When you complete your first draft and your substantive edit, the next step in the book writing process is the beta review process. What is a beta review? This process involves having a number of people read your manuscript in its draft form. At which point they provide the author and editor with very specific feedback on what worked and what did not work in the manuscript. In short, as I tell my authors, the beta readers find the holes that we can longer see.
Preparing for the Beta Review
To begin this process, I ask my author to choose five beta readers, some in their field, others, just people they know. I choose five beta readers of my own. After we have our readers selected, we prepare a list of ten questions. The author writes five questions that they would like answered about the content of the book. These include- did the book read well, did they learn what the author was trying to teach, etc. I, as the editor, write my own five questions, primarily about the technical aspects of the book, flow, transitions, etc. Most of the questions are yes or no, with plenty of room for the whys, which play a big role in the beta analysis.
The Beta Analysis
We allow our beta readers a month or so, depending on the length of the manuscript, to read and write answers to our questions. Once all of the readers return their questionnaires, our analysis work begins.
First, I create a numerical analysis using a spreadsheet. On one column, I enter each of the questions and on one row across; I enter each of the reader’s names. Then I enter all yes and no information so we can see at a glance how the majority of the readers answered each question.
Second, I compile all of the notes provided by each reader from the “why” section of the questionnaire into a report. Every question has its own notes section. In the analysis section at the end of each question, I write my recommendations for any post beta revisions.
This most important step provides the writer with so much information to make their books more readable, more interesting, and a more polished finished product prior to submission to publishers. Even if you plan to self-publish, the beta review is worth the time. Don’t forget, those beta readers are your first glimpse into how your reading public will receive your book once you launch!
