M F ALFREY

Before the line edit, copy edit and proofread stages there are potentially three initial phases: the alpha read, the beta read, and the first editing stage also known as the developmental edit. For a piece of fiction, these earlier stages tend to be focused at a more macro level of analysis. In this post we turn to the beta read.

What it is

The beta reader, whether professional or amateur, should be wearing a casual-reader hat. The beta read may happen before or after the developmental edit, but it generally occurs after an alpha read and subsequent feedback. The author may have already workshopped the piece and drafted it a couple of times too. Again, like an alpha read, the beta read is concerned with story revision. Yet this time, from the perspective of a reader – preferably an avid reader of the genre in question (feedback from such a person is much more useful to the author). Typically, the story is complete. As with the alpha read, the beta reader will be looking at characters, plot and setting, but the beta stage is focused more on the experience of the reader. They will consider whether the story is believable, entertaining, and engaging for the reader, and also whether the way the story unfolds is satisfying. The beta reader does not need to know the author’s intent beforehand, it should be clear from the text.

What it is not

Again, like the alpha read, the beta read is not a grammar, spelling or punctuation check. Nor is it concerned with the technical side of the writing, but more the quality and clarity of the story as a whole. This is because the big technical changes should have been made by now and the text is being read as if it were the finished story. Though grammar, spelling, layout and so on, will most likely still need checking, but these are tasks for later in the process.

What the author gets

A beta read provides the author with feedback about the story from a “general public” perspective. An effective beta reading report should provide feedback on whether the story is clear in respect to its intended audience and fits its intended genre, and whether it makes an engaging read. Such a report might raise any remaining questions related to character, plot, and setting and may point to ambiguities which slipped through the net during the alpha reading stage.

Further Reading

This reading list contains Amazon Associate links. As an associate, I may earn commission from qualifying purchases.

Early Readers Catch the Worms – Carol Beth Anderson

The Writer’s Journey – Christopher Vogler

Writing Fiction for Dummies – Randy Ingermanson & Peter Economy

On Writing – Steven King