If you spend any time in the book writing world you will often discover a series of tactics used to help a book reach its best potential by publication day. Of course there is the stage of self-editing and the then the paid professional level of editing. The in between steps of those points often include people who are dubbed Alpha and Beta readers. These people can be a mix of friends, family members, fellow reading enthusiasts, and the more technical eye of other writers.
If you’re at all familiar with the tech world and how they update projects along the way then you may have already assumed the role of Alpha and Beta readers. They act as story testers basically. They help authors discover those sneaky typos and grammatical errors that have alluded them for the past ten readthroughs. They help point out continuity errors and plot holes. Sometimes they help break past points of writer’s block and give a perspective the author was missing. Overall, they are a highly valuable space of, hopefully, honest feedback.
I’ve been blessed to have a pretty good series of Beta readers for my book Sacred Tears: The Dance of Iris. They’ve helped me with the many different renditions of the story. Recently one such reader and writer friend was going through a copy of my book and I realized another valuable aspect of Beta readers that I hadn’t really considered before.
When it comes to writing there are a litany of problems each author will encounter and have to work through to get their story to it’s final stage. One such issue can be fatigue with your story. When you spend anywhere between months to sometimes years on one story you can start to lose faith in your project. It may not at all be a reflection of the book’s quality, but just a side effect of having to re-read the same sections over and over for each edit sweep and re-structuring. It can become difficult to stay connected to the story especially as new story ideas are nearly always buzzing through your mind at the same time that turn into siren calls away from your current work in progress.
Now taking a break from your story is of course not a bad thing. It can be necessary at times to help you get a better perspective on the overarching plot features, or allow you to get inspired by something else that could perfectly fit within your narrative. Yet, even with taking breaks, it isn’t uncommon that a writer’s opinion of a story might dip just from overexposure and the constant working through it. I know that is exactly what happened with me for The Dance of Iris.
Now my experience might be a little more extreme as it has been a project I have fought through for a period of at least twelve years. No, that is not the typical timeframe it takes to write a story. That was more-so due to a number of personal issues that I may or may not get into at a later date. Still, my doubt in the strength of the story definitely grew for a bit there.
Then came my Beta readers. They have been a source of light and life for me.
Beyond the technical feedback, it was their intense passion for The Dance of Iris that reawakened my love for the beginning of Iris’s journey. I got to experience the wonder of the world, the sense of suspense of the unknown, all the deep emotional moments through fresh eyes. Their excitement over each chapter, their hunger for the next section, it was like I was stepping back into the role as a new reader myself. My Beta readers became a beautiful place of connection and the champion fighting back each wave of self-doubt.
Will every part of feedback from an Alpha or a Beta reader be one overflowing with praise? No, and it shouldn’t be that way! To truly grow you need both support and constructive critique.
(heavy emphasis on the constructive part- tip for anyone wanting to be a Beta reader, try not to just say something is wrong or bad, try to give your reasoning for why something doesn’t work and offer possible solutions to said problem in a respectful manner)
Through and through, if writing is your passion to the point of desiring publication some day, I strongly encourage you seek out a good group of people who can stand as your Alpha and Beta readers. Look for people who enjoy the genre you are writing in, they’ll already have a pretty good handle on what those genres best represent. Look for people who won’t just tell you only what you want to hear, but also beware of those who are overly critical just for harshness’s sake. Remind yourself that world of narratives is highly subjective and that just because one set of people don’t like your story doesn’t mean no one will.
Being an author can easily fall into a very isolating career if we’re not careful. And while there are plenty of times it is necessary to withdraw from the world to focus on your craft, I also encourage to not shun the building up of a writing community. Beyond the technical, there is so much a healthy community can give you to help you bring to life the very best stories within you.
Oh, and a special note to all my Alpha and Beta readers out there, I promise I’m working really hard on book two of Sacred Tears! Sorry for leaving you hanging for so long, please don’t be mad. 😅