by Anne Glynn
Anne Glynn.com
  • Anne Glynn - Books by Anne & Glynn
  • What's New
  • Books & Such
  • The Newsletter Thing

Trying to get beta

4/23/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture
Yes, the title for today’s post is pun-ny. I like puns. I’m not apologizing for it, I’m not trying to explain it, I admit it openly. Many people don’t like puns and those people are wrong, as this article explains. If you don’t like puns, good news, I’m (probably) done for today. If you do like puns, great news, there’s a Pun of the Day site.
 
(Barbie and me, we're in a mood today. Fair warning.)


Now, as you may remember from last week, I wanted to find a beta reader for our latest manuscript. The Good Witch had done a read-through, but this new book is the straightest romance that Glynn and I had ever written and we wanted someone who really knew the genre. So I did what I’ve always done, and I reached out to my fellow novelists.

I posted at the Writer’s Café, asking if anyone there knew of a good approach to finding a sensible, intelligent, and solid beta reader. The only response I received was from other writers, also wanting beta readers – any readers, even if they weren’t sensible or intelligent. No one had any suggestions for me. This was not encouraging.

So I then visited my other favorite writer’s spot, Absolute Write, and I did another post, saying:

The good news is, I've had my new mail-order bride novel read by a friend and she says it's good to go. The bad news is, this same friend liked my only other mail-order bride tale, a novella, and some readers hated that story. I disappointed them. My friend, Krista, was surprised by the response but she doesn't usually read romance.

I'm not seeking an editor or a proof-reader; the book has gone through three drafts and I feel pretty good in that regard. I'm in need of someone who loves romance to read my pages and tell me where I've gone wrong -- or if I've gone wrong, at all.

That evening, the nice S. contacted me, saying she’d take a look. I sent her the pages. (No, ‘S.’ probably isn’t her real name. It’s her real initial, though.)  Three days later, a second reader jumped in. Dani B. said she’d take a look, too. At first, she said I could send her the entire thing if I wanted but she soon changed her mind. Instead, she asked me to send her three chapters at a time.

This is Beta Reader 101. When someone you don’t know needs a reader – especially when they admit that their earlier story inspired dislike – well, a three-chapter beginning seems rather… sensible. This is an intelligent approach, too, because, if those first three chapters sucked, Dani could jump from the reader-ship fairly quickly. (Last pun. Promise.) So I knew she was acting in a sensible and intelligent manner. But was she solid enough to finish the job once she’d started?

I’m telling you now, absolutely. I sent off my first three chapters and, within hours, she was in contact with me. Working from the perspective of a romance reader, she told me what worked and what didn’t, the parts she liked and why she liked them. She shared what didn’t work for her, too, but she was always pleasant and friendly in her responses. She worked her way through the novel in three chapter chunks and, when I sent her the final bits, she was kind enough to say she didn’t want the story to end. She wanted to read more.

A writer loves hearing those words. Glynn became very happy when I shared her email with him.

By the end of my beta reader hunt, I’d found three new readers beside Dani. After receiving the book, one of them never wrote back. S. wrote a few weeks later to say we’d done a good job and L., the last of the group, said she liked it too. Neither had much more to share, but we were grateful for the feedback.

But we are especially grateful to Dani and her three chapter blow-by-blow report. That was golden.


4 Comments
Dani B.
4/23/2014 12:31:05 am

You are so very talented!! Thank you for the feedback. I loved working with you and look forward to future experiences with you.

Reply
Anne Glynn
4/23/2014 01:52:02 am

Dani, we were so lucky to find you. Thanks again!

Reply
Gail Bridges link
4/25/2014 04:32:51 am

A good beta reader is like gold! My husband is my primary reader. He's tough and makes me re-write anything that isn't up to snuff. He also asks hard questions and makes me create tighter plots and characterizations. When he likes something, I know it's good because he doesn't sugar coat things.

I have a new beta reader - she found me! She read my novel and wrote to me via my author Facebook page. We corresponded for a while, and then it occurred to me...hey! She's really into my work. She's already giving me suggestions for my next book - I bet she'd love to beta for me. She jumped at the chance. She's been awesome. Finding her was pure luck.

Good luck! I'm enjoying your blog. From a fellow AW-er,
Evelyn Arvey / Gail Bridges

Reply
Anne Glynn
4/25/2014 12:40:23 pm

Evelyn (a/k/a Gail), I'm so glad you stopped by. Like you, I run everything over with my significant other but, since he's my co-writer, he doesn't really qualify as a "beta reader". An "alpha reader", maybe?

All I know is, the parts that need a little fixing? He wrote those.

Your new reader sounds like a terrific find -- and good for you, too, for approaching her with the idea. I'll see you on AW!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    I'm on Facebook

    ... but, really, the good stuff is posted here.



    Welcome!

    At the back of my paperbacks and e-books, you'll find this:
     
    A collector of vintage Barbies and younger boyfriends, Anne Glynn currently resides in the American Southwest.
     
    The truth is a little more complicated. I'm Anne and my S.W.P. (Significant Writing Partner) is Glynn. Together, we write as 'Anne Glynn'.
     
    However, I am a collector of vintage Barbies and I have, on occasion, collected the younger boyfriend. Not so much these days.
     
    I'm glad you're here.
     

    Archives

    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    July 2020
    December 2019
    June 2019
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.