What is beta reading? A beta read is a reader’s reaction to the story. Authors who seek to understand how the readers will experience their manuscript often seek out beta readers. Beta readers do not edit your manuscript. They don’t explain why anything is going wrong or give potential solutions. The beta reading service points out potential big-picture storytelling issues. It does not include editing developmental or copyediting issues.
Beta reading questionnaire Plot
How strong is the story premise?
Did the plot make sense to me? Are there any plot holes or confusing sections that should be made clearer? Do any sections take me out of the story?
What is the story’s central conflict? Is the conflict between the main characters believable?
Is the central conflict successfully resolved in a way that satisfies the reader?
Characters
Are the main characters proactive, likeable, relatable, compelling and engaging?
Are the characters’ goals, motivations and conflicts clear and understandable? What are the consequences for the main characters if they don’t achieve their goal?
Are characters’ actions consistent?
Was I able to keep track of the characters, i.e. who was who? Were there too many?
Point of view
Is the point of view handled appropriately and consistently throughout the story?
How often does the viewpoint change? Is it fairly consistent throughout the story?
Is the switch between the multiple points of view clear e.g no confusing head-hopping?
Does the pov character describe the necessary story events for the scene e.g no information dumps?
Pacing
Does the overall pacing work? Do scenes progress in a realistic, compelling manner and flow with effective transitions?
Does the story move along at an appropriate pace, without rushing or dragging?
Is the story free from information dumps or backstory that slow the pace of the story?
Genre conventions
Does the story conform to the requirements/expectations of the romance genre? Does this book break any specific rules of the genre?
Is the genre clear from the beginning? Do readers know what kind of story they’re getting into?
Overall impression
What did I like and didn’t like about the story?
Did I find anything confusing or boring or annoying?
Did the story grab me at the beginning? Were there any points where I started to lose interest?
Was there anything that I had trouble believing or that seemed illogical?
Does the manuscript need further editing services?
Beta reading services I offer beta reading services in the romance genre. I answer the questions mentioned above in a reader's report to provide constructive feedback about the big-picture storytelling issues of your manuscript. If you wish to learn more information, see my beta reading service. *Please read the heat/spice levels and the trigger warnings webpage to make sure we are a great fit to work together.
