Editing [Tutorial] Test Your Story's Popularity Potential -- Beta-Readers

[OokamiKasumi]

Testing your Story's Popularity Potential!
Beta-Readers​

So, you wanna know if your story has what it takes to thrill and interest your readers? Believe it or not, this is easier to do than you might think. What you need is a Beta-Test.

BEFORE you post that fantastic fic on a story site, before the publishing editor gets their grubby paws on your glorious tale, get your hands on a few Beta-Readers and have then test read your stuff before you expose it to the world.

DISCLAIMER: As with all advice, take what you can use and throw out the rest. As a multi-published author, I have been taught some fairly rigid rules on what is publishable and what is not. If my rather straight-laced (and occasionally snotty,) advice does not suit your creative style, by all means, IGNORE IT.

Have you hugged your Beta Reader today? ​

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Anyone who writes with the intent to be read by the public, from the brand-name published authors to the fan-fiction scribbler, will tell you that a good Beta-Reader is worth their weight in GOLD.

Most Beta-Readers look for obvious grammar boo-boos and glaring spelling errors, but the really good ones look at your story as a whole and tell you where your strengths and weaknesses are so you can adjust them.

WHO do you get?

Not proof-readers and NOT line editors!
I have a hard-core line editor and he only gets the book when it's COMPLETED. I never allow anyone to do typo or grammar checking while I am writing. I wait until the very end. Stopping for grammar kills my creative momentum. Also, I rewrite as I write so much that by the time someone gets back to me to tell me I have a typo or repeated something, I've probably already corrected it or moved it.

Those who post on Story sites:
-- Definitely get a typo check before you post your current chapter, but AFTER your Beta-readers have gotten back to you!

NO SPOUSES.
Spouses are either too critical or not critical enough.

AVOID Critique Groups. (Unless you KNOW the people involved.)
They are your Direct Competition and it is in Their best interest to cut you down and discourage you. Especially if you're good. Make darn sure that the people critiquing your work are worthy of your TRUST!

You want Fans.
People who already like your stuff. Fans will be gentle in their disparaging remarks and quick to praise.

You will do well with two; one male, one female, but more is definitely better. I prefer SIX bodies: three female, three male.​

• Clue by four: Guys like ACTION, Girls like EMOTION, everybody likes a Smart-Ass, so practice your witty repartee!

HOW do you get them?

I don't know about you, but my author site has an email function. I ask my fans directly by emailing the ones that actually like my work. "Hey, I need a beta-reader. Do you want to read my newest story before anyone else gets to see it?"

​

Those who post on story sites:
-- Getting Beta-Readers is really easy for you guys. Use that Author's Note function at the END of the chapter, (not the beginning!) and ASK if anyone wants to volunteer to be a Beta-Reader for your story. Have them privately message you and go from there.

The Beta-Reader's Questionnaire​

Whether you’re a Writer looking to check your work or a Beta-Reader who wants to point out a few things to your favorite writer, these issues are what I ask all MY Beta-Readers to check. Feel free to feel free to borrow, spindle, and mutilate this list of questions to your heart’s desire.​

Is it BORING?

• Does any part of the story Drag?
• Are their parts that you skipped to get to ‘the good part’?
• Do I over-inform (info-dump) anywhere?

Fan-Fiction Writers:

• If someone unfamiliar with this Fandom read this, have I explained enough for them to understand everything that's happening in that scene?

Did you GET IT?

• Did you understand every phrase / term I used?
• Did I forget to mention that someone was demon-possessed, half angelic, or had mystical powers?

Did it WORK?

• Did it make you laugh?
• Did it make you cry?
• Did it scare you where it was supposed to scare you?

Love Scenes?

• Do any of the love scenes seem overly cliché? (Or overly sappy?)
• Were the love scenes too fast, too slow, or too frequent?
• Did you have to reread any part of the love scenes to understand who was doing what?
• Did any action in the love scene make you cringe?
• Did it make you hot?

Do the scenes FLOW?

• Does one scene lead logically into the next?
• Do the scenes flow smoothly from one action sequence to the next, or did they jump as though something was skipped?
• Is there enough downtime between intense scenes to allow it to build to the next?
• Were the Flashbacks smoothly integrated to fit onto the current scene, or did they seem plopped in, like a chapter that was in the wrong place?

Is it TOO MUCH?

• Is there enough down-time between intense scenes to allow it to build to the next?
• Does any part of it make you cringe in a Bad way?
• Have I crossed the Comfort-Zone line?

Is anything VISUALLY Confusing?

• Can you SEE every action clearly?
• If you went there in real life, would you recognize the locations?
• Did you have to reread any part of the action sequences to understand who was doing what?
• Could you SEE what the characters looked like clearly?
• Did I forget to describe their Clothes, their Hair, their Eyes, or any other distinctive feature?
• Was I smart enough NOT to use grade student descriptions such as: "She was five-foot, seven with double-D breasts"?

Fan-Fiction Writers:

• Could someone who was Not familiar with the fandom SEE what the characters looked like clearly?

During DIALOGUE scenes…

• Does the Dialogue sound realistic for the individual characters?
• Could you SEE what the characters were DOING while talking?
• Could you SEE where the characters WERE while talking?

Did the Characters WORK?

• Do their actions & reactions seem logical & realistic?
• Could you feel the Emotions between the characters?
• Does the story stay focused on my Main Character?
• Is the villain actually Villainous?
• Were any of my female characters too much of a b!tch or a bimbo?
• Were any of my male characters whiny, wimpy, or overly dramatic?
• Who did you like best and WHY?
• Who did you hate and WHY?
• Who got on your nerves and WHY?
• Do any of the characters get in the way of the STORY?

Fan-Fiction Writers:

• Did the characters seem In Character?
• Would Original characters have worked better for this story?

The answers to these BURNING questions will keep your fiction crisp, focused, and Popular. If your beta-readers liked it then loads of other people will too.

I still think that if George Lucas had used a few fans for beta-readers, the scenes with Aniken as a child would have been much shorter and made more sense, Jar Jar Binks would never have appeared, the romance would have been well, a Romance, and the clone war would have been an actual War. But that just MY opinion...
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Want to read my other Writing tutorials?

 

[KoyukiMegumi]

NO SPOUSES.
Spouses are either too critical or not critical enough.

HAH.... My husband is too critical... Thank you for the info!

 

[SailusGebel]

After looking through this tutorial, a sudden question popped up. How do you get fans?

 

[OokamiKasumi]

HAH.... My husband is too critical... Thank you for the info!

Most spouses/lovers are. Even worse, spouses/lovers rarely read their spouse's genre of work. I can't tell you how many authors I know whose spouse/lover straight-up refused to read any of that author's work!

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After looking through this tutorial, a sudden question popped up. How do you get fans?

Most people looking for beta-readers already have work either published or posted on a site somewhere. No matter how bad it is, someone will like it.

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[ElijahRyne]

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Most people looking for beta-readers already have work either published or posted on a site somewhere.

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Oh, so I’m screwed…

 

[KoyukiMegumi]

Most spouses/lovers are. Even worse, spouses/lovers rarely read their spouse's genre of work. I can't tell you how many authors I know whose spouse/lover straight-up refused to read any of that author's work!

Hahahah, that is my case. Though he just doesn't read books at all.

 

[greyblob]

Thank you. I might use this myself actually. However, it's as tame as the previous one. I'll keep watching just in case.

 

[SakeVision]

I know my main character isn't very focused on, and I know my villains aren't villainous

 

[dvelasquez]

I know my main character isn't very focused on, and I know my villains aren't villainous

I was going to comment on how I just stole the whole post and saved it a personal document, but this is fun. I mean. What do you mean with your main character isn't very focused on? Like you don't give him enough screen time? And the part about the villains, I would say that's a good point? I mean, depends on what you exactly mean, but yeah, I would see it being more of a good point, not just the villain that's oh-so-bad-because-lettuce.

P.D. I totally stole the whole post and saved it in a personal document. Thank you! Really great info, OP.

 

[SakeVision]

I was going to comment on how I just stole the whole post and saved it a personal document, but this is fun. I mean. What do you mean with your main character isn't very focused on? Like you don't give him enough screen time? And the part about the villains, I would say that's a good point? I mean, depends on what you exactly mean, but yeah, I would see it being more of a good point, not just the villain that's oh-so-bad-because-lettuce.

P.D. I totally stole the whole post and saved it in a personal document. Thank you! Really great info, OP.

My fiction is currently at 33 chapters, and so far only three of them have been written entirely from the MCs perspective.
It's intentional.

Also, as you have correctly noted, villains not being very villainous is intentional as well.

 

[EternalSunset0]

Every day, I think to myself how lucky I was to have found a beta reader who puts up with my stuff and even gives me plot ideas.

I only have one, because among my circle of friends who "get" what I write (aka weebs) only one really reads a lot.

Everyone else either isn't interested or beta reads like one chapter in months, and given my self-imposed schedule, that's a no go. The others who are likewise writers all prefer the more "serious/complicated" or "artsy" (think stuff like VEG and the like) anime, which isn't what I'm going for with my work.

 

[K5Rakitan]

If I like the premise of a manuscript, but it's nowhere near ready to publish, I often tell the author to get a beta reader and try submitting again in another year or three. I'm willing to do work on stories, but there is a limit to how much I am willing to fix.

 

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

I should probably get a few of those, I haven't asked my RL friends cause they all write romance stories in a different language, the genre difference between us would be awkward(they watch anime but I wouldn't consider my works "anime" style)

My fiction is currently at 33 chapters, and so far only three of them have been written entirely from the MCs perspective.

I don't think that's a problem, lazy king literally has 1 or 2 chapters dedicated to the MC for its entirety, and it was great. Of course, the side characters have to be well-written for this to work.

 

[OokamiKasumi]

Hahahah, that is my case. Though he just doesn't read books at all.

Why would you even associate with someone that doesn't read?! >0.o<

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Thank you. I might use this myself actually. However, it's as tame as the previous one. I'll keep watching just in case.

You are trying to get me to start a riot on my own threads. You're not even pretending now!

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I was going to comment on how I just stole the whole post and saved it a personal document, but this is fun. I mean. What do you mean with your main character isn't very focused on? Like you don't give him enough screen time? And the part about the villains, I would say that's a good point? I mean, depends on what you exactly mean, but yeah, I would see it being more of a good point, not just the villain that's oh-so-bad-because-lettuce.

ROFLMAO...!
-- I kind of want to know myself.

P.D. I totally stole the whole post and saved it in a personal document. Thank you! Really great info, OP.

You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it enough to keep.
-- In fact, spread the document to as many beta-readers as you can.

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[KoyukiMegumi]

Every day, I think to myself how lucky I was to have found a beta reader who puts up with my stuff and even gives me plot ideas.

I only have one, because among my circle of friends who "get" what I write (aka weebs) only one really reads a lot.

Heheh... I only have my friend too. He is the reason I started posting. Usually finds typos that make me laugh.

But-- Why would you even associate with someone that doesn't read?! >0.o<

View attachment 9661

Because he is my one and only dumbo. Love him to death. Though he reads just about politics, news, conspiracy theories, but that doesn't count as a book as it is a post or article. Eh... Love is blind?

 

[OokamiKasumi]

Every day, I think to myself how lucky I was to have found a beta reader who puts up with my stuff and even gives me plot ideas.

You are so lucky to have found such a good one!

I only have one, because among my circle of friends who "get" what I write (aka weebs) only one really reads a lot.

Everyone else either isn't interested or beta reads like one chapter in months, and given my self-imposed schedule, that's a no go. The others who are likewise writers all prefer the more "serious/complicated" or "artsy" (think stuff like VEG and the like) anime, which isn't what I'm going for with my work.

You poor lamb!
-- Post in the Author's Notes of your story that you're looking for Beta-Readers. Someone, probably several someones, will respond. Then send them the questionnaire!

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If I like the premise of a manuscript, but it's nowhere near ready to publish, I often tell the author to get a beta reader and try submitting again in another year or three. I'm willing to do work on stories, but there is a limit to how much I am willing to fix.

Your intelligence is showing.

I never fight my editors because their job is to make my work shine. Why would anyone fight that?!

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I should probably get a few of those, [beta-readers]. I haven't asked my RL friends cause they all write romance stories in a different language, the genre difference between us would be awkward. (They watch anime but I wouldn't consider my works "anime" style.)

Beta-readers are GOLD -- when they're not focused on being a grammar-Nazi.

My housemate was a professional editor for years. Sadly, she can't focus on anything beyond grammar and typos. I have to get other people to check for plot-holes and character interactions. You know, the story part of it, the part that actually counts.

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[greyblob]

You are trying to get me to start a riot on my own threads. You're not even pretending now!

And it's obviously not working. I'll have to up my game.

 

[OokamiKasumi]

And it's obviously not working. I'll have to up my game.

Please don't.

However, once I post the tutorial on how to write an Action Scene, that will start all kinds of screaming -- especially from those who prefer to write in Passive Voice and in a journalistic style.

I'm trying to build up the guts to post it.

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[EternalSunset0]

Please don't.

However, once I post the tutorial on how to write an Action Scene, that will start all kinds of screaming -- especially from those who prefer to write in Passive Voice and in a journalistic style.

I'm trying to build up the guts to post it.

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I think you don't have to be afraid. At the end of the day, and I hope you won't take this the wrong way, your advice threads are not the end all of writing. You write these threads well, and I think they are super helpful, but it is ultimately up to me, as a writer, if I would follow them.

You know what you're talking about, but writing isn't a "solved equation" if you get my drift.

I believe that once you get the stuff like grammar away, writing has no concrete rules.

Well, there are, but they're not as "hard" of a set of rules. If you do that piece on action scenes or whatever topic you come up, and I disagree, why would I feel offended and argue my case? I can probably share my perspective, and it opens up to some really good discussions that I feel this forum needs more of.

I may be wrong in the professional sense or from someone with a lot of experience, but at the end of the day, I can still learn from it and see what works or not myself, maybe even coming up with my own compromise that even combines both perspectives.

Writing is very subjective. It's not like a 2+2=4 situation and there are so many ways to do it. Some could be "superior" to others based on the lens or criteria you use, but that doesn't make any of them invalid or be the subject of violent defenses.

 

[LostLibrarian]

Those tutorials are so obvious, I can't even find a little thing to disagree with...
So... uhm... let's go anyway:

One good thing about SH is that most readers see themselves as beta readers. The overwhelming majority doesn't care about a handful of grammar mistakes or other problems. Most stuff on here is in the range of "first draft" and the users rate stories as such.

So on SH it's actually rather easy to find beta-readers. Post the stuff, see the reaction, and use that information for short edits or future chapters...