My First Beta Reader Results Were Surprising
I received my first beta reader input and this is what happened.
I hired a beta reader from Fiverr and absolutely loved them.
My first beta reader provided an amazingly fast review of my manuscript (MS), The Truth in Color, The Mahvarri Chronicles. My MS is 32 chapters long (a little over 67K words) which is average for a YA Fantasy. They returned their review in seven days!!!
What I loved about this beta reader is that they provided me with their thoughts on each chapter… as they read them!
An imperative critique, gaining the reader's perspective on each chapter.
The Beta Reader Results
They gave each chapter two scores as they read them.
- How much they enjoyed the chapter (why or why not).
- How excited they were about reading the next chapter (why or why not).
My Results
(1–5, 5 being the best)
How much they enjoyed the chapter (32 chapters):
28 chapters = 5
4 chapters = 4
Results: 156 out of 160 = 97.5% (yippee… I was anticipating 50%)
How much they were excited about reading the next chapter (31 chapters):
29 chapters = 5
2 chapters = 4
Results: 153 out of 155 = 98.7% (amazing —I was able to keep their interest)
I was completely surprised by this, for I was positive my plot was difficult to follow and I would lose the reader.
Examples of the Beta Reader Input
Example One
How much I enjoyed this chapter on a scale of 1–5: 4. An exciting and action-packed chapter that felt a little rushed to me. I would’ve loved to linger a bit in the Prielon with Paige and Pegnethia, to get a more fully fledged feeling of the drain it took to transport Pegnethia’s soul. I also wish that the increased demon activity was mentioned in an earlier chapter, to allow for the conflict in this one to be more powerful for the reader. That said, I had a lot of fun with it and there’s a great sense of progression from chapter to chapter.
How eager I am to read the next chapter on a scale of 1–5: 5. Interested to see how the Gods will interact with each other.
Any other thoughts I have: Not this time.
Example Two
How much I enjoyed this chapter on a scale of 1–5: 5. A slower-paced chapter, focused on Bryce and his experiences blending into Mahvarri society, as well as showing a developing relationship between himself and Leli. I love that his eapone is a small gecko — excited to see what else it offers.
How eager I am to read the next chapter on a scale of 1–5: 4. I’m hoping that the tension picks back up soon — with a few more slower chapters like this one, engagement might begin to slip.
Any other thoughts I have: Not this time.
I know you don’t have the same understanding as I do of what they are saying, but I will most definitely make revisions to improve my work based on their input.
They also provided a few line edits as they read, which is very helpful — because a line editor is very expensive.
Overall Beta Reader Review
As an added benefit, they documented a review with some insightful ways for improving the engagement with my readers and answered my questions provided in the requirements, like:
Question 1
Distinctive characters: I don’t want the characters to be the same — talk the same or act the same. I want each of them to have their own, consistent personality.
a. I think you accomplished this well. Dialect like you used with Gabriel’s a strong way to differentiate characters, and I found each to be memorable and unique in their own right, whether it came to their fashion or relationships or personalities.
Question 2
What parts did you NOT like and why?
a. While training segments, power exploration, and worldbuilding are all fun, I was yearning for more character development interspersed with these aspects at time. Things like how Paige felt about the training, how her opinion is developing about being this chosen one, how her feelings about Zoltan are developing — stuff like this from all of the characters sprinkled in throughout the chapters would elevate them, I think.
WOW! Great advice!
Beta Reader Conclusion
Having a beta reader was the best decision, ever. A fresh mind and eyeballs on my work were invaluable.
A real reader!
And one that has read many, many books in my genre.
Now with all this said, I have two more beta readers in progress, due in a few days.
I have a strong feeling my score won’t be as good with these beta readers and looking forward to more constructive criticism.
Stay tuned!
I will put a link in this post, about my experience with each of them as they come in.
First Article on Beta Readers
Learn More About Jupie Wilder
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