Writers Grapple with Process & Feedback

“Looking for beta readers! Hi there! I'm a writer, who's working on one of my second more serious novels (as in I am determined to finish lol) and would love some beta reads to review my book to give feedback and critiques. It is a spicy, dark romance set in Victorian London, with I suppose would be considered a book for fantasy/monster lovers lmao here is the description! "London, 1889. In a society shared uneasily between humans and beasts, Maria DeRose learned that survival often”

“I read a lot of posts across different writing threads and see a common order of writing phases. It's generally finish book -> beta readers, plus or minus developmental self edit and line edit placed somewhere adjacent. I agree with this general process, but I feel it misses the importance of critiques, and I distinguish between beta reads and critiques for a few reasons. I enlisted beta readers for my 300k word manuscript. While I truly appreciated and needed their feedback, they returne”

“Hello, what qualities and skills do you look for in your first readers, those trusted critical readers who go through your early drafts? How do they help you improve your manuscripts? submitted by /u/BleuMontagne34 [link] [comments]”

“Beta readers are essential. On our own, we wouldn't be able to spot the dead ends in our work, and in that regard, an outside opinion is extremely helpful not to mention nice to have. My question is: where do you actively look for beta readers outside of your established circle? For example, I've seen many people post entire scripts hundreds of pages long right here publicly to get feedback. Do you consider this safe? (Even though, it must be said, they were protected with timestamping c”

“Hi all, first time posting here - kinda nervous haha. I finished the first 2 chapters of my book and I wanted to get it in the hands of a few Beta readers so I could gage if the story narrative was interesting enough to continue reading. How do you go on about communicating to your Beta readers? I'm kind of nervous just sending off a PDF file of my work to people. Do you include water marks? Also, which platform are you all using to write and share? I've read a few posts where people are”

“I'm researching how indie authors get drafts in front of readers and what happens to the feedback afterwards. Not selling anything, I'm building something in this space and want to understand the real workflow before I get further into it. Questions cover what tools you use, what format your manuscript is in when you send it, how many readers actually deliver, and what you do with the feedback once it arrives. About 5 minutes, no email required. https://forms.gle/aqVTDTv2LhYDxzAXA Happy”

“I’ve had some beta readings of my final book draft in the last few weeks. Reception was good along with much needed critiques. The most intriguing part of feedback was that the dynamic between the two main characters was highly received, but the exact words “male gaze” did come up more than once. In the simplest way, I’m asking for advice on how to handle it well, while still allowing a 17 year old character to remain hormonal, WHILST also not having to constantly condemn it. I like to imply thr”

“I just finished writing a novel and I’m looking for beta readers without spending a ton of money. Where are the best places to go? submitted by /u/solisrhea [link] [comments]”

“Hi, I am currently 10k into my debut novel and I don’t feel like I am quite ready for beta readers. I know alpha readers help especially with first drafts/development, so I was wondering if there were in alpha readers in this sub. Those particularly interested in historical fantasy based on African colonialism/the use of religion has a colonization tool. lgbtq characters, dark themes, morally gray characters, and multiple povs. If anyone knows an alpha readers pls let me know or if there is an a”

“I want to become a beta reader and have some actual projects to show for myself, and so I was wondering if having experience writing fanfics helps in that aspect at all? As in, if i were to bring up that I have written some well applauded fanfic, would that help me get a job as a beta reader? submitted by /u/7975348473 [link] [comments]”

“For those who’ve paid for beta readers, I’d really love to hear about your experiences, particularly whether you felt the feedback you received was honest and critical, or whether you felt they simply told you what you wanted to hear. I’m asking because over the course of this year, I’ve paid for four highly rated beta readers on Fiverr, and despite explicitly asking them to be as critical as possible, they all concluded that my manuscript was great. I was thrilled, of course, until I later stum”

“I heard you need to have beta readers before publishing a novel, do you need to? submitted by /u/kenjiehere [link] [comments]”

“First off my beta readers were great and even the ones who didn't like my novel gave amazing feedback, but the issue I'm having now is knowing what to do with all that feedback...every reader of mine wants something different for the most part. Obviously I am keeping the parts where all of my readers agreed that was good, but for the other plot points there is a lot of disagreement and different ideas thrown out for the book I kind of feel like a deer caught in head lights and frozen on”

“I honestly wasn’t expecting that much from a beta reader, but I changed my view. I’m writing my first novel, and I found two beta readers on Reddit sub. The first one told me he didn’t really like the novel and wanted to stop reading, which was pretty discouraging. But the second beta reader gave me detailed feedback, sent me whole document with their analysis and answers to a few questions, and told me that my novel felt fresh and that they wanted to keep reading in future as the story unfolds.”

“I'm still working on my story, however when I finish I will need beta readers. Though I feel like it will be more like alpha readers. I will still plan to edit and revise, but I wanted to know if reddit was a good place to get free beta readers who only want to read. I thought I'd ask so when that time comes, I know what to do. Just curious to know. submitted by /u/Qualeshia3 [link] [comments]”

“After finishing my story's latest draft, I sent it out to several beta readers as a swap. They all had more experience than me, so I was excited for their feedback. However, a lot of it only gave me doubts. One reader in particular said, in short, "If you want to find an agent or achieve any commercial success with this story, you should rewrite your protagonist as a woman and remove their disability." When I asked for clarification, she told me to look for comps for my novel that”

“Hi, I'm new to this sub so please let me know if this isn't allowed. I'm writing my first novel and I'm looking for reliable Beta readers to give constructive feedback. It's broadly a magical realism story with elements of romance and thriller. Thanks all! submitted by /u/Tricky_Resort218 [link] [comments]”

“I just finished polishing my manuscript and I am ready to pass it on to a few friends willing to beta read for me. In the past it’s been hard to get proper feedback from people without hours of conversation to draw the ideas out of them. I was thinking that I should also put together a worksheet to help on that front. Does anyone have a list of essential questions that they think I should add? submitted by /u/Objective_Campaign82 [link] [comments]”

“just wondering how the authors here consider their experiences with using Beta Readers. I have hired a few, many more have offered to read chapters for free in the hopes of work, but I have my doubts about the value (paid or otherwise). I suspect that they are biased towards the work, either because they are bubble wrapping their opinions to protect my ego, or they hope for continued patronage, or the least likelihood that my work is uniformly agreed to be wonderful… submitted by /u/”

“Hi everyone! A friend of a family member has offered to read my manuscript, which I greatly appreciate. I sent it via Google Drive and disabled copying and printing. However, she's asking if I would allow her to print the entire manuscript since it will be easier for her to read. The thought of anyone having a physical copy of my unpublished manuscript makes me a bit uncomfortable, but I'm wondering what the community thinks. Thank you! submitted by /u/Mission-Drink-2400 [lin”

“So I’m having someone beta read my book for the first time. I gave guidelines of what kind of feedback I’m looking for and the reader has followed it, so I have no actual qualms with the comments they’ve made thus far. I know logically that the bad feeling I’m getting from seeing their critiques and suggestions is a personal issue. My question is, how do I not take it so personally? Friends and family have read the story, and have expressed being compelled by the plot and characters, and even cr”

“I'm interested in writing and writing a book and I'd like to have some beta readers to help me make something nice currently I've written 5 chapters with a sixth coming soon here is a google docks link to what I've written: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19wx0E941uUMzd_I-YWK1zioDI19FB7-wHDgIGwL9uWU/edit?tab=t.0 submitted by /u/Accomplished-Rip6469 [link] [comments]”

“I wanted to share the email I got from one of my beta readers for my newest project. Man I feel amazing after this. Hey, I've been trying to figure out how to talk about your book, and honestly, the fact that it's so hard to pin down is probably the best compliment I can give it. It's dark fantasy, sure, but it's also a coming-of-age story, a theological thriller, a crime novel, and a war narrative all at once. The only fair comparisons are other books that refuse to stay in one”

“I’m writing a dark fantasy story and hired some beta readers. I focused the writing entirely on the protagonist's sensory experiences, using a limited third-person perspective. The story's first arc the opening four chapters functions like a horror short story. Three people are seeking shelter from the rain and find a farmhouse where they can wait for the storm to pass. An old man emerges and tells them his wife and child were taken by a creature. The group offers to help, and the man le”

“I'm in the final revision stage of my first novel, and it's made me curious. At what point did you know your manuscript was finally ready? Was it a gut feeling, feedback from beta readers or an editor, or did you simply decide it was time to let it go? I'd love to hear how other writers knew it was time to stop revising and hit publish. submitted by /u/SaoirseJRao [link] [comments]”

“Where do you all generally go when looking for alpha readers for your rough and messy first drafts? Or even Beta readers further down the line? Also, how do you make sure that your writing is secure when sending it out there? Everything I have written up til now has been almost a solo project, so to speak. I haven't gone out to the internet and sought readers, neither have I found or attended any writers groups. I have only one or two close friends that have read my work (aside from having s”

“Hi! I have a book I have written and I was wanting someone who would be able to read it for me as I would like to publish! This would be you volunteering your time as the is a side thing I felt like doing however we can discuss ways in which I can contribute to you.. I’m looking for flow in the chapters, consistency of storyline’s and any plot holes or characters. Let me know if you’re interested x This is the blurb Nothing Else Matters - Alexis has spent years building a life that feels safe. S”

“Hi! So I am an aspiring writer and have been writing on and off since high school. I have many ideas, but haven't completed any work. I have minimal real experience outside of a college creative writing course and no published works. This year, after having not written anything since college (which was 5 years ago, holy shit), I promised myself to finish at least one of the three ideas I've been working on for a novel. The problem is outside of that class, I've never let anyone read”

“Putting some feelers out on general pros and cons of having a mix of fellow authors beta reading your manuscript vs readers. Are there certain things to take with a grain of salt vs focus on? submitted by /u/OkMathematician9834 [link] [comments]”

“Hey guys, I’ve been writing stories since 1st grade and I do have goals to publish some of my favorites in the future. What I have trouble with my writing process is not having a beta reader because a new pair of eyes is so ”eye-opening” to my writing process. It gets rid of my coyness and I get feedback on what I write. How does one acquire a beta reader? submitted by /u/Minseo18 [link] [comments]”

“I’ve been working on my book on and off for about 2 years now. I’ve had to take multiple breaks because I’ve been in graduate school and had to focus on that. But now I can finally put most of my focus on it now. I’m currently on my 3rd draft. submitted by /u/FiredUpAuthor [link] [comments]”