By:
Belinda Pollard, @Belinda_Pollard
Every time I post about beta readers and how
wonderful and essential they are, I get more requests for how to find some.
People want quick answers.
Their manuscript is ready to be critiqued NOW. And as many of us know, the best betascan be hard to find.
A solution?
I tried to find solutions
to other people’s need for beta readers. I even spent quite a bit of time
looking into setting up a beta reader exchange myself. But in the end it was
too hard to do it in such a way that a person could reasonably find out the
kinds of things I would want to know about my own beta readers before I entrust
my writing to them. And I couldn’t find an effective way to protect people
against nutbags
There are some sites around
that are attempting to make this work. If you’ve found a good one, please tell
us about it in the comments — but please keep in mind, dear reader, that I make
no representations of any kind about anything people might mention in their
comments!! You absolutely must do your due diligence.
The brutal truth
This brings me to the
brutal truth about beta readers, as I see it.
It takes time and effort to
find good beta readers, and set up an effective and enduring relationship.
Like everything in this
writing and publishing biz, it’s hard work. But the effort is worth it.
I personally use beta
readers to help whip my writing into shape in specific and powerful ways. I
don’t just get “I loved it/I hated it” type comments. My betas roll up their
sleeves and wade into my verbal jungle with a machete, a pair of tweezers and
sometimes even a bulldozer in their back pocket. (Too many metaphors?? Haha
Each of them brings
something unique to the mix, and I’ve chosen them specifically with those
characteristics in mind. They show me things I couldn’t see myself, and trigger
thoughts that create solutions.
I adore them.
With the things I ask of my
beta readers, choosing one out of a hat would be like getting married
immediately after meeting someone at speed dating. Yes, you might be embarking
on a life of happiness with your soul mate. Or the outcome could be quite
different.
. . .
Read the full article HERE!
~*~
If you
missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are
again:
- Author, Jody Hedlund: 8 Ways Writers Can Be More Reader-Friendly http://ow.ly/M0Jox
- Author Optimization 101: Our Covers So Far - Sterling & Stone http://ow.ly/M0JS4
- The 5
Reader-Hooking Features Every Author Website Needs -
She - Getting It Right: Writing About Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder // Part II | Writerology http://ow.ly/M0PGf
- Backstory in Action | Live Write Thrive http://ow.ly/M0RMj
- What Kind of Advice Works for You? | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/M0SGP
- Want To Spend More Time On Your Writing And Tired Of Doing It All? A Virtual Assistant Can Help | The Creative Penn http://ow.ly/M0Tci
- HOW To Finish Your Damn Book | CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD http://ow.ly/M0TYO
- The brutal truth about beta readers | @Belinda_Pollard http://ow.ly/M0UJx
- The Book Designer — Practical Advice to Help Self-Publishers Build Better Books http://ow.ly/M0XMU
- Goodreads Now Filling Your Update Feed With Spam, Er “Sponsored Posts” | The Passive Voice | http://ow.ly/M0YbP
- How to Increase Book Sales: "Think" Tips from Bestselling Author Joanna Penn - Where Writers Win http://ow.ly/M0Ywe
- Stuff
Readers Want You to Remember | Wise Ink's Blog
for - 5 Reasons Why Ebook Price Promotions Make You More Money http://ow.ly/M14YZ
- Goodreads
Ask-the-Author-
fest - Authors' income 'at breaking point' - BBC News http://ow.ly/M1oCr
ThrillWriting
No comments:
Post a Comment