Apparently my beta reader “didn’t see this coming.” Woo-hoo. This makes me happy.
The process in which I develop the final versions of my books has been different each time I’ve written one. The time it takes to draft a book varies by the content. My tone and style might differ based on the story I want to tell. But one thing has stayed consistent, and that’s my utter reliance on beta readers to set me straight.
As the author, I’m considered the alpha reader, which sounds super weird, but I guess it’s accurate. Beta readers take your current version of the novel and, well, they read it. They note errors in grammar, logic and consistency, but also misplaced and undeserved payoffs, plot points and flow. They get to test out the book, but also get a say in the final product.
Some authors, including myself, have a first reader. This individual is the first person, other than the author, to read the book. They’re like the alpha/beta reader, because that’s not confusing at all.
I print and spiral-bind copies of the novel for my beta readers, so they can highlight and scribble handwritten notes on the pages for me to decipher, hopefully.
My current novel, which I expect to release in spring 2021, has just passed the beta reader stage. My wife Kellie served as my first reader. I honestly believe her primary reason for agreeing to this role was to torment me when we’re reading next to each other. She’ll give a questionable sigh, then dramatically circle sections of my words in a red pen, causing me to wonder what the heck she saw that made her question the draft, and then stress about what I must fix on my next rewrite. And she knows I’m listening, so it’s all the more tormenting.
My friend Jessie and my mom Barb served as beta readers, too. Jessie is one of the most talented writers I know, who honed her craft in corporate and media relations. She’s like a writing chameleon, able to adapt to so many styles and voices. She’s also fearless and has no issue whatsoever telling me that a section or idea doesn’t work. This last round she wrote, “I’m not buying it, Dan!” several times. She was right, too. So, I fixed it.
Jessie’s comments on my novel draft were invaluable.
You’d think that giving my mom a copy of my novel meant I’d get heaped with praise and accolades for my masterpiece. OK, there was a little of that, because she’s my mom and she loves me, but she also picked apart flaws and continuity issues that no one else saw. She helped brainstorm several potential fixes for said flaws, too.
My beta readers notice things I miss. My next novel will have been three years in the making once it debuts in spring 2021. This means that when I read and re-read a sentence, it’s re-run that I’ve seen many times. I fill in missing gaps in my brain. The words themselves might be missing. I know the emotion I intended for a paragraph, so I appreciate when I’m told that I neglected to include the words that actually say what I meant. True value.
I made some significant revisions to my final draft based on beta feedback. The book will be better thanks to the input I received, and I very much appreciate it. Writing is a solo art, but editing and finalizing certainly aren’t. So, thank you beta readers! You rock!