M F ALFREY

During the earlier stages of the lifecycle of a manuscript there are potentially three distinct processes: the alpha read, the beta read, and the first editing stage also known as the developmental edit. For a piece of fiction, these stages tend to be focused at a more macro level of analysis than the later stages. Let’s begin by looking at the alpha read.

What it is

The alpha reader, professional or amateur, should be wearing a writer-reader hat. This is usually the first check you put your manuscript through as an author. The story may be a rough or first draft, or even unfinished. The purpose of an alpha read is story revision, but from the perspective of a writer. It is usually best performed by someone who knows the writing process and craft (the feedback will be more on point and useful to the author). They will be looking to see if the story makes sense, if it is internally consistent, that the characters, plot, and setting are developed or developing in the right direction to best represent the author’s vision and intent.

What it is not

It is not a grammar, spelling, or punctuation check. Nor is it deeply concerned with sentence level stylistic work in terms of making detailed suggestions for revisions. An alpha reader may give more general comments on such things, but only in such a way that they highlight strong and weak points to the author and identify areas that could benefit from tweaking. This is because at this stage the author is still fleshing ideas out so just needs a nudge in the right direction or a fresh pair of eyes. The story at this stage is still most likely subject to potential changes regarding character and plot arcs.

What the author gets

Ideally, an alpha read results in constructive critical feedback on the manuscript or work in progress regarding what works and what does not, major plot holes, inconsistencies, or ambiguities in the text. If you are lucky, your alpha reader will provide you with a written report. For me, it is a written report of the work so far detailing whether it is generally working in regards to the author’s stated intent. An alpha reading report likely contains feedback on POV, narrative voice, character, plot, pace, and anything specific raised as a query by the author.

Further Reading