I finished revising my novella Into the Fire this month. Started a beta reader project to get much needed feedback on the book. I am proud of the work I did on the project before I launched but there are things that came up I never thought I would face. I want to share some of these insights with you. I want to learn what your experience is if you have done a beta read project yourself. I am going to be working on a ebook on how to set up a beta read campaign using Facebook.
Don’t be so hard on myself.
I have battled self-doubt, my inner critic, and my inner cheerleader for over a month now. It was hard to find a zen place when it comes to this project. Lucky for me I have a great support group. I found some projects to do and some fun time wasters to do while the project is happening.
I got a friend to handle the admin for the project. Her other job is to keep me from checking what people are saying about the book every day. This friend will be the one to let me know about anything I need to fix that isn’t book related.
My biggest piece of advice is to let the program roll without me. To not check and see what people are saying. Wait till the project is over and gather the information then. Plan a system of attack for when you do start looking at what your readers had to say.
Plan more than the prep work for the project.
Before I started the project I came up with notes. Notes on what I was offering my readers for doing the work, what I wanted them to give me feedback on, and how I wanted the project to work.
Then I choose a platform to host my beta read on. Lucky for me I have a writers group on Facebook and I was pretty familiar with how their group pages worked.
You will want to plan weekly posts to keep your readers excited. Take the time and find people who aren’t your friends to take part in the group. Pick things to do while they are doing the reading. Pick an adequate amount of time for them to read the material and it not interfere with their daily needs. The later is the most important. You need to take care of your readers and let them know that they are your best assets in this project.
Take days off.
Step away and do the other things you need to do or want to do. Don’t make it something you worry about every day. I am very lucky that I have people who want me to succeed and are willing to help.
You can’t explain what you want enough.
You can plan till your out of breath, and you will still need to explain things that you understand in your head. Remember that what you want from a check in will not be what your reader will think it is.
State your desires and needs plainly. It is better to have it in words than leave it for people to guess. I have found that what I think it means and what someone else thinks it means can lead to the last thing on this list.
Be prepared for your readers to freak out a little.
Wow some people are as much of a busy bee as I am. I have had a few people afraid that they wouldn’t be able to do the project because of their own schedules. They feared that the book was longer than a novella, that they wouldn’t be able to check in with me on a certain day of the week. I was blown away by the worries my readers had.
Take the time to listen to their concerns. Take the time to address any concerns and clear up any confusion. Not only for the one concerned but also the group at large. The old adage is true if one person asks you a question someone else has the same question but not the courage to ask.
If they have to back out because of other projects or commitments be thankful that they wanted to take part. Do Not make them feel bad for having to back out. Take the time to keep up with them and encourage their projects. I also take the time to find out if there was any way they believe that I could have done a better job. Get feedback from them and use that feedback in the best way you can.
I hope this helps you with your beta read projects or as a beta reader. I am so very lucky to have awesome beta readers. If you are interested in the ebook I am writing on this project. Please share what you have learned from doing a beta read. I look forward to your input and look for the ebook in August.
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