Monday, September 16, 2013

Selectiveness When Choosing Alpha and Beta Readers is Essential


I’m sorry if my blog post today comes off as more of a rant but here’s what I’ve got on my mind concerning writing as of late. I can never tell you enough how grateful I am for Beta and Alpha readers. I think they are essential to good editing and it is a fantastic way to catch error and mistakes that we ourselves did not see. BUT and this is a huge BUT, Make sure as a writer that you are selective on whom you choose to be your Beta and Alpha readers. And make sure they have the time to do it.

For me personally, I want to get the editing finished up and get on with the process of submitting but I have been waiting for over 2 months for one of my readers to turn my MS back into me. Most of you would say move on without this reader. I have been tempted I must admit, but at the same time I really need the feedback and this person has some really good ideas. So here I sit waiting hoping that today will be the day I receive it back and can get on with my work.

So learn from my experience and make sure that the person you pick is really in it with their whole hearts. If not you may get stuck in a situation similar to mine.

Hope you all have an excellent day! Keep on reading and writing!

~Nikki

2 comments:

  1. I would also add... make sure you pick readers who aren't afraid to make it bleed. You can't have someone who thinks it's all hunky dory.

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  2. I agree with you 100% Christine W. What we are really looking for, as authors, is help. We want to know the truth and how we can fix it, to make our books the best they can be. If our Alpha and Beta readers are only placating us, it was a waste of their time and ours. Thanks for mentioning that Christine.

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