Ever Been A Beta Reader?

Last week, I was a beta reader for a friend who has written a book for writers who want to write stories from family history. For those who are unaware, a beta reader is a friend, or a small group of friends, who read a manuscript before it goes to press. 

Their job is to catch mechanical errors like a space needed between words, punctuation and spelling errors. They also watch for clarity. If it's fiction, they try to see if the plot is being followed, if there is information overload and more.

My friend felt her book was quite ready to go to press. She had a handful of beta readers who made her realize there was more work to be done. Almost all the things marked were mechanical errors, a typo here and there, spaces missing between words, a comma needed. Easy enough to fix. The author definitely wanted to have all those small bits and pieces corrected before her manuscript turned into a book. 

Unlike proofreaders and copy editors, a beta reader is not paid. They agree to do the job as a friend. Hopefully, someday the original author can return the favor. 

I had a note from the author this morning thanking me for my help. She said she was astounded at how many little things were found by the beta readers. She had, I'm sure, gone through the manuscript on her own numerous times. Why didn't she see those errors?

Other readers can go through a manuscript with completely objective eyes. This is one reason to join a critique group. Someone else will see many things in your work that you do not, whether mechanical or plot line or clarity and more. If you use beta readers, keep the size of the group relatively small. You'll get opinions from 4 or 5 that you can deal with. Try for 20, and you'll be overwhelmed. 

You're probably thinking that beta readers, or critiquers, are needed for books but not for short pieces. Think again. It's also important for shorter works like personal essays, short stories, even poetry.

Does that absolve you of proofreading your own work? Certainly not. Do your own proofreading and editing a few times before you ask for other eyes on your work. Take the help given in that very sense--that it is 'help' not criticism. 

If you're asked to be a beta reader, accept the request. It's good practice for your own proofreading, and you get to read a book before anyone else. You're also helping a friend. The only disadvantage might be that it takes away from your own writing time, but I think the benefit outweighs that.