Alpha and Beta Reading

Alpha reading provides you with the broadest feedback you can possibly receive on your manuscript. This work is done after you’ve completed a rough draft but before you’ve engaged in any rounds of editing. I highly recommend this service to authors who are new to their craft, aren’t sure whether their book is “working,” or can tell that there are some major gaps in the manuscript but are struggling to identify what those gaps are.

If there’s any chance that you’ve written a self-help book when you intended to write a memoir or a sports fiction novel when you intended to write a romance (and yes, I have seen both things happen!), then this is the best place to start. Your alpha read report will be less detailed (and less expensive) than a full developmental edit while still identifying the big-pictures areas most in need of your attention.

Beta reading provides you with feedback on the things that still aren’t quite right after you’ve completed your developmental editing. Perhaps you know that your novel’s plot is working well but aren’t sure whether portions of the manuscript are “too slow.” Perhaps your book is running longer than you’d like it to be, and you need to know where cuts could still be made. Or maybe you think your manuscript is looking great, but you’d like another professional opinion before querying with agents or proceeding down the path of self-publishing.

Beta reading is not a replacement for editing or working with a manuscript critique partner. It is a service that offers insight into any gaps that are still lingering, generalized feedback about areas that might confuse or frustrate readers, and specific points of concern that you have.