ADVICE

 

The Role of Beta Readers in Enhancing Your Self-Publishing Journey

by Eleanor Hecks |  Bowker | Dec 17, 2024

Traditionally published authors have a full house brand behind them, with editors and proofreaders on staff.  Those who’ve chosen the route of self-publishing are responsible for everything from cover design to formatting and editing. 

 

The expenses of hiring proofers, editors and designers add up.  Since most self-published authors are still building their careers and learning to balance paying for everything, they must find ways to reduce expenses.  In an author survey, researchers found 17% of responding authors make between $251 and $1,000 per month on their writing.  Another 17% make between $2,501 and $20,000 each month. 

 

Utilizing the help of beta readers is one way to get skilled eyes on your text and get feedback without having to pay for it other than by providing a free copy to the person. 

 

How Beta Readers Improve Your Writing

 

Beta readers improve independently published books in a number of ways. 

 

● Beta readers can spot plot holes you need to flesh out.

● Having betas encourages you to be more aware of grammatical errors and learn from your mistakes.

● For ongoing series, they’ll let you know if you changed something, such as a character’s eye color or name.

 

It’s crucial your beta readers feel comfortable enough to be brutally honest with you about your story’s weaknesses. They must also understand good writing and read widely in the genre you write in.

 

Further, it can be most helpful to involve beta readers early in your writing process — for example, immediately after creating your story’s outline — as well as after the draft is finished. Since most books take a time investment of at least around two months to write and more than a year to publish, the last thing you want as a writer is to spend that time investment just to learn later that a significant plot point needs to be adjusted. Beta readers involved early enough in the process can help ensure you don’t need to make these major changes later.

 

Betas Serve as Proofreaders

 

Many self-published writers use their beta readers as first-level proofreaders to help catch typos and errors. You’ll have to decide if you’re providing them with a digital or written copy or half and half. 

 

Your beta readers can flag anything from small line edits to large-scale concerns.

 

● Betas can catch typos and grammatical errors. Are you missing a comma? Perhaps you added an extra space. Ask them to flag these issues. 

● Your readers can also catch formatting errors, such as chapter headings being off, page numbers missing or different fonts used throughout. 

● They may notice big picture issues, such as historical or location-based inaccuracies. 

 

Request that your betas give you an overview of their thoughts on the story as well as marking issues they see within the text itself for your review. 

 

Ramp Up Marketing With Your Beta Readers

 

Your beta readers can help you with marketing in several ways.

 

● Serve as a gauge for how well your story will be received by your target audience.

● Share other books they’ve read that you can compare yours to.

● Become raving fans that double as your street team to spread the word about your books.

 

Ideally, your beta readers are also your target audience. You can learn a lot about preferences and how to best market your books by surveying them and asking for their advice. Reward them for their loyalty with branded merchandise and gifts. Ask them to tell everyone they know about your books to help spread the word. 

 

Get their input on your other marketing efforts, such as social media presence and your website. There are approximately 151,200 authors in the United States. Learning ways to stand out from the crowd is crucial if you want to climb the bestseller lists. 

 

Where to Find Betas

 

Finding beta readers takes time and careful cultivation.  The best place to start may be your mailing list.  People subscribed because they enjoy the books you write and are already fans.  You may find a few betas in the mix who would be thrilled to help you out.

 

Participate in online writing communities on sites such as Facebook, Goodreads and Scribophile.  Ask family and friends who you know like your genre of writing if they’d be willing to give you feedback in exchange for free, unedited books.

 

With time, you’ll develop a beneficial beta reader list that gives you feedback to grow your career as an author.

 

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Eleanor Hecks is the Editor-in-Chief of Designerly Magazine, where she shares insights with readers on how to write, market and design their work effectively. Feel free to connect on LinkedIn to keep up with her work. 

SOURCE: https://www.selfpublishedauthor.com/node/757