They pointed out things I didn’t see or couldn’t see. I wear glasses, however it turns out I’m myopic literally and literarily.

I can't say if I suffer from tunnel vision any more than the next guy - I can't see the forest for the trees. - but I remain delighted, surprised, and sometimes shocked by the ideas people bring to the table. Holy cow! I never thought of that!

For my last book, done through NaNoWriMo, I started with an outline of what I wanted to achieve and proudly crossed the finish line within the month of November, my required fifty thousand ending at fifty-one thousand. But then I started beta reads. The first few said, "I see you did A, B, C. But did you think about D, E, and F?" I made changes. The next group brought up G, H, and I. And so, I keep going, gradually going through the entire alphabet to Z. I couldn't get over how person after person brought up interesting ideas I incorporated into the text. In the end, my text was seventy-six thousand words, a substantial increase from my NaNoWriMo goal. Obviously, my original plan was incomplete for a complete novel. Hats off to all those people.

The Good and the Bad
Not all beta readers are the same. I maintain a list of who and when with an indicator of the quality of their work. Some I mark "use again", while some I mark as "NO", emphasis with all caps. Years ago, comically enough, one beta reader gave me a report which consisted of, "I liked your book." That was it, four words, nothing more.

However, some are terrific, delivering a detailed report and some providing inline comments. Those people have put in hours of work, and I always give them a substantial tip. They deserve it.

In between those two extremes, there is quite a variety of quality and style. However, I study their reaction to judge if I've imparted my message. I get something out of each beta read which guides me in making further edits to my text. Is any text ever perfect?

They hate it.
The first time this happened, I was unsure of what I was reading. Was my manuscript that bad? After some reflection, I concluded the reader was not critiquing my work. They did not just dislike it; they hated it. Yes, hated it. A couple advised me to throw out my manuscript and start over with another story. They hated the very idea of my story. Obviously, they didn't see anything as salvageable.

I still laugh about one hater who took exception to the first line of my novel. The first line? It wasn't as if I had written some purple prose like, "It was a dark and stormy night." I thought my line was, well, a first line. Not bad, maybe not terrific, just utilitarian in introducing the opening scene. It was not something anybody could declare right off the bat as unworthy. Obviously, the reader came to the table with some preconceived notion about my book.

I will now break into a Taylor Swift song: "And haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate."

Feedback
Somewhere, I read about movies first being presented to test audiences who are required to fill out a questionnaire. Then, based on those responses, the film is edited in the hopes of getting a more acceptable form.

I'm sure there are authors out there who have a fully formed story in their head and can sit down and type the whole thing out. I'm not that good. Heck, I'm not anywhere near that good. I may have an initial idea, even an outline, but putting ideas on paper may change what I intended to say and even reveal new ideas. But then, a beta reader has a different understanding of what I'm saying, which shows me I have failed to communicate my ideas.

It's been an amusing undertaking trying to be a writer. English may be my native language, but I discovered my ability to present a clear, logical, well-articulated story was lacking. I may be better than when I first start over ten years ago, but I still see mistakes that seem to be ingrained in me. Old habits die hard.

My editing process
As of this writing, I've published three novels and four small collections of short stories. - I write short stories and submit them to webzines for publication. After I've done a number of them, I gather them together and publish them myself as a short story collection. - In each of those books, I've followed the same procedure:

1. Write the book.
2. Edit.
3. Beta reads.
4. Two copy edits.
5. Poofread.

To expand on the above:

When I edit my own work, since I use Microsoft Word, I use the built-in spelling and grammar checker. That's a good place to start. From there, I make use of an online computerised system called ProWritingAid. I've tried Grammarly. It's good, but it's limited to five thousand words. ProWritingAid can handle a manuscript of a hundred thousand words or more. It warns you that it's going to take time to digest such the manuscript but at least it can handle it.

I'm not saying a computerised program is the be-all and end-all, but I find the system does a good job of bringing to my attention a variety of mechanical problems and stylistic issues. It helps me tighten my prose. I can babble, overusing certain words and phrases. Why say in ten words which you can say in a hundred? Ha!

Why two copy edits: In the beginning somebody told me they had heard Harlequin did two copy edits for their romances. I noted one editor did not necessarily find all the potential issues. One editor might find A, B, C, but the next editor might find A, B, and D. As humans, we're not perfect.

Why a proofread: I received a proof copy of my first book. Ooooo, it felt magical to hold it in my hand. I opened in up to a random page and started reading. In the very first paragraph, I found a spelling mistake. Ahhhh! I then combed through the entire novel and found another seven spelling errors. That convinced me, and I hired a proofreader. They found fifteen errors. Ahhh, again!

Despite the Microsoft Word spell and grammar checker, ProWritingAid, and two copy edits, mistakes get overlooked. My research has indicated that even with a proofread, on average, there may still be a number of spelling mistakes in any manuscript. Obviously, perfection is more of an unattainable ideal.

Inline Comments
Not everybody offers this service. Obviously, it's involved and takes time. However, I like these notes pointing to specific issues in my text. A report can give me the reader's general impression of my manuscript, and that's a good thing. But sometimes, they have a particular concern, and I find it much easier to focus on that concern when they introduce a comment in the document pointing to the place in question. I always note if a beta reader does inline comments so for my next project, I can preferentially choose them.

Cost
As I said, I use the service Fiverr. A beta read of a short story can cost $15 - $20 CAD. (I'm Canadian.) I aim for under $100 for a novel. There are other people offering services at higher prices, but it's been my experience the quality of the work does not necessarily go up proportionally with the price. Your mileage may vary.

Is all this necessary? Years ago, I had an email exchange with another indie writer. He thought I spent too much money on outside editing. I later noted in comments on Amazon for his books, people giving fewer stars complaining about sloppy editing, including spelling mistakes and grammar errors. So, is it worth it? I can't help feeling the reader deserves at least to have the mechanics of writing in the best shape possible.

Subjective
When I first started studying the topic of editing and working with editors, I learned about the objective part of writing: spell check, grammar check, maintaining a POV (Point Of View), limited the use of adverbs (rule: one adverb for every 300 words), dispensing with filler words like very and just, etc. The list can go on and on, but my point here is that objectively, a misspelled word is something that needs to be corrected.

Now, we get into the subjective: every person has an opinion; they have their own personal taste. It's not so much being wrong; it's more what that person likes.

Years ago, I submitted a SciFi short story to two webzines. Both publications rejected the work, but how they rejected it was curious. The first editor wrote back, "Too much action, not enough characterization." The second editor wrote "Too much characterization, not enough action." I think this was a defining moment in my understanding that I can't please every reader. Some will like a story, some will not. It's not necessarily a reflection on the quality of the story, rather a question of their own taste. I've had stories rejected by one editor only to have it enthusiastically accepted by the next. It's a question of personal preference.

Beta readers have revealed in passing a bit about their work. Some have complimented me on my spelling and grammar. Some have complimented the quality of my writing, saying they have had to read some real sh*t. Now, I'm not patting myself on the back, but I'm recognizing that me doing Microsoft Word's spell and grammar checker, using ProWritingAid to clean up my text, etc., may very well be more preliminary work than some beta readers are used to. As I keep saying: If I'm going to put my name on it, I don't want to embarrass myself. While I have to write the story, I also have an obligation to edit it. A beta reader or even an editor for that matter can only do so much. The final decision about editing rests with me.

Let me add that while I appreciate their work, I do not envy their work. I have on occasion read indie publications, and they were appalling. In the References section below, I link to my article about marketing, discovering that some legitimate publishers categorically refuse to look at self-published authors because they are, for the most, terrible. Despite my editing efforts, even paying for professional help, I've come to accept I have an uphill battle as an indie author because the word indie is, in some circles, synonymous with bad.

Final Word
The prolific Belgian author George Simenon wrote over 400 books. I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing his manuscripts were so well formed, they required little editing before publication. On the other hand, I've heard stories of authors, famous ones I mean, agonising over a manuscript for years.

Somewhere, I saw a quote from an author of some renown (the name escapes me) who said that he hoped nobody ever saw his first drafts. Ha! I can identify with that!

Beta readers are a fundamental part of my development process. Another set of eyes gives me much needed feedback about hitting my target. I reminded of this amusing quotation:

"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."
Attributed to Robert McCloskey, U.S. State Department spokesman,
by Marvin Kalb, CBS reporter, in TV Guide, 31 March 1984,
citing an unspecified press briefing during the Vietnam war.

References

my blog: I wrote a book. So what? - Oct 24/2021
I clicked on the Publish button on September 22, 2016. "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup." I'm sitting here, five years later, realising, "So, what?"

my blog: Marketing My Writing: So far, a bust! - Sep 26/2023
I'll start with the classic joke: Look at what I've done, and now do the exact opposite, the supposition being that what I'm doing is wrong. I published my first book on September 22, 2016, and so far, any efforts on my part to market my work has been a bust. Research had turned up an article claiming that indie authors earn on average about $500 a year, and I'd say that just about describes my situation.

2025-01-19

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