Mutant Brainchild

The Beta Readers comments are due this month for our forthcoming book The Witchwound Sisters, a kind of epic fairytale on steroids. This made us think about the processes of using beta readers which we can highly recommend for those small press publishers as well as authors who want to put their work through a few paces before it is submitted to an editor.

We have used the beta reader system for all of our books and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The beta reader is a ‘critical friend’, someone who is supportive of the idea of the book but capable of seeing flaws in a draft and articulate enough to call them out. They read over the work before it goes to an editor, thus giving the author that chance to correct as many issues as possible before a professional editing judgment or pass.

So far we have tended to mostly typecast – we choose beta readers who are already fans of the genres we want them to judge. This isn’t entirely that case, though. We had one reader for Man from ZOMBIE who was a keen thriller fan but not a horror reader. His insight was especially intriguing. Some readers return for each book, others are recruited each book. We don’t pay for this, but we do offer a free copy of the book or story and an acknowledgment inside.

Our preference is to allow the reader to choose what level of engagement and feedback they want and are comfortable offering. After all, we are not paying for this, so it seems a bit rich to be demanding a detailed copy edit from people who are volunteering their time.

Readers come from all walks of life. Academics and authors figure in the mix, as you can imagine, but sometimes people with an expertise in an area are also included. For Man from ZOMBIE we have beta readers with military experience: they care less about the grammar (although some care about that, too) but sure care if the hardware is wrong. Keen readers is pretty much all they have in common.

Assessing the feedback is also an important part of the process. We look for obvious problems such consistency of character and continuity of story and setting, as well as grammar and typos if they are caught. We look for the things that readers really responded to (and make sure we include some of that next time, if it is a series), as well as things they didn’t like, especially things that make have brought them out of the book. We also look for themes. One reader might have a strong reaction about one aspect of the book but if none of the others share it, we will give it less weight (though obviously consider it on its own merits, too). For instance in one novel one reader had a mild dislike of a particular subplot while all the other readers actually singled that subplot out as making a big impact on them liking the story and the character. Naturally we went with the majority, but also took into account the fact that the reader who didn’t like the subplot didn’t strongly dislike it, while those who liked it really liked it. Is this process infallible? No, but it helps a lot, and gives confidence as well as helps address that final draft with a fresh perspective – someone else’s!

Below is a draft of the letter we sent to Man from ZOMBIE short story beta readers. It might help to give those who wish to try the beta reader experience.

SAMPLE DRAFT TO BETA READERS

Hi Beta Reader,

Thanks for agreeing to be a beta reader for The Man from ZOMBIE fiction. You will find the files attached for two stories in your preferred format.
A couple of things about the process, then:

• Timing – As this is a short story I was hoping for 2 weeks turnaround, so feedback around the first week of November would be great. If you have any issues making this date just let me know, and I’ll start working on whatever feedback has come in while I wait for any latecomers. If you are a fiend for work and produce a response earlier, I won’t whine.
• Feedback – I am not fussy about the kind of feedback you want to offer. Anything will be helpful. If you are totally stuck you can choose from one or more of the following:
• Big Picture – Did you like the story? Did you not like it? Would you read more? If you can offer specific reasons for why, that would be great (I can get ‘This didn’t work for me’ from agents anytime). 😉  Also, don’t neglect the good stuff. People sometimes think feedback means criticism, but I am also keen on what is working here. As this is part of a series, and it will really help write the next installments if I know what fires you up about these.
• Series – If you haven’t read any Man from ZOMBIE novels does the story make sense standing alone? Does the story encourage your interest in reading the novels?  If you have read them, does the story seem consistent with the novels?
• Specific aspects – You can focus on characters, plot, style or some other aspect. As above, talk about what you liked and didn’t like.
• Expertise – Some of you have specific professional expertise that can be brought to bear on the book. By all means save me from egregious howlers.
• Typos and other grammar issues –  Please note I don’t expect you to proof read the stories, but if something really noticeable jumps out, by all means note it.  Oh, and it is US spelling, so don’t worry about noting that.
• I have also added ‘cover blurb’ and ‘about the author’ texts that will accompany the eBook versions when they finally go out. Happy to hear you thoughts on those, too.

Format – you can give feedback in the form of notes in the text or just a word doc listing off things. I really don’t mind. If you do something very clever and technical remember, this is me, so tell me how I can actually get the notes back out. 😉

Why this is helpful – When I get your feedback I will revise the stories accordingly then send them to my editor who will edit the manuscripts using his professional editing chops.  A beta read pass makes his job much easier and saves me in editing fees, as well as helps enormously to bolster my confidence in having the best possible version of the material before it goes out into the wild.

I really really appreciate your giving up time to read and comment on this work. I will respond to your feedback more specifically when I get it, and of course you will get a free eBook copy when they it is ready for prime time, as well as an acknowledgment in the books.

If you have any issues with the attached files, please let me know at once and I will send a replacement.

Regards

Geoff at Mutant Brainchild