How did you get your beta reader(s)? Did they find you? Do you let them access things that other's can't?
How have your beta readers been - helpful, good at first but then it didn't work out?
And most importantly, how do you end up communicating together?
Aug '19
Aug '19
I actually don't have a beta reader for everything because my one condition for them is that I have to absolutely trust them. The people that fit that are mostly people I know irl and they often don't speak (enough) English so they can't read my stuff, unfortunately. 
When I'm very, very unsure about something I'll ask a fellow author I know. She's giving me some feedback on the content and I can ask about specific things I'd like to know so that's working out great. I'm also reading some of her stuff if she needs a second opinion but we don't regularly exchange things just when we feel like it.
People actually have beta readers? 
Honestly, I haven't met anyone who is as pedantic as I am when it comes to editing or really just checking if the narrative makes sense. xD I used to check in with a buddy who went about writing and character development in a similar fashion, but he hasn't had time to really write in maybe over a year, so naturally we've already developed in different directions.
I'd rather pay an editor for future polishing than give others my texts when I see faults in my work that they miss in the end. 
Comments from readers and fellow writers for all the small things like typos or grammar confusions are welcome, though, but other than that, I'm too deep in the process anyway and a beta reader would just distract me from it. xD
Oh, I totally understand that! I only ever give stuff out after I'm done with it. I'm normally not asking about the writing either but more about ... contextual things? Like I had a scene in my latest story where I wasn't sure if I should give a trigger-warning or not or should tone the whole thing down maybe. I actually didn't want to do the latter because I felt it fit the story but I wasn't sure about the former.
Anyway, I couldn't decide myself because I'm the type of person that doesn't like that kind of warning since I grew up with physical books and nobody would ever give you a warning with them so I often feel they're kind of ... useless even online? I think things would be obvious just from the topic and themes of a story and readers should be able to deal with it. But I also know that I'm probably fairly alone with that kind of opinion so I really wanted a second opinion on that one and just asking in the forums isn't really the same because people wouldn't know the specific scene.
We tried doing working with beta-reader (though this is the first time I hear the term itself). It didn't go that well. Showing the pages in early stages, when you can still change things - the readers don't like unfinished pages much. Showing the almost completed page - you cannot change much at that point. That and several other nuances make it a lose-lose situation.
I have gotten proofreading help before(which helped tons!) but actual beta readers that look at my script/notes frequently, not so much. My friends are always busy and the ones that aren't don't really have much writing experience to say where things might be going wrong. Most of the time they just get random yelling about a scene when I'm really excited about and give their feedback based on that.
I have a fan who volunteered to edit future chapters for me which has been very useful! I get confused with grammar sometimes so she helps out with that mainly. I also asked a friend in real life to beta-read and just let me know her opinions on the chapter. Both my editor and beta-reader don't really contribute to the plot, but since I post my stuff online and I have a few dedicated readers who comment, I mainly use their reactions to gauge whether I'm approaching a story the right way. Beta-readers are great but you really have to trust them.
For Tapas I don't use a beta reader. For my self published work and for the novel I'm currently shopping I use and pay my beta readers for sure! They help me make sure all my strings are connected and neatly tied up. Sometimes I'll start hinting at something in the beginning of my book and forget to bring it all around by the end and having fresh eyes on it to point it out is nice. It just results in a much more polished book than only having my eyes on it.
None of my friends or family know my pennames. I have extremely judgmental family who only know how to talk about how bad every portion of my writing is so I haven't shared anything with them in years. I don't share with my friends because I'm afraid of it getting back to my family, plus friends are more likely to be too nice with beta reader. I need someone who's going to not mince words telling me where I need add stuff, take stuff away, and what just generally doesn't work... So I pay my favorite beta readers that I found on fiverr and now have people who will for sure get back to me by a set day and give me honest judgement.
I have had both paid and unpaid beta readers.
I expected a lot from my paid beta readers and while some of them were very useful and helpful, a handful were really quite useless.
Now I no longer pay betareaders, but I still have 3. One of them reads all my cultivation novels, and my other two reads all my novels.
I give them access to my entire google drive "Novels" folder and all documents within. I have never experinced anything bad with giving access to my beta readers, not even when I have never known them before they joined my team.
I had a few beta readers for TrasureHUNT!!. basically after I completed the storyboard for the whole thing I slapped a cover page on the PDF with some beta reader questions and spammed my irl friends and a few online artist friends with them. Only a few people of those actually gave it a once over and some feedback back, but it was moderately helpful. Enough so that I'd do it again for future comics, but not enough so that I would consider it a high priority lol.
I post full episodes on my Patreon before I update on Webtoon or Tapas. Basically my patrons are my Beta readers and they are super helpful in pointing out spelling errors and other inconsistencies. I'm able to make minor changes and such to each episode before it gets posted for public viewing and they are able to read an episode before everyone else. Win/ win!!!
Right now, my Tapas readers are essentially my beta readers.
It's nice to release chunks every week and hear their thoughts.
For instance, many people are predicting backlash for a certain character's actions in one of my comics. Because of their comments, I've gone ahead to include some dialogue in a future scene to explain there will be no backlash at all.
Wow, I've never even considered the idea of beta readers could be paid. I've always just assumed Beta's are freeloaders, and any paid readers are an editor of some sort.
The idea that your Patreons can be beta's is a nice one! 
@Jenna_A
This is the first time I've heard of "beta readers".
Nah man, nobody in my life cares enough to proofread my stuff. I'm like the only writer/drawer/comic-maker I know in my life.
Anfänge has a beta-reader... kinda! I have a few friends who I absolutely trust to take a look at my script and development and let me know if the story flows well or makes sense. Sometimes they'll catch things I might not, it's always handy to have an extra pair of eyes. I'm lucky that my friends are all into different types of stories and genres, so getting a different perspective on things can help, especially if there's places I could improve on I wouldn't otherwise think to!
I would say it helps to have someone you trust look over your work, even if they're not a beta-reader in the truest sense of the word. Sometimes we box ourselves in without realizing it, it's refreshing to see your work from another perspective and work on improvement from there 
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