Beta Reading — Getting Involved with Your Favorite Authors

So, you like reading but want to get more involved in the creation of a book? That's where beta reading comes in. It gives you the chance to read ideas and books before they hit the shelves, allowing authors to polish their stories and create something exquisite. If this sounds right up your alley, keep reading to learn about becoming a beta reader and how you can help authors create the best version of their story.

This could be you beta-reading our books!

So, what is beta reading?

In short, beta reading involves someone reading a book or manuscript before it's released to help find big issues. This doesn't mean you have to break out your high school textbooks to find all the missing commas and misplaced words — please don't do that — the goal of a beta reader is to help find any plot holes, storyline inconsistencies, pacing issues, or other "big picture" things. While this might seem like the green light to tear into the manuscript, telling the author all the ways they can make their story better, there is another side to this as well.

This also gives you the chance to tell your author all the things they got right, too (otherwise, you might find your author hiding in a corner saying that they are becoming a hermit in a foreign country). When I beta read (which most of us authors do for each other) I like to do what's called the "positivity sandwich" layering the bad between two nice fluffy good layers of things the author got right. This avoids the hermit talk while also giving your author actionable advice to polish up the storyline.

How does beta reading differ from editing?

Now you might be thinking that beta reading sounds an awful lot like editing things for free. While both concepts aim to improve the quality of a piece, there are two very different concepts. Beta reading often happens before an editor gets their grubby hands on the work and helps authors find those "big picture" errors so they can fix them before editing. This stage of the publication process usually means that beta readers are the first set of eyes on the piece and get to know the story before it transforms in the hands of an editor.

Editing is more involved and finds all the little grammar/spelling errors and any big-picture issues that might have been looked over. There are different types of editing that focus on different things. For example, developmental editors also focus on that big picture, but also provide guidance and direction on how to go about fixing those issues. Copy editing is probably what you're most familiar with as it gets into the weeds of finding those misplaced and dangling modifiers, spelling errors, and random commas. Reminding you of all those high school essays yet?

One of the key differences, however, is the fact that beta reading is often unpaid. Editors are — and should be — paid for their work as they are up to their elbows in the framework of a book. Beta reading reaps the benefit of getting the first version of a book for free that you then get to devour while also enjoying the knowledge that not many get to see books in this stage.

Why become a beta reader?

So, why become a beta reader? Don't authors have a whole host and family and friends who will do this for them? While our family and friends hear all about our latest plot twist and sometimes get snippets of the work in progress, our readers are more than just them — well, we hope so at least. Ready for a snazzy list of all the whys? Here we go:

• Snazzy list of whys

Okay, but for real. Here are some reasons to consider becoming a beta reader for your favorite author:

• Hone your writing skills

• Work with authors in genres you already love

• Network with people in the publishing industry

• Read books for free

How do you become a beta reader?

Different authors have different ways to go about finding their beta reader list. Some issue a call out on social media. Others have their agents and publishing companies take care of the details. Many times, independent authors rely on advertisements, word of mouth, and a call-out at the end of their books asking for beta readers (or ARC readers, but we'll get into that in another post). As for ShearingHome? We kinda mish-mash many of those tried-and-true methods together to piece together our amazing list of beta readers.

Become a beta reader for ShearingHome

Speaking of mish-mashing methods together, if you're interested in becoming a beta reader for ShearingHome, you can sign up for our beta reader list using this link. Complete the Google Doc (and ask any questions you might have) and click submit. Boom. You're in! Now that you're in, here are some tips to consider:

• Provide honest and specific feedback

• Try to keep it constructive

• Practice writing feedback

• Stick to genres you enjoy

If you love the story, be sure to say so. If you can't finish the book, you can say that, too. Just be prepared to explain the why. Beta reading and good books go hand-in-hand. You're an essential part of the publishing process.

Beta reading is more than just reading a book before it hits the shelves. It's a way of giving honest feedback to authors to help create the best possible version of their book. Each author has a different way of creating their beta reader list, so you might have to navigate to their webpage to find out how they cultivate their reader lists. If you're ready to become a beta reader, complete our Google Doc above. If you want to dive into the books we publish, you can find our complete works on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. Happy reading!