Beta Readers
The idea of a beta reader is that an author provides an early draft of their book to a person and asks for comments. I was ultra fortunate to have an exceptional beta reader for my first book: my mother. She has excellent grammar skills, a wide reading background, is supportive and patient, and has a true skill for conveying her thoughts in writing. Talk about hitting it out of the park.
Of course, there was a huge problem at the beginning. I had no idea what to ask her to focus on or what to do with her comments. So, I thought it would be fun to discuss everything I learned about beta readers.
How does one find a beta reader, and what are their requirements? They can be anyone. Meaning, they do not have to be literature experts. In fact, I have learned it is better not to have an expert. (Yes, I do consider my mother far above average, yet she is not a professional book editor, which is my point.) What is important is that they have the time to read and are willing to make comments.
What if you do not know such a person? You could offer a trade (swap beta reads with another author) on a Facebook group. Not your cup of tea? Try the Editorial Freelancers Association and pay somebody.
Of course, there was a huge problem at the beginning. I had no idea what to ask her to focus on or what to do with her comments. So, I thought it would be fun to discuss everything I learned about beta readers.
How does one find a beta reader, and what are their requirements? They can be anyone. Meaning, they do not have to be literature experts. In fact, I have learned it is better not to have an expert. (Yes, I do consider my mother far above average, yet she is not a professional book editor, which is my point.) What is important is that they have the time to read and are willing to make comments.
What if you do not know such a person? You could offer a trade (swap beta reads with another author) on a Facebook group. Not your cup of tea? Try the Editorial Freelancers Association and pay somebody.
What should you ask them to look for? Before I answer this, I need to take a step back and discuss how I begin writing a new fictional book. My process starts with a single paragraph describing the plot. Once established, I show it to somebody (my mother) and ask for their opinion. The idea is that anybody can spot a bad plot. “Wilbur the Farting Bulldozer” as an adult thriller? Yeah… I did not begin my first three books with such a paragraph and could have avoided many problems.
Next, I convert my wild ideas into a slim (high-level) outline followed by a detailed outline. When it is polished, I show the detailed outline to somebody (my mother) and ask for feedback. The idea is to identify major problems before writing, because fixing an entire book is difficult.
Once I have a vetted outline, I write the first draft followed by many rounds of self-editing, including endless Grammarly/ProWritingAid passes. Only then do I ask my beta reader for help. Their goal is to identify major issues, and my goal is to fix them before sending my book to a professional editor. What am I hoping to find? Anything and everything. Here is a list I pulled from the internet:
Big‑picture story issues, character/relationship issues, reader comprehension/clarity, world-building/setting, emotional/narrative impact, dialogue/voice, prose-level issues, genre-specific expectations, reader experience issues, and sensitivity/realism checks.
What a fantastic list! Except, unless the beta reader is a world-class professional editor, that list is too extensive. I recommend a shorter list, and here is mine:
1) Are there any areas that do not make sense?
2) How do the descriptions read?
3) Do you like the plot?
4) Are the characters realistic?
5) Did I get to the action too slowly/quickly? *
6) Where should I focus my self-editing attention?
7) Find my writing ticks. **
* This is a specific writing issue I have. One of the best parts of being a beta reader is focusing on a known problem area.
** A writing tick is a specific problem for an individual writer. One of my ticks is repeating my thoughts, and here is a real-life example:
Without speaking, team members quietly took images.
I located that sentence about five years ago, and the funny thing is, it still reads fine.
One of the most important issues I am trying to uncover is logic problems. “He drove the car away.” How did he get the car? “She climbed the stairs.” Wait a minute, this is a one-story house. Such logic problems can be difficult for the writer to spot because they are embedded in the plot, while a first-time reader can see such issues.
You might be wondering why checking grammar, spelling, and those pesky typos are not on my list. Such issues are not what I want my beta reader to focus on. Why? Their goal is to identify large issues, and something like spelling is a small issue. Now, please understand that all spelling errors must be eliminated from the final draft. A good editor/copy editor should be able to find the hyper-technical 5% that Grammarly/ProWritingAid misses.
Let’s examine a good beta read comment: “James seems unrealistic. He is aloof, yet makes brilliant decisions. It’s got to be one or the other.”
Reading that hurts, but what I have to remember when reading such comments is that this is an early draft and there are bound to be problems.
I have learned the ultra-hard way to treat these comments like gold because when a beta reader finds a flaw, this is 1000 times better than the pain of reading a bad review.
Thus, for the above comment, I would have to take a huge step back and examine James. From the comment, it would seem there is a large disconnect between actions and the character type. Bonus! The beta reader has suggested a solution. Alter the character or the action.
Yet this raises a difficulty. What if I do not agree with the comment? Let’s say the comment is, “Paul is too violent.” Yet, as the author, I think, “This book is a violent thriller. So, yes, Paul is supposed to act violently.” Plus, the beta reader is only one person; perhaps this is not the typical kind of book they would want to read. Meaning they have no experience with a typical violent thriller plot.
True, but I’ll share a life lesson. When a person thinks strongly enough to comment, there is something to it. Meaning, where there is smoke, there is fire.
In the above case, the reader has identified a disconnect; something reads wrong. As an author, if I am not seeing the disconnect, there may be an aspect I am missing (that the beta reader did not explain in a way that I understand). Instead of a violence issue, there might be a problem with character setup, a lack of description, or a failure to clarify the motivation. Thus, all beta reader comments should be strongly considered. On the flip side, my book is my book, and I treat the comments as guides.
There is a second line of defense for such problems. While I am drafting and refining the outline, I am also developing a character biography. In the above example, I would write, “Paul, a violent person.” Then I would expand on his motives, desires, background, and traits in my writing. Perhaps he comes from a rough home and lives in a crime-ridden part of town. Maybe he spent time in prison.
Once a problem is identified, a writer can return to the character biography to see whether the character indeed fulfilled the vision. Meaning the character biography can be an important place to look because it distills the character down to the basics.
I do have an important tip: Do not treat your beta reader, editor, copy editor, or formatter like a garbage collector. Give them the absolute best possible document. That way, they are not wasting time on something that could have been fixed. Instead, they should focus on issues the author cannot see.
Thus, the document I provided to my mother has been fully edited by me to the best of my abilities. It must also be easy to read, with no formatting issues.
There is an aspect of my beta-reading process that is specific to my mother. The document I handed her was in a large font, double-spaced, in Times New Roman, printed on 3-hole punch paper, single-sided with page numbers at the bottom, and in two big binders. She writes her comments by hand, and this extra use of paper makes it super easy for her to work and for me to read them. This approach is a bit old school, but it works well for us.
There is another topic, and it is the worst. What if the beta reader hates your book? I know what this is like because an editor despised my second book.
My first reaction was that the comments really hurt because I had worked so hard. And when it came time to pick up the pieces, I needed to make a big decision: start the project over, drop it entirely, or ignore the feedback.
What I did know for certain was that I had picked a lousy editor. Their edits had obvious spelling errors, and many of the “improvements” made the sentences worse. The editor even deleted an entire chapter without explanation.
Knowing this person was not in the proper mindset, I ignored the awful read comment, studied each edit, and used about 20% of them. Problem solved! Turns out, ignoring the comment was a mistake so large that I had to release a second edition. Ouch. The lesion was one I mentioned earlier. Where there is smoke, there is fire. In my case, a raging fire.
I have a final topic: What about using AI as a beta reader? I have two thoughts on the matter. The first is data security. I have strong reservations about giving my entire work to AI because I do not want some computer to have my unpublished words.
Second, it is clear that AI is mostly good at providing feedback, yet there are huge problems. The biggest issue is that AI gets hung up on poor pacing. Meaning it lambasts a plot that does not get to the action quickly, hates flowery descriptions, and insists on a rigid structure. As an example, I fed it The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, and it tore that celebrated book to bits.
AI makes massive mistakes; it is “the world’s most confident liar.” Plus, it does not appreciate a good plot, which is the point of a book.
This leads to trust issues. Let’s say that AI’s comment is, “The character James is irrelevant to the plot. Delete him.” Seems like a drastic recommendation. So… should I delete James? Would that really make the book better?
My conclusion of AI as a beta reader is, “It might help, but do not take the comments too seriously.” Alternatively, my beta-reading mother’s comments have significantly improved my work and taught me many lessons. My biggest takeaway is to keep an open mind when reading her comments. Lastly, I hope this article did not need a beta read.
You’re the best -Bill
June 24, 2026
Next, I convert my wild ideas into a slim (high-level) outline followed by a detailed outline. When it is polished, I show the detailed outline to somebody (my mother) and ask for feedback. The idea is to identify major problems before writing, because fixing an entire book is difficult.
Once I have a vetted outline, I write the first draft followed by many rounds of self-editing, including endless Grammarly/ProWritingAid passes. Only then do I ask my beta reader for help. Their goal is to identify major issues, and my goal is to fix them before sending my book to a professional editor. What am I hoping to find? Anything and everything. Here is a list I pulled from the internet:
Big‑picture story issues, character/relationship issues, reader comprehension/clarity, world-building/setting, emotional/narrative impact, dialogue/voice, prose-level issues, genre-specific expectations, reader experience issues, and sensitivity/realism checks.
What a fantastic list! Except, unless the beta reader is a world-class professional editor, that list is too extensive. I recommend a shorter list, and here is mine:
1) Are there any areas that do not make sense?
2) How do the descriptions read?
3) Do you like the plot?
4) Are the characters realistic?
5) Did I get to the action too slowly/quickly? *
6) Where should I focus my self-editing attention?
7) Find my writing ticks. **
* This is a specific writing issue I have. One of the best parts of being a beta reader is focusing on a known problem area.
** A writing tick is a specific problem for an individual writer. One of my ticks is repeating my thoughts, and here is a real-life example:
Without speaking, team members quietly took images.
I located that sentence about five years ago, and the funny thing is, it still reads fine.
One of the most important issues I am trying to uncover is logic problems. “He drove the car away.” How did he get the car? “She climbed the stairs.” Wait a minute, this is a one-story house. Such logic problems can be difficult for the writer to spot because they are embedded in the plot, while a first-time reader can see such issues.
You might be wondering why checking grammar, spelling, and those pesky typos are not on my list. Such issues are not what I want my beta reader to focus on. Why? Their goal is to identify large issues, and something like spelling is a small issue. Now, please understand that all spelling errors must be eliminated from the final draft. A good editor/copy editor should be able to find the hyper-technical 5% that Grammarly/ProWritingAid misses.
Let’s examine a good beta read comment: “James seems unrealistic. He is aloof, yet makes brilliant decisions. It’s got to be one or the other.”
Reading that hurts, but what I have to remember when reading such comments is that this is an early draft and there are bound to be problems.
I have learned the ultra-hard way to treat these comments like gold because when a beta reader finds a flaw, this is 1000 times better than the pain of reading a bad review.
Thus, for the above comment, I would have to take a huge step back and examine James. From the comment, it would seem there is a large disconnect between actions and the character type. Bonus! The beta reader has suggested a solution. Alter the character or the action.
Yet this raises a difficulty. What if I do not agree with the comment? Let’s say the comment is, “Paul is too violent.” Yet, as the author, I think, “This book is a violent thriller. So, yes, Paul is supposed to act violently.” Plus, the beta reader is only one person; perhaps this is not the typical kind of book they would want to read. Meaning they have no experience with a typical violent thriller plot.
True, but I’ll share a life lesson. When a person thinks strongly enough to comment, there is something to it. Meaning, where there is smoke, there is fire.
In the above case, the reader has identified a disconnect; something reads wrong. As an author, if I am not seeing the disconnect, there may be an aspect I am missing (that the beta reader did not explain in a way that I understand). Instead of a violence issue, there might be a problem with character setup, a lack of description, or a failure to clarify the motivation. Thus, all beta reader comments should be strongly considered. On the flip side, my book is my book, and I treat the comments as guides.
There is a second line of defense for such problems. While I am drafting and refining the outline, I am also developing a character biography. In the above example, I would write, “Paul, a violent person.” Then I would expand on his motives, desires, background, and traits in my writing. Perhaps he comes from a rough home and lives in a crime-ridden part of town. Maybe he spent time in prison.
Once a problem is identified, a writer can return to the character biography to see whether the character indeed fulfilled the vision. Meaning the character biography can be an important place to look because it distills the character down to the basics.
I do have an important tip: Do not treat your beta reader, editor, copy editor, or formatter like a garbage collector. Give them the absolute best possible document. That way, they are not wasting time on something that could have been fixed. Instead, they should focus on issues the author cannot see.
Thus, the document I provided to my mother has been fully edited by me to the best of my abilities. It must also be easy to read, with no formatting issues.
There is an aspect of my beta-reading process that is specific to my mother. The document I handed her was in a large font, double-spaced, in Times New Roman, printed on 3-hole punch paper, single-sided with page numbers at the bottom, and in two big binders. She writes her comments by hand, and this extra use of paper makes it super easy for her to work and for me to read them. This approach is a bit old school, but it works well for us.
There is another topic, and it is the worst. What if the beta reader hates your book? I know what this is like because an editor despised my second book.
My first reaction was that the comments really hurt because I had worked so hard. And when it came time to pick up the pieces, I needed to make a big decision: start the project over, drop it entirely, or ignore the feedback.
What I did know for certain was that I had picked a lousy editor. Their edits had obvious spelling errors, and many of the “improvements” made the sentences worse. The editor even deleted an entire chapter without explanation.
Knowing this person was not in the proper mindset, I ignored the awful read comment, studied each edit, and used about 20% of them. Problem solved! Turns out, ignoring the comment was a mistake so large that I had to release a second edition. Ouch. The lesion was one I mentioned earlier. Where there is smoke, there is fire. In my case, a raging fire.
I have a final topic: What about using AI as a beta reader? I have two thoughts on the matter. The first is data security. I have strong reservations about giving my entire work to AI because I do not want some computer to have my unpublished words.
Second, it is clear that AI is mostly good at providing feedback, yet there are huge problems. The biggest issue is that AI gets hung up on poor pacing. Meaning it lambasts a plot that does not get to the action quickly, hates flowery descriptions, and insists on a rigid structure. As an example, I fed it The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, and it tore that celebrated book to bits.
AI makes massive mistakes; it is “the world’s most confident liar.” Plus, it does not appreciate a good plot, which is the point of a book.
This leads to trust issues. Let’s say that AI’s comment is, “The character James is irrelevant to the plot. Delete him.” Seems like a drastic recommendation. So… should I delete James? Would that really make the book better?
My conclusion of AI as a beta reader is, “It might help, but do not take the comments too seriously.” Alternatively, my beta-reading mother’s comments have significantly improved my work and taught me many lessons. My biggest takeaway is to keep an open mind when reading her comments. Lastly, I hope this article did not need a beta read.
You’re the best -Bill
June 24, 2026
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