The Case for Beta Readers

The Case for Beta Readers More authors are beta-ing their books than ever before. But many writers are asking the question, Why should I use beta readers? This question is usually followed To answer those questions, Id like to share some examples of how authors are utilizing betas as a key component of their authorial career. Market Feedback When you run a beta read, you receive the story feedback you need to help you spot problems and polish your story to fit your target market. Authors who have a beta-ready manuscript, give clear instructions, and engage with their readers, end up getting great feedback that they can incorporate into their edits, branding, and career development. Its the same idea as the test-screenings that are common in Hollywood, getting reactions from readers before you publish gives you a better chance of producing a bestseller. Building Your Brand   Beta readers in your target audience know what that audience wants and likes. Learning what your beta readers do and dont enjoy in your work gives you valuable insight into how to promote your books, target your ads, and develop your brand in a way that best speaks to your potential fans. Building Community A key part of building a fan base is making your readers feel like they are part of a community beyond themselves. The process of inviting a group of your most dedicated fans to give early feedback on a book ties them to you, but more importantly ties them to each other and lets them know their love of your work is something they share with other people. Building Buzz Thousands of books are published a month. Hundreds of reviews are written. Dozens of launch ads flash before readers eyes. The thing that reliably cuts through all that noise is personal recommendation. People talk about projects they helped with. Your beta readers are a part of your launch story, and they will share that story, building excitement for and awareness of your book. Selling Copies Smart authors not only develop strong groups of beta readers who make substantive comments on their book and help them produce better work, they thank them in their books. Those readers are often the first people in line when those books go on sale. They want to see what they helped create. Many leave reviews, especially if you encourage it. Who doesnt want an eager audience who has already read the book bumping your numbers on launch day and leaving honest reviews? My partner Andrew and I built BetaBooks, the first reader management software for professional authors. Since our launch in summer 2016, we have helped more than one thousand authors beta their books. BetaBooks lets authors privately share their book with their trusted readers, track their progress, collect feedback, and collate and sort that feedback for easy editorial passes. This saves authors time, making what used to be an organizational headache easy and fun. If you are looking for a better way to organize your betas, visit  BetaBooks.co  to try out our free demo tier and use the coupon code hopeclark to get 10 percent off when you upgrade to one of our paid plans. If you have any questions or want to tell us about your betas, get in touch at  hello@betabooks.co