Writing Blog Number 2

20240522 Readers

Readers (Of Your Work)

So, when I asked for suggestions for this blog, these two questions came up:
         The difference between alpha and beta readers and when to use which
         How to get and instruct alpha and beta readers to get the results you are looking for

Now, these are readers people use before publication. It might be before posting it on WdC (Wattpad or ao3 or whatever), before self-publication or before sending it off to an agent or traditional publisher. They are trusted readers who offer feedback, but they are also very different.

Okay, first and foremost – I rarely use alpha readers. Very rarely. In fact, out of the 50-odd novels and novellas I have floating around the world looking for homes, one had an alpha reader.

On the other hand, I would suggest that a beta reader is essential before any form of publication. While I tend to use them only for longer works and poems, I probably should use them for short stories as well.

Anyway, that is all well and good. But… what are they?


Alpha Readers
An alpha reader looks at the work in all its first-draft glory. The work is filled with typos and formatting issues and is as it has come, either from the plan, from the mind or a mixture (plotter, pantser, plantser – "20240120 Plotting and Pantsing" ).
         An alpha reader does one thing and one thing only – does the story make sense? They find plot holes, they find places where the character’s name has changed, they find areas where the bad guy clipped into a situation they couldn’t have, when the people get from Adelaide to Melbourne by foot in three hours, things like that. They have a knowledge of the genre, a knowledge of the world and a knowledge of tropes.
         An alpha reader does not do any editing. They don’t tell you you spelt hammer with three m’s on page 351. That is not their job. They are there solely to tell you if it works as a story. They should also tell you which bits work really, really well.
         There are two issues with an alpha reader. The first is that, as I said, they need to know the world you are using. That means an alpha reader should also read any ancillary information, especially in the case of created worlds. That takes dedication. The second is that if you use multiple rewritings and drafts and tend to add information, an alpha could create confusion when it comes to future drafts.
         Basically, though, an alpha reader will tell if the story works before you hit editing.
         Alpha readers do not need detailed instructions, just ask them, “Does this work?”


Beta Reader
A beta reader comes in right at the end point. You’ve written your drafts, you’ve had the work edited, and you think it might be close to ready to be set loose on the world, so you get a beta reader to go over it all and see what you missed.
         A beta reader looks for things an editor might have missed. I have discovered my editor has a problem with lay/lie because of beta readers! So, spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, etc. But they are not there to be line editors. Their main job is to read the book or story and see if it works as a whole. And it is always good to ask beta readers questions.
                   Is character X too two-dimensional?
                   Are character Y’s actions in chapters 12-14 in character?
                   Is the pacing right in chapters 8 through 15?
                   Does the ending drag on too long?
                   Does the world make sense?
                   Does the start of chapter 2 come across as an info dump?
These are the sorts of things a beta reader can help with.
         Beta readers also tell you factual errors or things that do not make sense from a world point of view. I need to be aware of this because Australia is different to the USA, and I tend to sell in the USA.
         And they are supposed to tell you when things work, and when things hit them emotionally and stuff like that. They do look at the positives as well as providing maybe not so flattering feedback.
         On a personal note, I prefer to use female beta readers. This gives me an idea if i have female characters portrayed realistically. If I have gay characters, then I use gay beta readers. And I have used Indigenous beta readers for a few stories were Australian Indigenous people were main characters. But nearly all my IRL beta readers are female. I am male and straight; there are things I am not going to know or understand or get right.
         I cannot see any downsides to using a beta reader.
         However, if you don’t use a beta reader, then I feel you are not allowing your writing to be all it can be and you are letting yourself down.


Critique Partner
Now, the thing about beta readers, is that they often do it for free or you pay them something (I tend to pay mine with chocolate IRL). Alpha readers I assume are the same as beta readers. But then there is the critique partner.
         A critique partner is someone you swap a manuscript with and you give one another feedback, and this feedback is expected to be more on the writerly side of things. As well as doing exactly what a beta reader does, they will also question word choice, passage details and even where passages could be. It is done from a fellow writer’s point of view, not a reader’s.
         I haven’t used one for a long work, but used to use one for short stories, back in the late 1990s, early 2000s. Then he got huffy because I criticised his work “too much”, he started just criticising mine for the sake of it and, well… I’ve had over 100 pieces traditionally published, he self-published a short story collection and lost over $1000 (this was pre-e-books).
         I am not alone there, by the way. Critique partners can be a great way to end a relationship or friendship. I would recommend not using the same critique partner over and over. Maybe once a year for short stories, and once a decade for longer works.


End-Reader
There is one more, and that is the end-reader. This is the person who leaves that one-star review on Amazon. But that reader is out of your sphere of influence. You have put your work into the world and they read it of their own volition, not because they want to help you.
         An end-reader has paid good money to buy your work. They are entitled to their opinion and owe you nothing. They don’t even owe you a review or feedback. And if they hate it, then that’s bad luck for you.
         And, this is going to be easy for me to say, but don’t read reviews unless your publisher wants you to read certain ones, or the reviewer is a professional (even then…). You cannot make changes and negative reviews can really shatter the ego.
         Having said all that, the End-Reader is the most important one. That is your ultimate audience. And hopefully you have crafted a work of art that will give them some enjoyment for at least a while.


And that is readers. There are a few. I would thoroughly recommend beta readers, and the end-reader is the ultimate goal. But it is your choice, your call, as to which ones you use. Hey, you might not even want an end-reader, and just write for yourself.
         I hope this helped.