Beta Readers

When I first started writing, I didn’t understand the need for Beta readers.  NOW nothing happens without my beta readers’ input. The final draft doesn’t even get sent to the editor until the beta’s have climbed through my stories.  Final versions AFTER editing do not get published without my beta readers confirming:

The flow of the story makes senses and has no awkward spots.

Characters have the same color of hair/eyes/habits throughout the book/series – more often then I’d like to admit I’ve accidentally changed some important detail like this.  In my defense, in some books/series I have roughly 20 (or more) characters in my head – so it can get a little fuzzy in areas.

Twice, that I recall I even put the WRONG NAME for a character! I had the wrong person married to a character not even in the same book and another time I switched brothers and completely changed a family tree with one wrong name.

There are no ‘jump off the page’ spelling errors or grammar flops.

Unfortunately, no matter how many run throughs the editor or I make, some things get missed.  Often it’s due to pieces being deleted, added or formatting adjustments – leaving an odd letter not attached to a word in the middle of a sentence… We are not perfect.  If my book makes it through two beta reads without reports of errors, I call it done.

There are no ‘huh?’ scenes.

It happens. I see it in my mind and from time to time my mind and typing don’t translate well. My editor usually finds all these areas (she is amazing – but still human), but from time to time my editor and I get focused on other details that a scene we didn’t find complicated, turns out to be just that.

I ♥ my beta readers. You are the first and last step to the long process of my writing world.

We really need a beta reader appreciation day added to the year. I saw this once on Facebook, but now I can’t find it – but seriously authors need to unite and get a Beta Reader Appreciation Day going!

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