 Hello Hello Writers, I'm Kristin Kiefer, author of fantasy fiction and creative writing resources and you are listening to the Well-Sturried podcast where I share insights, encouragement and actionable advice designed to help you craft sensational novels and build your best writing life. Always in 30 minutes or less so you can get back to writing of course. Ready for the show? Let's get talking. Hello Writers and welcome once again to the Well-Sturried podcast. Today our episode is called How Writers Can Prepare for a Fantastic Beta Reader Experience. Today's episode is actually part two of my two part blog and podcast series on working with beta readers so if you haven't yet checked out last week's episode make sure to go ahead and do just that. Last week we covered all of the beta reader basics, what beta readers are, what they do, how they can help you improve the quality of your writing and more. So if you are brand new to the concept of beta readers, not really sure how they would benefit your writing life, that is the article and the episode for you. Today we are diving deeper into the whole beta reader process. Specifically we're talking about the steps that you can take to make sure that the beta reader experience you have is the very best that it can be. Working with beta readers seeking intentional feedback can be a very vulnerable and humbling experience and if you don't take care to set it up just right you may find that processing and handling feedback is difficult. But more than that you also want to make sure that you're setting up a great experience for your beta readers as well because that's within your realm of control to make sure that the experience is as great as it can possibly be for the people who are doing you a free service. So we're going to cover the four steps you can take before and after sending your manuscript out to beta readers in today's episode. But first, a quick behind the scenes update at well storied. Currently I am working hard to finish the third draft of build your best writing life, my upcoming book for writers, before July 1st when I'll be sending it out to my line editor who is Sarah Latterno from heart of the story editorial. I am very close to finishing this draft, but a lot of the work that I have left to do is difficult work. I have no worries about finishing this draft on time, but I do need to buckle down continue to buckle down really and finish this draft strong. Like I said, this project will be going out to Sarah Latterno on well by August 1st by July 31st really. And so for about five or six weeks from August into the beginning of September, I won't have a specific project to work on outside of the week by week work that I do for well storied such as publishing new blog posts and doing this podcast. So I've been thinking quite a bit about how I'm going to spend my August and early September and I think I have several things I'm going to focus on. The first and is perhaps the most exciting and it is preparing to work on my next book for writers. I know exactly the book, exactly the topic that I want to tackle next. And I feel like I have a pretty strong idea of the content and the structure of the book. But I want to make sure I spend some time in August ironing out the outline for it and doing some research to make sure it's the best book that it can be. I will be sharing more information about this project in the weeks to come. So stay tuned for that. That was just a little teaser for you. But the other focus I will have in August and September is to take the next steps toward preparing to have built your best writing life published. I still need to decide on the editor that I'll be working with for copy edits and then for proofreads. I also need to figure out whether I want to hire someone to format the book or whether I feel comfortable doing that myself. And also one of the most important factors here is I need to get started on working on the cover design or rather hiring out someone to work on the cover design. I'm pretty sure I know which company I'm going to be working with. Again, I'll share more on that later, but I need to first do some research about what I want from my cover for this book so that I can provide them with some direction that they can use to craft the best cover for me or more specifically for build your best writing life. And so that's a lot of work to do in August and September, and that's not even it, because to round out my work on build your best writing life, I do want to do as much study and research on book launch and book marketing as I can. I have already bought and downloaded some resources that I've yet to just begin consuming because I've been working so hard on this draft of the book. So that's what I'll be focusing on in the coming weeks, and I'm really excited to share some updates and perhaps some new articles and podcast episodes based on what I learn about some of these new processes. Because I've never before self-published a book, I've never before really put together a book marketing plan for a full-length book, so I'll be learning a ton in the coming weeks and the coming months, and I'm very excited to share what I learn with you. So on the blog this week, we have a wonderful guest post from Tim Storm of Storm Writing School. This post is called The Power in Finding Your Writing Team, and it is such a good one. In the post, Tim breaks down what a writing team is, why having one is so essential to your writing life, and the steps that you can take to build your own. Tim also includes a really great story from the U.S. Women's National Team and their big World Cup win, so if you are a fan of that, this is definitely the article for you. If you would like to check out this article, you can find it at well-storied.com-writing-team. I will also leave the link for you in today's episode description. If you would like to submit your own guest post for publication on the Well Story blog, you can find our guest post submission guidelines at well-storied.com-guest. Today's episode of the podcast translates the latest article from the Well Story blog into audio. Titled How Writers Can Prepare for a Fantastic Beta Reader Experience, you can find the article that also serves as the episode transcript at www.well-storied.com-beta-prep. Now let's dive in. How Writers Can Prepare for a Fantastic Beta Reader Experience A little beta reader feedback can go a long way toward improving the quality of your work. In last week's episode, I answered six common questions about working with beta readers, including what beta readers are, why their feedback is invaluable, and how you can find the beta readers who will provide the most constructive feedback on your work. Today I am following that introduction with a guide to creating the very best beta experience for both you and your readers. Remember, beta readers are providing you with a free service, taking the time to read your manuscript and share feedback on how you can improve it before you publish. That's a lot of work. It's your job to make that work as enjoyable as possible for your beta readers. And when you do, you may just find that you set yourself up for a fantastic beta reader experience as well, before sending your manuscript to beta readers. In June, I had the pleasure of working with beta readers for the first time on my upcoming book for writers, Build Your Best Writing Life, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The feedback I received was incredibly kind, detailed, and most importantly, honest. My beta readers were truly the best, and I am grateful for their time and effort. In preparing to work with betas for the first time, I made sure to do my research. I wanted to respect my readers by making the beta reading experience as enjoyable as possible, and I wanted to respect my work by ensuring I set myself up to receive the most helpful feedback. Here are the key steps I ultimately took before sending my work to beta readers. Step number one, prepare a readable manuscript. If your betas are struggling to get through your manuscript because every page requires them to interpret what exactly you're trying to say, you aren't respecting their time and effort. Your project certainly doesn't need to be polished and publishable before you send it out to betas, but it should be readable. Now, I don't know about you, but my first drafts are messy. Very messy. Before sending Build Your Best Writing Life out to betas, I made sure to revise the content to the best of my ability, since I was seeking feedback on content and structure. I also gave the prose a quick polish so it didn't read like a 5th grader's last minute school assignment. Step number two, be clear about the feedback you're looking for. When I sent Build Your Best Writing Life out to my betas, I made sure they knew I was only interested in feedback on the content, structure, and overall tone of the book. I knew I may need to rewrite or revise large sections of the manuscript, so I didn't want betas to waste their time critiquing the book line by line. Sending your betas know exactly what type of feedback you're looking for, not only saves them time and energy, but ensures you receive the feedback that's most helpful for where you're at in the writing process. To provide further feedback guidance, you can also send your betas a list of questions they can answer if they so choose. In today's episode transcript at well-storied.com-betaprep, I've shared the exact list of questions I sent to my betas for my non-fiction project, as well as a list of questions you might send when seeking developmental feedback on a work of fiction. Step number three, set a clear deadline. Even if you aren't working on a strict timeline, giving your beta readers a deadline for feedback is a great way to show them that you're treating your work and their own with respect. A deadline also provides accountability, encouraging your betas to fulfill the promise they've made to critique your work. When setting a deadline, take into account the length of your project, the type of feedback you're interested in receiving, and the general busyness of life. The second draft of Build Your Best Writing Life topped Al at 38,000 words, and the feedback I saw concerned the general content and structure of the book, rather than a detailed assessment. Knowing this, I asked my betas to share their feedback within three weeks. Knowing that life can get crazy, I also made sure my betas knew they could opt out of providing feedback at any time. I simply asked that they let me know, so I didn't wait around for their response. Step number four, provide common formats. Sending your manuscript to beta readers in several different formats allows them to choose the format they find most convenient, making their beta reading experience more enjoyable. Common formats include PDFs, Microsoft Word documents, and Google Docs. If you have Scrivener, you can also compile your project as a Mobi file for Kindle, or an EPUB file for other e-readers. I offered these formats to my beta readers, and several shared that they loved the ease of reading build your best writing life via a traditional e-book file, after receiving feedback from your beta readers. Ensuring a great beta reader experience doesn't stop after sending your project out to betas. After receiving feedback, here are a few steps you can take to finalize a fantastic experience for both you and your readers. Step number one, process feedback in a good headspace. Handling constructive criticism with grace can be difficult. Opening yourself up to feedback is a vulnerable experience, and it's easy to take critical suggestions personally, allowing them to affect your self-worth. To avoid the brunt of that pain, make sure you're in a good headspace when processing feedback. I know it's tempting to tear through feedback the second it hits your inbox, but if you're tired, stressed, or otherwise not feeling your best, you're going to take constructive criticism and apply it in a destructive way. Be intentional. Sit down with a cup of tea, get comfy, and explore feedback with an open mind. Historically I've had quite the thin skin, so knowing this I took extra care to work on my mindset before processing beta feedback, and I'm still floored with how well I handled the constructive criticism. I knew my beta readers wanted the best for my work, and that knowledge sustained me through every high and low. Step number two, follow up with any questions. If you have questions about the feedback you receive, ask. Your beta readers can't help you improve your work if you don't understand their concerns and suggestions. In my experience, beta readers are more than willing to clarify their thoughts. I responded to several of my beta readers with follow up questions, such as, could you explain what you didn't like about the introduction? Or you mentioned that the ongoing metaphor in chapter seven didn't work for you. Could you explain why? And every single reader was kind enough to share additional thoughts, which clarified their criticisms and helped me create a much stronger plan for revision. Step number three, show your gratitude. Beta readers put a lot of time and effort into critiquing your manuscript, and they most often do it for free. Make sure they know just how much you appreciate their work. Send a follow up email, noting your gratitude, and consider including your betas in your book's acknowledgments, with their permission of course. If you can afford to do so, you can also send your beta readers a signed copy of your book when you publish. If one or more of your beta readers is a writer themselves, consider offering to beta read for them in return. It's a great way to show your gratitude and build a deeper relationship with that writer. Step number four, apply feedback mindfully. When creating your revision plan based on beta feedback, remember that criticism is simply one reader's opinion on how you can improve your work. You don't have to make every suggested change, but you should note patterns in the feedback you receive and weigh those suggestions more heavily. For example, about a third of my beta readers felt that chapters one and two of Build Your Best Writing Life were a bit muddled and redundant. Initially, I disagreed. These were chapters that I had worked on more intensely than others, and I was proud of how they'd turned out. But when the suggestion to clarify or combine those chapters kept recurring, I decided to reread them with an ultra-critical eye, and quickly realized that my beta readers were right. I've since combined those chapters and refined the topics discussed, and my book is so much stronger for it. No matter how well you've developed your self-editing skills, seeking constructive criticism is a vital step in improving the quality of your writing. When working with beta readers, remember that you don't have to cross your fingers and hope for a fantastic experience. Take a few simple steps to prepare, then follow up with an attitude of appreciation and of growth. When you do, you'll find that working with beta readers can be an enjoyable and enriching experience for everyone involved. Thank you for listening to today's episode of The Podcast Writer. I hope you found it helpful to your writing journey. If so, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a new episode. And to give the podcast a quick rating and review. Doing so goes a long way toward helping the podcast reach new writers, and lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm creating. You can also give me a shout out directly on Twitter at christen underscore keeper. For additional guidance as you work to craft sensational novels and build your best writing life, be sure to head on over to www.well-storied.com, where I share blog posts, workbooks, e-courses, and other helpful resources for writers. Again, that's W-E-L-L-S-T-O-R-I-E-D.com. Thank you again for tuning in to today's episode, my friend. Until next time, happy writing!