Information About Being a Chronicles of Avilésor Beta Reader

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At the end of October, a group of selected beta readers received early copies of Book IV in the Chronicles of Avilésor series. Based on their personal preferences, some of the beta readers were emailed a digital file to mark up in Word or Google Docs, while others were given a printed manuscript in a binder with sticky notes.

I do occasionally get questions about how I choose my beta readers and how someone can become one, so with Lab Rat officially in the hands of my handpicked volunteers, it felt like a good time to write a blog post about it.

What is a Beta Reader?

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Beta readers are the first group of readers to review a manuscript before it goes through the final editing phases. These early readers provide the author with overall feedback on the story, including:

• Correcting typos and grammatical/punctuation errors
• Marking plot holes and inconsistent details
• Sharing how they felt as they read (For example, did a scene make them sad? Angry? Confused?)
• Offering suggestions for improvement
• Giving the author insights into how the book will be received by readers and fans

Some people work as professional beta readers who charge authors for their time and feedback. Mine are volunteers who are either friends or family, professional acquaintances, or fans who are highly invested in the book series and want to take an active role in publishing the next novel.

When I publish a book, it goes through four editing phases:

• Phase 1: After finishing the rough draft, I print it out and mark it up with my own round of edits, then update the digital file with those changes.
• Phase 2: The beta readers provide general feedback, and I incorporate any necessary revisions based on their notes.
• Phase 3: The line editor goes through the manuscript for an extremely thorough edit, flagging any remaining errors and offering a professional critique.
• Phase 4: After I complete the interior layout, I receive a proof copy of the book and read through it as a final check for any formatting issues or typos that managed to slip through the various rounds of editing.

The beta readers have a crucial role as the very first readers to see the manuscript. They’re the ones I trust to tell me if something isn’t working in the story so I have a chance to fix it before publishing the book. This means I’m not looking for someone to read it and tell me it’s perfect; I want an honest critique. I would rather address criticisms in the editing phase rather than watch negative reviews roll in after it’s too late to make changes.

Criteria I Look For When Choosing My Beta Readers

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I like to have a variety of readers providing a range of feedback. One of my regular beta readers happens to be my former English teacher, but most of them don’t have a professional writing, editing, or teaching background.

Having teachers and career editors are valuable, of course, but so are the beta readers who don’t have that kind of background since they’re able to give me insights into how regular readers will react to the book. After all, writing a fantasy story is very different than writing a college essay.

I’m always amazed by how each beta reader in the group has a tendency to catch different issues. Some have a keen eye for spotting typos that others might miss, while other readers provide insights into big-picture character development, dialogue syntax, story pacing, and plot holes. Others are extremely detail-oriented and catch tiny discrepancies that are easily overlooked. I don’t expect each beta reader to catch every error, but between all of them, they manage to cast a wide net and flag most of the issues.

Ideally, if I’m looking for one or two new beta readers, here are the factors I consider:

• Can you offer a unique perspective? The more variety I have, the better. The Chronicles of Avilésor has a hefty list of characters, and many of them have experiences that are vastly different than my own. Some of their experiences, such as having supernatural powers or escaping from a secret government laboratory, aren’t ones that anyone would know firsthand… although if you’re an avid reader, you might have some expertise on the subjects based on other works. But there are other character experiences grounded in reality that I can’t relate to. For example, I don’t know firsthand what it’s like to be a teenage boy, a middle-aged mom, or a doctor. Having people with those perspectives is valuable to help me ensure my characters are accurate, relatable, and realistic. I like adding beta readers who have different perspectives outside my own bubble, especially minorities from different demographics and cultures (to help keep me mindful and accountable about unintentional stereotypes) and people with relevant specialized career experience that would help me with specific details (especially medical or military).
• Do we have a personal relationship? I’m not saying we need to be best friends or meet up for dinner regularly, but are we at least on a first-name basis? I meet a TON of people doing events almost every weekend, so if we’ve met only a few times and never had a deep or memorable conversation, I probably won’t remember you. (Sorry!) Have we engaged in personal discussions beyond exchanging pleasantries? Do I know where you’re from, what you do for a living, et cetera? Would we recognize each other in public when I’m not in my booth? Since I share a pre-published manuscript with my beta readers, I need to make sure they are people I know and trust.
• Have you demonstrated that you’re a top fan who knows the books inside and out? Do you engage in conversations about the books on social media? Have you written reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and/or Goodreads? Asked me questions about characters? Created fan art? Done any outreach such as recommending the book to friends/family, asked your local library to carry the books, liked/shared/commented on my social media posts, subscribed on Patreon, et cetera? If I’m going to consider a new beta reader who is a fan rather than a longtime friend or professional acquaintance, I need to see active engagement so you stay at the forefront of my mind when I’m thinking about who (if anyone) I might want to onboard for the next book.
• Do you have the time and attention to dedicate to reading/editing? I don’t usually impose a hard deadline for my beta readers to finish, but ideally, I give them about a month to get through the manuscript and return it to me with notes. If you know you’ll be too busy to focus and provide genuine feedback in a timely manner, I don’t want to risk running behind schedule and delaying the book publication.
• Do you have a passion for reading/writing? Being a beta reader should be a privilege, not a chore. I don’t want beta readers who view the project as a homework assignment they won’t enjoy!

How to Become a CoA Beta Reader

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In most cases, beta reading my books is by invitation only. However, I’ve had more people express interest as the series progresses, so if it’s something you really want to do for one of the future books, my recommendation is to:

1. Start by being an active, highly engaged social media follower so I keep seeing your name pop up in my notifications and know that you’re invested in the series.
2. Make a point to visit my booth at events and chat with me. Show me that you’ve read the books and know a lot of details about them. (Fyi… I love seeing fan art!!)
3. Demonstrate that you’re above and beyond the general fan base. My newest beta reader I just onboarded for Lab Rat is one of my most engaged members on Discord and Patreon. He’s written reviews for the books, regularly visited me at events, asked me in-depth questions about the worldbuilding of Avilésor, and even created a 3D rendering of Saros Manor and the Alpha ghosts in the Sims for fun. He’s almost always one of the first (and most consistent) to welcome new members when they join the Discord server.
4. Connect with me via direct messages to indicate your interest in beta reading around the time I’m in the first round of editing when I’m marking up the rough draft. When people reach out too soon while I’m still deep in the writing phase, I’m not likely to remember those brief inquiries by the time I get close to the beta reader phase. I also sometimes get people who verbally tell me at an event they’re interested, but I don’t have their contact information, and by the time I’m done with the event, my brain is preoccupied with a million other tasks to remember any kind of potential follow-up.

I really appreciate all of my beta readers, and I’m very selective about who participates in that role. Thank you for your interest in my book series… and maybe you’ll be part of the editing process for a future novel!