Tuesday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

A QUICK GUIDE TO BETA READER ETIQUETTE

By: K.M. Weiland

Writers love their beta readers. But let’s be honest. Beta readers also kinda drive us crazy. Some of them are perfection: as polite, professional, and talented as any in-house editor. But others… well, let’s just say their lack of tact and their questionable knowledge of the craft can sometimes leave us howling in frustration. Why isn’t there a manual for beta reader etiquette–for how beta readers should conduct themselves and how writers, in turn, should respond?

A few weeks ago on Facebook, a reader asked if I’d written a post on beta reader etiquette. I hadn’t, so today I’m remedying that oversight. Because trading critiques is the time-honored mode of reimbursement between writers, most of us will end up wearing both the beta-reader hat and the being-beta-read hat more times than we can count. In the interest of keeping peace and patience amongst ourselves and, even more importantly, maximizing our helpfulness to one another, let’s consider ten bits of beta reader etiquette and eight bits of writerly etiquette in response.

The 10 Rules of Beta Reader Etiquette

1. Be Honest

You can’t be useful to fellow writers unless you’re willing to be honest with them: about the good and the bad of their stories. No, you don’t want to hurt any feelings, but just assume that any writer who asks your opinion will be big enough to handle even a negative response.

2. Be Specific

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Read the full article HERE!

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If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:

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16. A Quick Guide to Beta Reader Etiquette - Helping Writers Become Authors http://ow.ly/IkLER
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Happy writing and running, Kathy