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Critique Partner and Beta Reader 101
This week, I talk about the basics of working with critique partners and beta readers - how to find them, when to get them involved, and why they're so valuable.
You can adjust the following points to whatever works best for you and your process. This is what works best for me and what I recommend based on my experience:
Critique partners:
- can come into the process at any time
- can help you with anything from making smaller decisions like character name changes over helping you choose a book cover to reading your whole book and giving you feedback on it.
- Critique partners aren't paid, but it is generally expected that you help them like they are helping you. It's a critique partnership, after all!
- I have a dedicated group of 7 critique partners, and we have an Instagram group chat where they are available whenever I need help with something book-related. Please note: you can have as many or as few as you want and talk to them however and wherever suits you best.
Beta readers:
- your last line of defence before the final proofread or publication
- your book should be as close to finished as possible so you can collect valuable first reader feedback
- I get beta readers as I need them, and I tend to recruit 5-10 readers from social media and my mailing list. There is no science to this number - you can go with whatever feels right for you.
Both groups are additions to a professional editor, not a substitution.
There are websites where you can find or be matched with beta readers, but I haven't used any of them so I can't recommend them.
Your family and friends are fine to ask, but if you do, it's a good idea to recruit another critique partner or beta reader to ensure unbiased feedback.
________________________________________________________________________________
*** WE'RE MOVING *** Find us on https://ko-fi.com/writingsparrowpodcast going forward - the old links will stop working soon.
To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.
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This week, I talk about the basics of working with critique partners and beta readers - how to find them, when to get them involved, and why they're so valuable.
You can adjust the following points to whatever works best for you and your process. This is what works best for me and what I recommend based on my experience:
Critique partners:
- can come into the process at any time
- can help you with anything from making smaller decisions like character name changes over helping you choose a book cover to reading your whole book and giving you feedback on it.
- Critique partners aren't paid, but it is generally expected that you help them like they are helping you. It's a critique partnership, after all!
- I have a dedicated group of 7 critique partners, and we have an Instagram group chat where they are available whenever I need help with something book-related. Please note: you can have as many or as few as you want and talk to them however and wherever suits you best.
Beta readers:
- your last line of defence before the final proofread or publication
- your book should be as close to finished as possible so you can collect valuable first reader feedback
- I get beta readers as I need them, and I tend to recruit 5-10 readers from social media and my mailing list. There is no science to this number - you can go with whatever feels right for you.
Both groups are additions to a professional editor, not a substitution.
There are websites where you can find or be matched with beta readers, but I haven't used any of them so I can't recommend them.
Your family and friends are fine to ask, but if you do, it's a good idea to recruit another critique partner or beta reader to ensure unbiased feedback.
________________________________________________________________________________
*** WE'RE MOVING *** Find us on https://ko-fi.com/writingsparrowpodcast going forward - the old links will stop working soon.
To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.
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