Benefits of a Beta Review: My experience

Recently the @freewritehouse's Beta Readers Group completed their first review. Surprise! It was my story.

I decided to submit my work the first round for a number of reasons, but the most important was I wanted a guinea pig. I knew there would be some ironing out of the process and it might not have worked at all this first go round.

And I was kinda right. The process needed some tweaking as we went in terms of formatting and making sure everyone received the messages (and I'm not sure everyone did). The next go round will be smoother, though there's always room for improvement!

What I learned

Generally my story was well received. The feedback went from very detailed, specific suggestions to more general input. It also went from people who really liked it to people who thought it needed significant changes. This told me a few things.

First, I did ok for my first attempt at something publishable. But there are spots that need some work.

Second, I have a few writing habits that I need to work on eliminating. Commas and dashes are my downfall!

Third, and probably most important, I can't make everyone happy. No one can. Some people will be fine with my world building, others won't. And that's ok, or should I say, I'm ok with that.

Changes I'm making

In response to the feedback, I'm delaying my publishing. I'd actually planned to have it up on Kindle the 15th of this month. But I want to address as much of the feedback as I think I should.

This means adding a couple chapters and changing a significant portion of the first scenes so it matches up.

In addition to the feedback, I've been learning much more about the structure of fiction, characters, and settings. So I'm going to integrate as much as I can at this point.

Staying true to my vision

The story is intended to be "light" science fiction. It's a serial delivered in short 12,000-15,000 word chunks. Kind of like pulp science fiction in days of old, but stronger on characters and less on the world building - still focused on plot though perhaps not as much adventure as those old magazines that inspired me.

I want them to be quick, fun reads but of higher quality than what is out there currently for kindle short reads (I haven't made it past the first chapter of a single one yet). Each episode, or book, in the series will end with cliffhangers until the final conclusion.

It might end up being a total waste of time and not do well at all - that is sell any copies. But this is my vision and I'm sticking to it. I will learn however it goes so it will be a win for me no matter what.

Want your own beta review?

Do you have a story you're considering publishing, but want some feedback?

We're actively recruiting manuscripts for our Beta Readers! My experience was incredibly positive, even when the feedback was "constructive", it was all helpful. My final version will undoubtedly be much better as a result.

If you want to submit your manuscript for review, fill out this form to start the process - don't worry it's just a form and it doesn't bite. There's no commitment until you and I come to an agreement on dates. Then you'll need to provide the manuscript and either 5 SBD or $5 USD (via PayPal) to secure your spot in the review.

Here's the form to use to sign up:
Writer's submission form

If you want to sign up as a reader in the Beta Readers Group, click on the banner below.



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