by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Self-published writers frequently hear that they need to pass their books by beta readers or critique groups first before sending the stories on to freelance editors (fewer corrections in a book means a less expensive editing process).
Some writers never even get as far as needing a beta reader because they didn’t seek out encouragement and support from the writing community.
But sometimes it can be tough to know exactly where to find these beta readers and online support. Here are a few ideas.
First Readers/Beta Readers
Online critique groups and beta readers. Sometimes I think we can run into the same problem that we can with in-person crit groups…we might be much better or much worse than our crit partner. But we also have more of a selection to choose from in terms of writer experience.
There are resources to help you connect:
Jane Friedman’s guest poster Brooke McIntyre has a nice list of places to connect with beta readers or critique groups.
Cathy Yardley from The Write Life has 40 places to find a critique partner.
In-person critique/writer groups. I found that critique groups could be tricky, at least the in-person kind. It’s sort of like playing tennis…if you play with someone much better than you, or much worse than you, you don’t get a lot out of it. What I did like was being around other writers and receiving support and encouragement. But eventually, I did drop out of all my in-person groups. Apparently, I’m just too introverted.
I do know of writers who have found some success using MeetUp as a way to mix with local writers.
Wattpad. Wattpad is a good way to test your story on an audience. But to get the most out of the experience, we should plan on uploading the full story. This can mean either serial writing or serial publishing. We can take our story down at any time, so having the completed book free on Wattpad won’t sabotage our efforts to publish it later on.
I enjoy the feedback that I’ve gotten on my stories on the site. But I do think it would be especially helpful if we’d written a YA book since that’s the primary audience (teens) on Wattpad. If you want to find out if you’re nailing the voice of that age group, this would be a good place to try it out.
Help from fans. This would be for the more established writer. Yes, we need help with our drafts, too. I really dislike the term fan when it’s used to describe readers. I think of my readers as readers, not fans. But! There are some readers that definitely qualify as fans and even I can’t ignore that. One of mine in particular follows one of my series so closely that I feel she knows my characters better than I do. She’s my biggest supporter and my biggest critic when I haven’t hit the mark. Instead of reading her (very insightful) criticism when I hadn’t done as well in a book, I enlisted her support as a beta reader before publishing. Now I email her a copy of my book before publishing and use her comments to make adjustments before the launch.
Support from the Community:
#NaNoWriMo. No matter what people say about NaNoWriMo (it’s usually that it produces a very rushed product), I do feel that it can help some writers to develop a writing habit and force them to finally move forward with writing a novel.
If you can write 50,000 words in November, I think that’s fantastic. No one is saying that you have to immediately publish that book. I’ve certainly written that much before (on my own, not as part of NaNoWriMo…under deadline pressure), and I was able to fix the manuscript fairly quickly (I’m practiced at self-editing) and then send it out to my editor. It sold well, too. This doesn’t work for everyone and I don’t think that feeling of pressure works for everyone. There are writers out there who are slow writers, thoughtful writers, and NaNo is the wrong thing for them to do. But if you’ve wanted to write a novel for years and have procrastinated writing it, the encouragement from that community and the marking-down of the daily count can jumpstart your book.
For the first time ever I’ve signed up. But because I’m guilty of horrendous cheating, I haven’t put my name to it. I’m starting out with a novel that’s halfway finished. I decided, though, that I wanted to track my progress using NaNo’s cool charts and word count trackers. November looks to be busy for me (college kid coming home, horseback shows, daughter’s extracurriculars, public speaking for me), so I think this may help me not just keep on track but actually get ahead.
#IWSG. The Insecure Writers Support Group formed by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Being a writer can be an isolating experience. This free community offers writing tips and resources for everything from freelance writing to novel writing. Resources include information on writing contests, conferences, and courses for writers. And there is a monthly blog hop devoted to outlining struggles and successes that members have faced.
How do you find feedback on your books and support for writing them?
Tips for getting feedback and finding an online community: Share on XImage: MorgueFile: LadyHeart
Hi Elizabeth – some helpful thoughts here. Blogging certainly helps with introductions, interest, and then confidence that one can write … via the comment feedback etc. I certainly feel I could find bloggers to help me when the time comes … and can see the value in the support we all get from each other and the connections we make. The IWSG is such a great idea … and
… your Business of Writing, Tools for Writers – in your tab above – was a brilliant concept and idea, which you’ve put into action for us to utilise as and when.
Cheers Hilary
I completely agree with you, Elizabeth, about the benefits of having support from the writing and reading communities. It can be very helpful to have other eyes looking at your manuscript, and I’ve also found that it helps to know others face some of the same challenges that I do as a writer. As I tell others, it’s not a competition; we can all help one another!
Margot–So true…great to have the collective wisdom of the group to draw from!
Blogging definitely gave me the courage to write even more, from the interaction with readers. When I finally wrote my first novel, my husband, who had a large following for his photography book, sent out a notice that I was looking for beta readers for my mystery novel, and two of them volunteered immediately. I got a third via my own blog. I was also fortunate to have two friends who are avid readers, and one of them did a lot of proofreading at her job at the U of Chicago. All five are still on my Reader Team for the third book, and are working it over as I write this. I also gained a sixth, a retired teacher, from my tai chi class last year. They are actually more like gamma readers, since they get a pretty well-polished manuscript to go over. I find that this saves time, as I’ve done the hard work, and any remaining problems are then much easier and much faster to correct.
I’ve done NaNoWriMo several times over the last ten years, and have only gone to two write-ins, which I’ve regretted both times. I need to work in solitude, and the skill level thing you mentioned is a HUGE part of what makes in-person interactions work or fail. Besides, I like my local privacy. I’m doing it this year in order to write a novella for my series, something to use as a freebie. I figure I should be able to cull 30K usable words out of 50K; it should also be a good exercise in writing more quickly.
Other than that, hanging out at a couple of blogs feels pretty comfortable, and I’ve had some pleasant and useful exchanges with you and Joel Canfield, which goes a long way toward creating a sense of a larger world of writers. Thanks, guys :)
Meg–Getting that interaction with readers is key, isn’t it? I think that must be one of the hardest things, initially, about being a writer…the feedback.
I love the way you put together a beta reading team! And you’re right–if we can give betas or editors a polished product, it’s easy for them to read it and less expensive for us to have it professionally edited.
I’ve been on the fence about the write-in thing. I see there are a few that are local to me. But I work best either alone or in a group but alone, if you know what I mean! I think you’re right about the privacy. I’m not known locally and I love that.
And thanks for hanging out with me online!
Elizabeth,
As a future novelist, I am always looking for information on the ins and outs of writing, publishing and networking. I found this post helpful among many others on your blog. The way you’ve designed your website is clear, organized and has a friendly atmosphere. What I like the most is that you actively respond to the comments left on you blog. Also, you’ve made some smart changes to this website in the last few weeks.
Thank you for all the writing advice.
Red Wolf–Thank you! And it makes me happy that you noticed the website changes. :) I attended a conference and got a few tips that I wanted to implement. Best wishes for the novel!
I’m working in my first novel and am working with 3 beta readers. I have grown so much through this experience, Ill never go back. In exchange, I critique for them. I believe it is this back and forth between being a beta reader and working with one as a writer that is making such a huge difference.
Nita–Nice point that being a beta reader for others is also very beneficial for a writer. Best wishes for your novel!