Trust in a Beta Reader

Picking a Beta isn't an easy task. Every type of artist usually has intrinsic trust issues (I won't say writers have it worse). However, I'm one of those writers that can't stand for my work to appear in front of someone else—especially someone I'm close to or know well—without it being as perfect as I feel I can make it. This presents a problem, since it's obvious I'm not going to pick a stranger to be a Beta Reader. Needless to say, my writing has been pretty sheltered. In the past few years, I gained more confidence in letting people see my work after going through the workshop component of my BFA. Now, I love having certain people's opinions on my stuff. It still amazes me how much other people can see, that I can't. I'm hard to offend, as long as the criticism is constructive and the intentions behind it are meant well. I grew up in art schools, so I'm used to constructive criticism. Any artist, in any field, who truly wants to grow, will always have an open ear, thick skin, and their own critical eye of any criticism.

I recently acquired a Beta Reader that isn't a member of my family or my writer's group—Uncensored, which is comprised of alumni from my University who were partially or completely involved in the Creative Writing or English departments. I'd been passively looking for a Beta Reader for a good while. 'Passively' being the operative term, which, if I'm honest, has actually just been me procrastinating as I wondered how I was going to find someone I trusted enough to be a Beta.

I've wanted a Beta Reader or two outside of my writer's group and my family. Family, no matter how much they try, are always a little bit biased, or at least have a hard time separating you as the writer from the story since they're so used to your 'voice.' (My mom being a big exception to this rule—no joke—she's actually pretty good at removing 'me' from my work). But that's why we love them, so no real complaints; this can be an asset sometimes. The Betas from my writer's group (hereby referred to as UBRs: Uncensored Beta Readers) are amazing at catching literary problems, plot holes, and grammatical issues. But I write Romance and romance readers are very particular. The genre is so specialized that we, the avid readers of it, look for very specific elements. So, if I'm going to have a Beta outside of family and Uncensored, then it really needs to be a romance-genre-fiend to truly be effective. There's a big difference between all three of these types of readers, but the opinions of each are essential.

This Beta fell into my lap; I can't take credit for it. She was a friend and co-worker who has been after me for almost two years about wanting to read my stuff. She recently told me she would be flying to the New England area and knew, with the raging snow storm, that she'd probably be stuck in airports for a while and wanted something to pass the time. I finally gave in because I actually had something that was at the stage of needing an outside Beta Reader (my main UBR having already gone through it, and my mom currently halfway through already). Her excitement over receiving it made me incredibly happy and nervous at the same time, because I hoped it would live up to what she thought it would be. I gave the manuscript to her the day before her trip and told her to protect it with her life.

However, all I'd heard the hour before handing the binder over (which included the process of printing out the newest version at FedEx) was my husband asking me if I was sure I could trust whoever I was giving it to. After the third time he'd phrased the question differently, it made me wonder what this process looked like to an outside person who understands an artist's need for protection but isn't close enough to the project to know when it needs to go to the next level.

Well, I really thought about it: she's a co-worker and an avid reader (mostly of the romance genre). We talk books whenever we can and even exchange books between us every now and then. She's also the type of person to get giddy over knowing an author and being part of the process. Well, she got her wish— hopefully she's not regretting it.

My UBRs are great at line edits, plot holes, and grammar, but the avid-reader-type Beta (a.k.a. my mom and my co-worker) can tell me if the book sweeps them off their feet, or if they can't put it down, the points where it's easy to put down and where it's hard to pick back up. All of these elements are important. (With respect, my main UBR will read anything, which is a quality I envy.) And that's not to say that my UBRs can't tell me if it's a hard-to-put-down piece, they're all their own type of avid reader. But as people who have gone through our degree, and it's editing componets, we have a tendency—myself included—to focus on writing elements when we know we're reading with a critical eye.

I guess the only answer to my husband's question is: inherent trust. I trust her. I've been bitten by both sides of the trust coin—trustworthiness and betrayal. I have some amazing friends in my corner which I highly value, and I have some doozies in the gutter of my past. My judgment isn't perfect (I'm not naive enough to think there won't be more doozies in the future) but I have to trust my gut in order to let it learn.

My fail-safes? I work with her. Amusingly, this is almost as good as warning your Beta that you know where they live. And though it's not published, there is a type of copyright on the work. Yes, a Beta Reader could take your idea, but here is where the publishing system that's so difficult to navigate, actually becomes and asset. As we are all aware, it's a major process to find an agent and then get your work to the published stage. If someone takes your idea, they would almost have to completely re-write it in order for your voice—the staple of the original piece—to not drown out theirs as they try to edit tid-bits of your story after an agent gets their teeth into it. (But now I'm getting into another topic I'm sure I'll cover at another date.) Just remember that not everyone is a writer. Those that are, develop a special flavor unique to their 'voice' and the professionals know how to spot it.

So don't be afraid of a Beta Reader, just be very picky and trust your gut. Or only give them half of the story now, and the rest once they finish. Do whatever keeps you comfortable. If you're too nervous about a Beta Reader who isn't connected by blood, profession, or years worth of trust, don't have one; just do your best to be as critical as possible and focus on the strength of your 'voice.' (Just know that your agent and editor may have a lot to say when your work reaches their desk.) There are people out there that offer to edit your stuff for a fee, but I wouldn't recommend it; I've heard too many horror stories. But that's just me, it doesn't mean it won't work for you.

I love being a Beta Reader for those in my Uncensored group and I hope my Beta Readers aren't too daunted by being mine. We'll see what they say. It's all part of the process; but for me, a helpful part so far.

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