Beta readers

[sarillia]

I mentioned a while back that I'm working on editing a novel for the first time and I've been thinking about the part where someone else is supposed to look it over to catch problems that I've missed. If anyone here would be willing to take a look at it and share their thoughts, let me know (it's high fantasy that's sort of political in that the big conflict is a protest movement). But mainly I wanted to talk about the subject generally.

I've never worked with a beta reader before, so I'd like to hear some experiences and advice. One thing I do know is that it's best to specify what sort of feedback you're most interested in. I've heard from a lot of people who wanted reactions to the characters and plot but the person who agreed to look it over did nothing but point out typos and grammar issues.

So, what do you have to say on the topic?

Comments

[inkdust]

That sounds good! Those sound like important elements to check. I love seeing both sides of things, so I can definitely look at the tone and weight of the conflict, and I'm pretty sensitive to extraneous details. Are you looking for readers immediately, or are you still working on edits?

[sarillia]

I'm still working on edits but I'm hoping to be done with the major structural stuff by the end of the month. Then I was thinking I could send a chapter at a time as I go through cleaning up the language and whatnot.

[inkdust]

Sounds great. I'm wreaking havoc in my fourth draft right now, so I'll be in prime editing mode.