I feel like the role and expectations of a Beta Reader have become less and less distinct over time. As I've learn and grow as a professional Beta Reader, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on the role and expectations of Beta Readers. By the end of this post, my goal is to provide clarity and give you questions you can ask, as well as why you should ask them to get the feedback you need.

Role

Beta readers, in my opinion, are the heart finders of your story. Their sole purpose is to let you know if your story resonates with them. When they feel your writing is unfolding in harmony, you know that your goal as a writer and your reader's goal as a reader are in alignment.

When a Beta Reader feels a discordant note, it stands to reason that the opposite is true. The reality of measuring a story by feelings is that the feedback you receive will always be subjective. How your reader's day went, or whether they are a part of your target audience, among other things, can impact the feedback they give. These are also two key reasons why it's necessary to have more than one Beta Reader.

More subjective feedback -> leads to objective patterns

Reader's not in the target audience -> leads to other sample data to glean from

Expectations

Lately, more and more writers are expecting Beta Readers to cover technical aspects of the story assessment process. These are tasks better suited for an Alpha Reader or a professional Editor. That said, if a Beta Reader does give you more than their pure reaction as a reader, they are doing more than the role requires.

If you are expecting Beta Readers to write feedback on technical aspects of story craft, you are expecting more than the role requires. Please note that this is not a distinction of right or wrong, but of purpose. It is normal to find Editors who do beta reads, or someone who offers all three services. Knowing the purpose of beta reading clarifies why having the same person do a beta read before an alpha read or developmental editing makes more sense than the other way around. It also helps explain why most writing advice suggests doing beta reading after your manuscript is more polished, even though beta reading can technically happen at any time during the writing process. Beta Reading gives you a window into your target audience's thoughts, feelings, and reactions before your work is officially published.

Feedback

Once you receive feedback, you may still be wondering how to make the most use of it, and what you can ignore. No worries, I got you covered. Check out my free PDF Beta Reader Guide.

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