Solving the Beta Woes (Part 4): Managing Feedback

by Paul Kilpatrick | Aug 02, 2017

Today's post is the last part of our four part series: Solving the Beta Woes.

Collecting feedback is the goal of every beta. BetaBooks reduces the friction of that process and make it easier for readers to comment. Authors tell us that they get more and better feedback on BetaBooks. We like to think this is due to two primary features:

First is that feedback can be left in app. The reader does not have to switch back and forth between the manuscript and another document to take note.
Second is that reading and providing feedback can be done on any device that can connect to the internet. Instead of needing to have their laptop handy to efficiently work on a word doc. beta readers can read and leave feedback wherever and whenever they have a spare minute.

BetaBooks saves every scrap of feedback your readers leave. It is saved in one place, organized, and easily searchable. If you have been running your betas over email, even if you start a new email address for each beta, your info stream gets muddy, cluttered with things that slow you down.

Even if you are assiduously collating all your feedback, tracking your readers on a spreadsheet, filing your emails as they come in, you can miss something. An email that is primarily about the new ramen place down the way will contain one nugget about your book that you will half-recall deep into a revision session and drive you crazy. You dive into your email and suddenly 2 hours have passed as you try to track down that crucial piece of feedback.

BetaBooks isolates all of your feedback, making it easy to find specific comments. Searching feedback works just like you think it should. Enter a word and BetaBooks will show you every time that word is used, whether a character name, emotional response.

BetaBooks gives you back the time you have been spending on logistics and organizational tasks so you can use it to write, build your audience, or go out and experience new things to fuel your future writing.

That is the end of our 4 four feature miniblog, hope they have helped you learn a little bit more about how BetaBooks works and why it works the way it does. Thanks for reading!