Your book is your baby. And the last thing you want is to hand your baby off to someone who is going to take a dump on it. So it’s easy to understand why so many authors are reticent to share their work with others. Now, if you’re writing for yourself and your own personal gratification then you never have to show your work to anyone.
But if you want to share your book with others and possibly get it published, it’s important to get many different points of view.
Having another perspective, as well as having an opinion that isn’t so closely tied to the book, can only help you.
Now that we’ve decided you’re getting a beta reader, let’s start looking. Start with family and close friends. People who you trust. Their opinions may not be the most objective as they likely love you and don’t want to hurt you, but baby steps people.
Baby steps.
Ask that they make notes via Track Changes with anything they liked, wanted to see in more detail, or felt could be improved. You use that input to create a revised draft. It’s that easy, people. Now if you belong to a writer’s group and are feeling particularly ambitious, you can share your book with them. Remember, if you plan on publishing, it’s not enough that you think the story is good. It has to appeal to the masses. Even if it’s a niche market your writing to, there are still many people who may be interested in your story.
Just make sure you fix all the typos first.
Bye for now!