A Call for Beta Readers

What is a beta reader, you ask? A beta reader is someone who reads a book before it is finalized and sent off for publishing to give honest, substantive feedback about what works and what doesn’t. A beta reader’s job is not to catch typos and grammar errors, but rather to provide comments about what they liked or didn’t, if the scenes flowed smoothly, if anything was confusing, and how they felt about the way the characters, scenes, and dialogue were presented.

Being a beta reader comes with some responsibility. Beta readers need to be honest, but kind. Most writers feel pretty tender about their writing, and can be easily discouraged by harsh criticism, especially if they are new writers. But that doesn’t mean they just want beta readers to sugar-coat their comments and not point out elements of the book that need a bit–or a lot–of re-working or fine-tuning. Writers need to hear the truth about their work, but in a way that doesn’t crush them.

I am looking for some beta readers that can respond with their feedback within a month. I will provide you with a list of questions that you can respond to, and let you know the specific type of feedback I’m looking for. Ideally, my beta readers enjoy reading, and especially memoir.

Some of you have offered to be beta readers for me in the past, so if you are still interested, please email me or comment here to let me know. I will be very grateful for any feedback you can provide. It will help me to become a better writer and, hopefully, help to get my book published, one way or another.

Thank you in advance for your help!