The Good, the Bad, and the Beta Reader
How new writers are getting scammed and unintentionally contributing to the changing power dynamics of publishing.
If you’re a novelist or have an ear on the writing community these days, then chances are you’re familiar with the term ‘beta reader’. If you’re not familiar, a beta reader is a first reader of a new manuscript who usually provides some feedback to the writer for changes/improvements. Like a beta tester for a product, a beta reader is essentially trying out a new book before an attempt at publication is made.
Most writers, especially those without an agent/editor, use some form of beta readers. However, the concept and term ‘beta reader’ seems to have risen in prominence during the pandemic and has almost taken on a new role entirely. To be honest, as someone presenting and publishing work as both a playwright and a fiction writer for the better part of the last 25 years, I hadn’t heard this specific term for an early reader/workshop participant/critique partner until the last few years. What’s perhaps more concerning is just this week I’ve seen beta readers for hire and beta readers penning articles on their demands from an author! So are beta readers really the equivalent of critique partners, or have they become something new and potentially harmful for writers?
First, don’t pay for beta readers. Ever. If someone is looking for money and making demands about how much of a manuscript they’re willing to see or which feedback they’ll offer without ever talking to you, then they’re not a critique partner. They’re just tying to take your cash. It’s easy to spot these side hustlers as most of them are not writers, themselves. Second, if you’re willing to shell out some dough for feedback, consider taking a writing workshop, a course taught by a reputable instructor, or, if you really feel like you need it, hire a developmental editor. A word of caution with the developmental editor, though, since these folks seem to be popping up everywhere in the last few years, as well. Freelance editors are pricy and many unqualified people will claim to be one as a result. Make sure anyone you consider hiring has a long track record of professional editing, and regularly edits in the same genre as your manuscript.
Also ensure that most of your beta readers are writers. I’m seeing a lot of offers from BookTok and Bookstagram accounts offering beta reading services to give a reader perspective. This is okay but only to a point. I have a few trusted non-writers who I let read my early drafts, but they’re not the only people I seek feedback from. The things is, a non-writer can tell you if they like or don’t like something in a manuscript, but they often can’t tell you why or how to fix it. The same situation happened on season 10 of American Idol when Ellen DeGeneres was hired as a judge. She was supposed to represent the audience perspective — and it didn’t work. Ellen knew when she did or didn’t like a performance, but could rarely express exactly why or offer any meaningful advice that a musician could take in for improvement.
Here’s a clearer example: Imagine you’re writing an action packed thriller but your non-writer beta readers all stopped reading somewhere in the middle between chapters 12 and 15. One said they found it boring and not gripping enough. Another said they couldn’t get past the halfway point and kept feeling like they wanted something big to happen. Maybe another stopped reading because they felt the protagonist wasn’t very exciting and hadn’t shown themselves to be the hero. Okay, so from this advice it would be easy to extrapolate that there needs to be a big event — an explosion, car chase, etc. — by chapter 13, and that the protagonist needs to show their heroism at that point by saving the day. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Except it wouldn’t improve this manuscript. Why? Because another writer would be able to tell this author that the protagonist isn’t fleshed out enough or relatable and therefore the reader is unable to connect or care about what happens to them. The pacing slows considerably in the middle section of the book, and chapters 13 through 15 could be cut entirely since all needed plot points are already given in 12. Additionally, the manuscript is written in passive voice, and overly uses unnecessary words like ‘just’ and ‘had’, as well as way too many adverbs — all of which bogs down the reader. This manuscript doesn’t need more explosions, it needs a good tightening up — and another writer will be able to tell you that.
The next thing to consider is how new writers find beta readers. So this part could get a little controversial since we’re now in a chronically online age, but I found my writing community the old school way — offline and in person. This was the way it was for ages. Similarly, the infamous, much discussed essay ‘MFA vs NYC’ highlighted the main two publishing streams of writers. Most successful writers either went for an MFA, or they moved to NYC (or any other large city) and learned, networked, came up through the community there. Personally, I don’t believe writers need an MFA or to move to New York, necessarily. However, I do believe that writing, like any other craft, has ropes to learn, requires practice, and benefits from connecting with others in the field. I’ve never lived in NYC, and while I do now have a master’s degree, I didn’t get it until my thirties. Even so, I found the biggest boost to my writing came from workshopping and being immersed in a diverse writing community — both things that are attainable outside of a university environment. Prior to this, I cut my teeth through public readings, joining community literary events and seminars, and submitting short fiction to literary journals. Yes, the lit mag scene can be tedious and disheartening, but it’s a much safer place for a new writer to try one’s hand at publishing than going all out with an entire novel that may not be ready. Plus, the stakes are much lower than shooting your novel’s one shot with top agents and publishers. A first-time painter wouldn’t submit their very first portrait to the MET, would they?
This method may take more time, but it gives a writer plenty of connections to find critique parters, and creates a track record in the literary scene to show potential agents/publishers. This is important because, although online resources have made it easier than ever to form writing groups and workshops through places like Discord, Zoom, or shared Google docs, many ‘online-only’ writers are skipping these opportunities entirely. I’m not sure if it’s the instant gratification of the internet that’s driving this skip the line mentality, or if it’s perhaps due to the pandemic creating many newbie writers who formed their own insular community without mentorship of those who came before. I do know that querying has radically changed since 2019. Agents are swamped, reply times are very very long, and query letters/forms often require much more information than ever before. I also know some agents are going so far as to ask writers to check a box ensuring their manuscript has been beta read. This tells me two things: One, that agents are receiving a lot of manuscripts that are not ready and shouldn’t have been sent out yet. And two, that newbie writers are driving the query trenches and the language around them. To be blunt, an experienced agent should not have to ask if a manuscript on submission has been beta read!
With unpolished manuscripts flooding agents’ and publishers’ inboxes, the power dynamic in the industry seems to be changing, and not for the better. When the majority of manuscripts start coming in with rookie mistakes, it’s easy to start looking at all writers as rookies. This is especially true when discovering a winning manuscript went from finding a needle in a haystack to finding a needle in a silo. Writers move from being on par with agents and editors, to being seen as beneath them, and this is reflected in the now common practice of ghosting writers. Just a few years ago, before the pandemic, all queries would be answered in a matter of weeks. Now writers wait months, don’t hear at all, or are told to submit their work through an automated system and if they don’t hear anything in x number of months, consider it a pass. It’s a very disheartening, cold system, and I feel for any writer — new or experienced — going through that process now.
So where do writers go from here? First and foremost, understand your worth! The industry doesn’t operate without writers and their manuscripts. So, please, stop looking at agents and editors as some sort of holy gate-keepers. They are your potential business partners, and everyone has an equal part to play in the publishing process. Likewise, if you don’t think you can work with others as equal parters, or if you really just want to publish a book to check an item off your bucket list and move on, then traditional publishing is not for you. Get real about your goals and really understand that. At this point in the process, writing can no longer be a hobby.
Next, once a writer understands their worth, they need to live up to that. Put another way, writing can be looked at as a trade that requires skill. A good manuscript is written with a lot of skill and isn’t simply the first draft of the first thing a person has ever written. You wouldn’t want to try and hire a plumber knowing some of the listings are for those with their red seal, and some don’t even know what a sink auger is. So why do we treat writing differently?
Of course even the best writers are still learning, improving, and growing as their craft evolves, but there does need to be a basic skill level achieved prior to playing in the big leagues. For example, learn basic manuscript formatting, appropriate word counts and genre standards, proper query letter etiquette, and how to write a synopsis. Info on all this is available for free online. Additionally, beefing up your skills as a writer means you can better edit your own work. Granted, all writers have blind spots and should use some form of beta readers/critique parters/editors. However, knowing how to cut down a manuscript by looking for unnecessary words or sloppy writing on your own saves tons of time and at least the first round of beta readers. Otherwise, if your first beta read mostly consists of line edits, you’ll need more rounds that are focused on story, structure, and character.
And please, please, please take great care in selecting your beta readers. I say this as someone who has had work stolen from a workshop setting. Protect your writing, know it’s value, and ensure you trust those who have access to it. Likewise, use discernment when receiving criticism. If your betas are your friends, are they going too soft on you manuscript? Or is someone going too hard? Do your betas understand your genre? I remember workshopping writing with a women who hated any story with an unfamiliar setting. Since we were from different countries, she unfairly criticized my work any time she couldn’t place it in her head. Similarly, I know of two writers who had a personal beef unrelated to writing and therefore tore each other’s work to shreds as critique partners. I once workshopped short stories with someone who hated happy endings, and a novel with another who couldn’t get into anything involving fantasy. A reader’s personal bias is not something a writer should ever try to satisfy, which brings be to my last point: Trust yourself.
Above all else, trust yourself, not the hype — or the hurt. It’s perhaps another skill to learn, but knowing which pieces of criticism to take and which pieces to leave behind is invaluable. If a lot of different people are pointing out the same issue, it’s something to consider. Also, if a reader’s advice sticks out to you or really resonates, that’s a good sign. However, you can’t please everyone. It’s your manuscript and it has your name on it. Above all else, you need to feel proud of what you’ve created.
Remember: You are in control. You know your worth. Trust yourself.
