Beta readers can help your book develop. They'll need specific guidance, though, or you'll get a lot of "I thought it was great." You want to hear that, but the book needs more specifics. It's good to use beta reading as a backup to a complete development cycle. Craft the book first, then check your choices. A coach or a development editor can get you ready for the beta moment.
- Does the manuscript have a strong hook? Does the story start in the right place?
- What are the manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses? Examine these elements
- Point of view
- Scene setting
- Language and especially tone
- Showing vs. telling balance
- Clarity
- Use of metaphors and similes
- Length
- How is the characterization? Was there any place where you felt you couldn’t follow the motivations of a character, or didn’t buy them?
- How is the pacing? Were there any places where it slowed down or felt hurried?
- When did you feel the most and least engaged with the text? At what point did you start getting bored or distracted?
- Were there any scenes you didn’t get the point of, or felt that they didn’t serve the story as a whole?
- Which was your favorite character, and why?
- How was the imagery/description? Did the manuscript need more, less—and where?
- What were the overall themes of the book? How would you strengthen them?
- Did anything in the book seem fake or unrealistic to you?
- What concerns do you see readers having with the book?
- Was there enough conflict? Did it feel natural to you? Were there any points where it felt contrived or forced?
- What was your favorite part, thing, or scene of the book?
- What was your least favorite part, thing, or scene of the book?
- What is the one problem with the book that you are hesitant to bring up, possibly because you’re not sure how to fix it?
