beta wisdom

Scott Reingten, How Do You Beta?

We are so pleased to have Scott Reintgen talking to us today about how he betas his book. He has been a great encourager of Andrew and I as we have worked on and grown BetaBooks.

We love hearing the different nuances of how authors run and organize their betas. It is a privileged to share this information with others. If you are an author who betas in a way that you think is unique or want to share how you organize your betas please don't hesitate to get in touch. Now on to the interview...


For starters, please tell us a little about you, your book, and where we can find/follow you online.

My name is Scott Reintgen. I’ve spent the past 5 years working with high schoolers in the NC public school system. I’m married—and my wife and I are expecting a baby boy in August. My first book, Nyxia, comes out September 12, 2017 from Penguin Random House. It follows the story of Emmett Atwater, a teenager from Detroit who accepts an interstellar space contract. He and nine other contestants will be competing for millions of dollars as they wormhole their way to a distant planet.

I’m on Goodreads, I’m on Twitter, and the book can be preordered on Amazon.

1. How do you know when you are ready to beta?

I feel like there’s a good middle point in revision where beta readers can be invited into the process. It shouldn’t happen too early. If you’re handing them a mess, all they’re going to tell you is that you have a mess. Usually, the answer for me is writing the first rough draft and then going through it for one solid polish. But on the other side of the spectrum, I’d rather not go through five or six drafts before handing the manuscript off to beta readers. My early readers are full of great ideas, so handing it to them first can open doors I might not have considered on my own. Their suggestions end up saving me a ton of time.

2. Who are your beta readers and how did you find them? (Specifically can you speak to finding target age range readers, how many you felt you needed, etc.)

I have a solid group of teachers, writers, and students who typically volunteer after I post an announcement that I’ve finished a new book on social media. Those connections have been built and fostered out of my early teaching career. Students knew I loved writing and were always willing to trade manuscripts. Of course, it helps to have a book coming out from Penguin Random House. After that was announced, I had a few more folks lining up to read.

3. What is it you look for in beta reader feedback, and have you ever been surprised or learned something new about your book from your beta readers?

I have one group that I label “Areas of Expertise.” I wrote a young adult, science fiction book in which ten kids launch into space. I needed teenagers to read it (for voice) and scientists to read it (for world building). I always want highly qualified readers in areas I’m not so qualified.

The second group is labeled, “Story Experts.” It’s nice to know a lot of English teachers. I want this group to really analyze whether or not the story is working. What needs to be fixed?

The final group is labeled, “Casual Readers.” I love getting folks that don’t even typically read my genre, or even read that much overall. It’s a helpful test to gauge reading interest and overall entertainment value. If a reader loved Ender’s Game, they’re going to devour my first trilogy… but what if that reader thinks space books are stupid? I can really see the range my book has by testing both boundaries.

4. What is your most significant or memorable beta moment? A revelation about your book? A necessary change? A funny?

I had someone volunteer to beta read an early manuscript for me. I knew the book needed attention, and this person had worked in a group with me before. But the reader proceeded to use my manuscript as a punching bag. His comments were so lengthy and intensive they could have been printed as a novella. There were some things he was definitely right about. The work needed changes, but I’d never had someone just completely rip something I’d created. It helped me draw a line between honest criticism (necessary) and harmful criticism (unnecessary). If the people you’re working with make you not want to be an author? Get out.

5. If you could give one piece of advice to beta readers what would it be?

Be honest and kind in equal measure.

6. Do you get critiques or feedback other ways, for instance from a writer’s group? How is what you seek from a beta reader different?

I am active in a small writing group. We submit about 6,000 words every month. So it’s a much slower burn than what I’m getting from beta readers. I’m usually looking at one part of the whole with our group: Does this chapter work with what you’ve read so far? But with a beta reader, I’m asking: Is this whole thing an entertaining and functioning work of fiction?

7. What is the most frustrating thing about the beta reading process for you?

I get frustrated by my own small mistakes. Sometimes I won’t have prepared the product well enough. And I’ll have four or five people hand their criticism back, only to realize they all noticed that one small error. To me, this means the reader’s eye has been drawn to something I could have easily fixed instead of to some other part of the story where I might need real help.

8. What is the best part of the beta reading process for you?

My work gets a lot better. I really don’t care how talented an author you are or how well you think you know the market or the genre, every author carries a burden of knowledge. It’s your world. They’re your characters. Bringing that inherent knowledge to the table is guaranteed to leave you unaware of some of the mistakes you’re making. It never surprises me when a reader catches something I’d never thought of before. It happens every, single time I beta.

9. What does your process actually look like? Do you ask for stream of consciousness feedback, end of chapter, end of book? Do you give any guidelines or documentation? Use any specific software or tools?

I’m usually looking for end of book responses. In general, I want to know which characters a reader liked or didn’t like. Any points where it was boring or confusing. And scenes that really caught their attention. I’m also looking for storylines that just didn’t work for them, too. I send out the same five questions to every beta reader, so there’s some small guideline for it.

10. Has how you beta your book changed over time and how?

One big change is my intentionality around finding sensitivity readers. I’m writing backgrounds and cultures in which I have no lived experience. It’s been absolutely crucial to start reaching out (and paying) readers from those backgrounds to make sure the representation and diversity in my book is respectful. If you’re following literary folks, you’ll have seen several books in 2017 that didn’t get vetted properly. The result can be damaging to readers.

Bonus: Is your beta process in anyway tied into/influenced by your work with your agent/editor? Are they pro/con?

Of course! In a way, my agent is one of my beta readers. Granted, I give her opinion a little more weight, but she always reads my work before getting ready to put something out on submission. And while my editor won’t be involved until I’ve really polished a manuscript, I can say that I’ve already started hearing her in my head as I work through revisions. So in a way, they’re both involved in my process, and they’re both helpful in working toward the best version of my book.

 

 




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