A feisty female presenter stands at the podium and throws out the question, “What is a beta reader? You need them, so tell me what they are.”
I quickly look down at my notepad, averting my eyes from hers which search out answers like a lighthouse beacon scanning the ocean’s horizon. I think to myself, Am I supposed to know this answer? I am just a newbie writer. And a little more seasoned proofreader but I have never heard of a beta reader. What’s wrong with me!?
Then she proceeds to ease the silence of the flummoxed audience by adding, “Well, everyone has an alpha reader–a spouse, a mom or dad, you know, someone who HAS to love your work!”
And then someone in the group of learners surmises the definition of a beta reader: It is an honest, unbiased reader to give you some critique.
That presenter was Tex Thompson (find her at thetexfiles.com) and I truly enjoyed her entertaining way of sharing “How to Edit Like a Boss” with the local library group of readers and writers. She has a couple of recommended places to find beta readers: scribophile.com and http://absolutewrite.com/forums/activity.php. Please note: I am not personally endorsing any website.
She suggested we all need an odd number of beta readers for a variety of opinions and possibly a majority rules trump card. Additionally, with each opinion they share with us, we do a little trick-or-treat patronage on them: smile and say thank you; then take it home and throw out the Tootsies, trade the suckers, and keep the Reese’s cups! Right on!
Once the writer has edited thoroughly, it goes to the last editorial step before submissions: the proofreader, aka The Comb-er. Not for your hair; for your “baby”–the fine toothed combing through your copy for commas and other punctuation, misspellings, et cetera.
That’s me.
A’ndrea “The Comb-er” McAdams.
Comb Er Mac.
Rearrange those a little and that name sounds like a great novelist actually! (Get it? Macomber? One of THE GREATEST!)
Wait. Back to the topic of edit tips.
As a writer, you need other people. You need alphas to encourage when you want to quit.
You need betas to give us pointers for the entertainment value, as well as maybe a fellow-author beta that can help you consider more character development.
And you will need a finishing proofreader to give your work the final polish to make your work shine.
I would be honored to be that chosen comb-er.
glorybwriting.com 