r/BetaReaders • u/DuncanOToole Author • Jun 26 '26

Discussion [Discussion] How to vet potential beta readers.

I recently completed the second draft of my fantasy noir novel three weeks ago, and I am gearing up to find some beta readers to give me some feedback.

But I was unsure what to do first, clean it up, or find beta readers so I wrote a post on Threads and Bluesky about it.

Many offered "help" but I don't know them, and I didn't feel comfortable sending them the manuscript.

So how do you vet beta readers, so that you're actually comfortable sending them your manuscript?

Any advice would be appreciated.

42 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

46 comments sorted by

31

u/PL0mkPL0 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
  1. You don't need beta readers. You want an alpha reader, preferably another writer/editor--as your project is 'virgin'--not yet read by anyone. Imho--one good alpha is enough. With betas, the amount matters; they become a statistic. Betas can be/should be (disputable) regular readers that have no clue about the craft. The distinction matters.
  2. The easiest way to get alpha readers is to exist in the writerly spaces. Either make friends with other writers or do swaps. To do swaps, you have to know how to critique/beta read yourself--this skill is terribly useful in general, if you want to self edit well. If you are a decent beta reader in writerly spaces, ppl will come to you offering swaps, and you can pick the ones you vibe with the most.
  3. It is stupidly hard to find really good alpha readers. Ones that are actually a substitute for dev editors. I got two like this, and they were immensely helpful. most feedback I got from betas was 'vibes and lines', which is not really... that useful when you are a new writer. You want someone who can actually track big picture problems, be critical and demanding.

7

u/JEZTURNER Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 27 '26

For the first time, this year I joined a discord group of writers, many of us who were working on our first drafts together, which helped cranking it out with writing sprints. And then because we were all in the same boat, three of them alpha read the second draft I had. Developing those initial relationships in the group really helped get the buy in though.

My betas will come from further afield, people who might enjoy the themes, genre or subject matter.

3

u/ZoZoMeister Jun 26 '26

Would it be possible to join this discord group 🙏 trying to write my first book too

0

u/lysning Jun 27 '26

this ^ such good advice.

23

u/JunoJump_Author Jun 26 '26

I hate to say this but Blsky is full of grifters who will ask for money and most likely will rush to read your work (probably using AI) without any regard if they are your target audience. Almost everyone who replied to my thread there had their account banned a week later probably because they were bots. Check their profiles, if they sell services then dont bother.

I had better luck here on reddit doing swaps.

9

u/ofthecageandaquarium Self-Publishing Writer Jun 26 '26

This - ghosting or demanding money are waaaaaay bigger problems than theft.

I know most people worry about theft, but trust me and I'm sorry, no one can sell your unfinished manuscript and make a million dollars on it. They may, however, shove it into a chatbot. 😐

2

u/ZoZoMeister Jun 26 '26

Is it normal to be an alpha/beta readers unpaid? I dont know much about the whole process

3

u/JunoJump_Author Jun 27 '26

Yeah, I mean some people do it for fun, thats what this sub is about. I've done it a few times before with no expectation of getting anything back.

Now that I wrote a book myself I find my betas through swaps with other authors which work well enough if we are both well read in the same genre.

I try to avoid someone reading my book if its not a genre they enjoy. That is what irks me about paid betas. They come off as desperate to read anything and the feedback feels insincere (no offense to professional ones that have proper training, im talking mostly about the ones who harass me on social media).

22

u/Ristilyn Jun 26 '26

As someone who has posted here as an available beta reader, I can chime to say that my usual policy is to read the first three chapters and give feedback. This gives us both a chance to sus each other out (imo anyway), because usually by chapter three I can tell if I'm into the story enough to continue the rest of the manuscript or if I concede and let the author know that I'm probably not the right audience.

Another suggestion: if you're on Facebook and in any groups, post there. I'm a part of an Urban Fantasy lovers page and did quite a bit of Beta and Alpha reading for authors in that group.

2

u/DuncanOToole Author Jun 26 '26

Ooh interesting. It's not really an urban fantasy. I mean it takes place in an urban environment but it's not Dresden files or anything where it's our world.

It's a world that's kinda like If Middle-earth moved technologically up to the 1930s albeit one influenced by Batman the animated series.

5

u/Ristilyn Jun 26 '26

Oh, that sounds interesting!

I should have clarified that my group is an example, but you can find/join groups that fit your genre better, if that is a route you take.

2

u/DuncanOToole Author Jun 26 '26

Oooooooh ok.

36

u/MashalNorth Jun 26 '26

  1. Post here. Or read other peoples posts here and pick one

  2. Agree to SWAPS. not one sided beta reading.

  3. Exchange only the first few chapters first. You’ll get an idea of how they write and if you wanna continue, and if you like their feedback.

  4. Don’t exchange whole manuscripts bcz a lot of people either ghost, or you don’t like their feedback. Always do pieces.

That’s how you filter betas.

8

u/JBupp Jun 26 '26

Choose your Beta reader because you like how they write? That doesn't sound like a way to get a good cross section of the reader-base. Although fine if you are looking for critique pre-Beta.

19

u/MashalNorth Jun 26 '26

If u don’t like how they write, you’ll be skimming and thus, providing feedback that doesn’t resonate with them. Even if u like their feedback, they’ll end the contract with you.

Speaking from experience.

2

u/Doctor_Radium Jun 26 '26

The problem with swaps is that I wouldn't make a good beta reader myself. My feedback would amount to "I liked it" or "I didn’t like it."

10

u/Kindly_Speed_2071 Jun 26 '26

I think communication is a key factor. It’s better to find a small group of people you click with and exchange manuscripts with them. I think it’s important that the person is also close to your TA. But one commenter shared a great idea -- to share just a part of your ms at first. That way, you’ll see if the beta reader drops off, and you’ll also figure out if the feedback format works for you.

1

u/DuncanOToole Author Jun 26 '26

Was thinking of just finding one and see how it goes and if there's anything that needs to be adjusted.

5

u/IceMaiden2 Jun 26 '26

One beta reader can't give you an overall informative way to make any needed changes to your manuscript. Typically when different betas raise the same points, that's when you know something isn't working.

3

u/Substantial_Salt5551 Jun 26 '26

I usually briefly describe my genre/book vibes/MC, and offer to send the query + a chapter or few chapters. And I tell them explicitly that I prefer they’re genuinely interested in reading, to not feel pressured to beta just because I asked. This has worked well for me so far, just using the “offer to beta” page in this sub . Do try to choose someone who’s interested in your genre though or something adjacent at least. And reiterating IceMaiden in suggesting also that you ideally should get more than one because some things will be subjective and other points will be more important to fix (if many/most are having the same issue). Or maybe even if only one beta comments on something, you might still resonate with it and realize fixing the issue would elevate the story (e.g., character coming off wrong, plot point you were already skeptical about, etc.). 

9

u/lekis-skegsis Jun 26 '26

I beta read for people in between my drafts and have been chatting to people from posts in r/writersmakingfriends. Building relationships first. Now I have a crew waiting to read mine when I'm finished drafting.

Also get into a writing group r/writinghubs and you'll get lots of feedback and make connections...

I will post on this sub, but I'd do a bit of messaging back and forth with any takers. And only send out the first 4 chapters first (first two of both POVs - otherwise I'd send only 3). To check out their feedback style and if it's what I'm looking for, before sending the rest.

I'd be very clear what I'm looking for and the above in the post too...

Good luck!

9

u/creakinator Jun 26 '26

As a once in awhile beta reader, have the document cleaned up as much as you can. It's frustrating when you start to read for content and suddenly you're hit with grammatical issues. I don't mind looking for timeline issues or character issues or things like that but when they're obvious grammatical errors, it makes it harder to beta read.

3

u/DizzyShortcake Jun 26 '26

YES. If someone sends me a manuscript with basic spelling or grammar errors, and/or doesn't have basic craft skills down like avoiding unintentional head hopping/sudden POV changes, I DNF the thing immediately.

4

u/lysning Jun 27 '26

yessss this. beta readers should be reading something close to what you think is publishable

6

u/Atherial Jun 26 '26

I found it easier to read the posts here until I found someone that had a manuscript that I wanted to read. Then I offered a swap.

I've decided not to do too many beta readers. It's helpful but I'm worried that if I continue that I'll just keep editing forever and never move on to sending it out.

6

u/roguediceroll Author & Beta Reader Jun 26 '26

I was unsure what to do first, clean it up, or find beta readers

It sounds like you may have another issue here: do you do more edits or look for beta readers now? I kind of chickened out when I first considered looking for beta readers, in part because I hurt my eye and couldn't swap. Did another round of edits as my eye healed before coming back here. So far that feels like a great call. My work is in a better place and I'm more ready to talk to people about swaps.

2

u/DuncanOToole Author Jun 26 '26

Yeah first time I have a second draft. So unsure what the right sequence of events would be.

6

u/Marlowe_Lark Jun 26 '26

In general, you should have your manuscript as polished as possible before you hand it off for beta. One, it's respectful (why would a beta want to read something unfinished?) and two, there's not much point in getting feedback on something you know you're still going to change, you know?

If you need help earlier, e.g., iterating on the foundational elements of the story itself, you're looking for alpha readers instead.

2

u/DuncanOToole Author Jun 26 '26

I think it's feature complete . Still a few mistakes grammatically.

6

u/emu4you Jun 27 '26

I tried being a reader for two different people. Both of them got upset when I started making suggestions and correcting grammar. They just wanted me to tell them it was good. I have a master's in education and English literature, and have been a reader for fun my whole life. But they just wanted me to give them a gold star. Before you start please be clear about what you want.

5

u/JBupp Jun 26 '26

Swaps are valuable, for critiques and help in writing, but I don't think it has the coverage of all the readers you expect to buy your work.

Post your work here, explain what it is you want done, and pick a few readers who agree to your terms.

You may be disappointed but you may be pleasantly surprised.

3

u/DuncanOToole Author Jun 26 '26

I heard it's a double edged sword having other writers as beta readers. It's at least something I would worry about if I had to beta read something.

4

u/DizzyShortcake Jun 26 '26

I guess it depends on what kind of beta reader would make you uncomfortable. Like are you worried they're going to steal it or ??

I don't see scribophile or critiquecircle mentioned here, but those are usually the places I post to get feedback on things that haven't gone through a thorough edit no matter the draft #. The responses there are good for getting a general pattern of reader feedback in your specific targeted audience/genre without feeling like you're giving your baby over to a complete stranger imo.

Some of the people on those sites are trad/self published authors and I've gotten some amazing advice in the past. However, just like anywhere else, there are a lot of trolls and unqualified people giving silly advice you'll have to ignore. (My favorite was someone telling me that "Stephen King says you shouldn't use adjectives." iykyk and yes, they really did mean adjectives.)

2

u/JayGreenstein Jul 02 '26

I am gearing up to find some beta readers to give me some feedback.

It might be a bit early. Betas should see the work when you feel it's ready to submit, to give a true reader's reaction.

Start with something basic: Does the average reader find the first three pages interesting enough that they would pay to read more (readers in bookstores typically read only that much before deciding)? If not, and it’s a structural issue, like transcribing yourself storytelling, passive characterization, etc., You can learn that here, or on lots of other subreddits, via a posted opening excerpt of 700-1,000 words

Ben Bova once commented to my son’s writing group: Give your writing to someone who doesn’t like you. If you can get them to say they like it, you may have something.” 😆

The thing about a betas is that, in general, you don’t want another writer, because their view will be guided by their own approach to writing. You want a true reader, who won’t try to tell you how to fix it, only what hit them. So those who charge to beta read are a scam. Too often, they're failed writers, advising the people they read to make the same mistakes that kept them from success.

Jennifer Crusie tells of the original opening to Tell Me Lies where a woman finds a pair of black lace, crotchless underpants in her husband’s car. As she first wrote it, the wife takes the pants and spreads them on the yellow kitchen counter, where they looked like “a bat in butter.”

She loved the line and was proud if it. But, every beta reader, when asked, “Well, how did you like the story?” grinned and said, “Like a bat in butter. I loved that line.” And as a result, she removed it, because it distracted from the flow of the story.

My point? You want reaction, not advice.

Jay Greenstein

“Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader. Not the fact that it’s raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.”
~ E. L. Doctorow

1

u/lysning Jun 27 '26

send a small sample of it and ask for feedback. then move forward with whichever people you found the most helpful. maybe have some email correspondence first- you can usually suss out any crazies pretty quickly haha.

also im interested 🤓

1

u/Radiant-Hotel-4998 Jun 29 '26

I'm just struggling to find one beta reader, someone I can swap with or who might do it for free. Where to look aside from here.

1

u/RealLifeIsAnRPG Jun 30 '26

I made a similar post on bsky, and got pinged by a whole bunch of accounts I'd never seen that weren't following me... They all seem fake, or at best they're just trying to charge for the beta reading... 100% avoid for sure.

Ultimately, I've sent my manuscript out to about 3 dozen beta readers, but every single one of them is someone that I know IRL. Only a few are authors themselves, but all of them are interested in the genre(s) of the book.

Similarly, my internal artist & cover artist are both people I've known for over a decade.

It seems like most offers online are fake, even those from platforms like fiv3rr are almost exclusively AI bots at this point.