How to Evaluate Beta Reader Feedback

Your beta readers have finished reading your manuscript, and the time has come for you to open it up and read through their feedback! Maybe you don’t know where to start, maybe you’re a seasoned author but this round of betas has left you confused…

In any case, this post is all about beta readers, the types of feedback they typically give, and how to evaluate it. I hope you find it helpful!

Tip: it’s a good idea, if you’ve shared an interactive doc such as Google Docs with your betas, to turn off notifications/delete unread emails/etc. until the beta reading process is done. Otherwise, you might stress out about changes you have to make before it’s time to actually fix anything. ❤

A few things to keep in mind as we get started:

• Some beta readers may send you in an email (or some other format) a summary of their thoughts. If you used a Google form to collect feedback, you should also check there before going through your manuscript.
• It might be helpful to read through your manuscript and read all the critiques/praises given before you actually start fixing anything, especially if the feedback is more developmental-related. It will save you a lot of time in the long run.
• Remember the difference between subjective and objective feedback. Subjective is usually based on individual opinion or bias, whereas objective is more factually based.
• There are three general “beta-reader types”, the one who loves it, the one who likes it, and the one who didn’t like it/hates it.

Let’s go more in-depth with the beta-reader types first!

---

Three Beta Reader Types

The One Who Loves It

Everyone loves someone who’s going to gush over their work. (I mean…honestly…) This type of reader can be helpful because all of us need encouragement to know we’re doing something right, that the story is connecting, and to figure out our ideal audience. However, we are also looking for critique—for ways to make our story better. If all your readers are doing is gushing about your book and not necessarily helping you figure out what needs to be fixed, you probably need other readers who will be a bit more…picky. It’s good to have one or two readers who are all gushy, but make sure you also have some who aren’t afraid to be honest. There needs to be a balance.

As a beta reader:

You can absolutely love the book you’re beta reading and still be able to give honest feedback to the author on how to make it better.

---

The One Who Likes It

The average beta reader probably falls into this camp. They enjoyed the book, they see the potential in it, but maybe don’t love it as much as another reader might. Or maybe they did love the book, but they had a LOT of critique that seems to say otherwise. Critique isn’t necessarily bad, it hurts our pride more than anything else, but it can be discouraging as an author.

Sometimes this type of reader will give very helpful feedback that, while it maybe rubs you, the author, the wrong way at first, it might be instrumental in showing you what needs to be fixed. Other times, this type of reader may give a lot of critical feedback that points out a problem without showing you exactly what the problem is or how to fix it. In times like these, it might be best to see what other betas are saying, or even save it for your editor to address. I’ll say more on how to evaluate critique below!

As a beta reader:

Be sure to balance out your critique with praise when possible. We want to help and encourage authors, not discourage them.

---

The One Who Didn’t Like It

Good news. This type of beta reader is the rarest. People who are signing up to read your book generally want to read it. If they are disappointed (since they’re not supposed to be reading the book for enjoyment but to help you improve it), it’s most likely because they are not the right audience for your story. Nonetheless, they may have helpful feedback, so don’t discredit all of it simply because the story didn’t connect with them. The story might not have connected due to technical reasons, which can be fixed with proper editing.

As a beta reader:

If the story didn’t connect with you, or you just didn’t like it, make sure that you are still kind in your feedback. Be honest, let the author know if it didn’t connect simply because of taste, or if the story really needs more work in a certain area, but make sure that you still respect the author. They’re a human being, just like you.

Now, onto the real reason for this post.

---

How to Evaluate Beta Reader Feedback

Once we’ve gotten over the first panicked peek at the manuscript, here are some tips to properly evaluate the feedback.

First of all, remember this:

• You hired these betas to give you feedback to help make your story better
• Your betas sacrificed time to read through your book and give honest feedback; even if you dislike the feedback or disagree with it, remember to thank them for their time
• The critiques are of the book, not you (at least…they shouldn’t be!), so don’t take it personally
• Take all the feedback with a grain of salt; remember the difference between subjective and objective feedback
• At the end of the day, it’s YOUR book and YOUR story; don’t make it something else just to please a beta reader or two

Alright, let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

A common mistake that many beginning authors (and some seasoned authors) make is taking a reader’s feedback as law. Especially in the beginning, it can be hard since you’re a newbie; surely they have more experience, and if you don’t follow their advice, will your story suffer for it? To be honest with you, probably not.

One reader’s opinion does not equal every reader’s opinion.

One reader’s opinion does not equal every reader’s opinion. Every beta reader comes with a different bias and different experience.

If you get feedback where multiple readers are saying similar things, it’s probably a good idea to fix it the way they suggest it (or figure out a way to fix it, if they only present the problem and not a solution).

And along those lines, just because only one reader gives a critique on something that no one else mentions does not mean you should automatically disregard it. That reader may just have more experience or happened to be paying closer attention. They might have caught a crucial mistake that no one else did. This is why it’s so important to read all the feedback you’re given and take time to evaluate it in light of your story before going through and making changes.

One solution to the above-mentioned problem is to get beta readers who know very little about your story. The reason for this is that people who’ve seen you talk about your characters or story on social media are already coming in with a bias that the average reader who picks up your book will not have. If the story doesn’t connect with said reader, if your characters feel flat, it may be that the plot and characters are just not developed enough—whereas readers who already know about your characters won’t notice this lack of development as much because they’re already familiar with them, and therefore won’t be able to help you improve them. Readers who come in without bias will be able to give more objective, helpful feedback as a result.

Now, in terms of actual bias.

Every reader has them. A good beta reader will still be fair—or at least, try to be—in spite of it. Maybe your story is a cozy fantasy, but one of your beta readers tends to read more epic fantasy; their feedback might align more with shaping your story into the genre they prefer versus helping your story become what it needs to be. This might be purely accidental, which means it’s crucial you view your feedback in light of your story’s vision.

It’s also helpful to view feedback in light of your story as a whole. Maybe the comments given are concerned with what feels to be a minor plot hole in your character’s arc, and you might not feel it’s necessary to tweak such a small thing, but it does greatly affect your character, and your character might fall flat for readers without making that change.

When struggling to take the more critical parts of the feedback, it’s always good to ask yourself if the feedback is coming from a reader’s or a critic’s perspective. A reader’s perspective will often lead to more subjective, biased opinions, which you can sometimes ignore because they’re only based on that reader’s taste, while at other times, their feedback will point out deeper issues with the story that the reader lacks enough knowledge to really help suggest a solution for. A critic’s perspective, on the other hand, is usually more objective, but as a result can be too harsh in the way it’s given, simply because they’re reading to just “critique” your story. Don’t automatically disregard it just because it’s hurtful; you might learn something important and strengthen your skills.

Lastly, if there is feedback that you’re struggling over and aren’t sure what decision to make regarding it, it is perfectly normal to save it for your editor or discuss it with a trusted writing friend if you don’t have an editor quite yet. Beta readers are not there to give you professional opinions, and it’s a common, incorrect mistake to assume so. It’s a lot better to leave a complicated issue for a trained professional rather than waste time trying to wrestle with it yourself. The last thing you need is to cause yourself unnecessary stress about your story.

---

In Conclusion

I know that this post has A LOT of information. I am thankful to everyone who gave feedback and advice when I was writing this, and I hope that you, dear reader, learned something useful as well.

To give a short summary of the above, here are questions to ask yourself while going through feedback:

• Is this critique merely subjective or does it carry objective weight?
• Is more than one reader giving this same suggestion?
• Is the reader’s bias affecting their feedback? Do they understand the genre/ideal market my book is written for?
• Will making this change affect my story as a whole for the better/does making this change make my story more what I want it to be?
• Is this feedback coming from a reader’s or critic’s perspective?
• Should I save this question for my editor to handle?

I hope this helps!

If you have any questions or have your own advice to give that was not mentioned in this post, feel free to comment below! And don’t hesitate to share with anyone who might find it helpful!

Bonus tip: if there are particular things you would like betas to give feedback on, don’t hesitate to tell them so in the initial email and/or in a comment at the beginning of the manuscript.