Beta Reader? Critique Partner? Or Two-Headed Monster?

Nope, this is a betta.

What IS a Beta Reader, Anyway?
I hooked up with my first two beta readers (via Mary Kole's kidlit blog) before I knew what a beta reader was. It worked out fine (*hugs Katherine! *hugs Michelle!), but I blundered my way through it, stepping on toes, nudging when I should have been stroking, keeping silent when I should have been praising, critiquing when I should have been beta-ing -- well, you can imagine.

I've seen writers make a distinction between betas and critiquers (and a third category: test readers-- kids, family, house guests, quick readers), but I'm not sure how widely held these assumptions are.

The Beatific Beta
Betas, in this view, are big picture people. They refrain from line editing, correcting punctuation or word choice, or really close reading.
Instead, they give general impressions: This is working for me, this isn't. Or, to follow novelist Kathleen Duey's method, you can do a BCD (Boring, Confusing, Don't Buy It) and just put a letter in the margin whenever you feel inclined. To be even more minimalist: a checkmark where you're bored, a smiley face where you're laughing. And then maybe a paragraph at the end detailing your big picture thoughts. The beta only has to be smart; she doesn't have to be a writer.

The OCD Critiquer
Critique partners get into the nitty gritty--removing words, rearranging paragraphs, flagging spelling errors, putting metaphors to the test, eradicating cliches, pointing out inaccuracies, in other words, acting like an editor -- along with the big picture stuff. Generally they are writers themselves. It's more time-consuming for the reader, and it can be a lot rougher on the author's ego.

Who You Gonna Call?

Left to right: Beta, Critiquer, Tester

There's no best or worst draft-stage to call on either kind of partner. The OCD critiquer can be great with a new writer who hasn't quite learned to compose a tight sentence (too many words, too many cliches, the bane of first drafts and beginners). But that manic critiquer can come in handy for a final, pre-query polish. Same thing with the beta, who might identify your yawning plot hole, the one any agent's bound to fall right into, never to be heard from again...

Generally, I've moved away from critiquing toward beta-reading, but I'm still a two-headed monster. My first instincts were critique-ish, a habit of mind cultivated over years of being a journalist/editor/copyeditor, where every sentence will be hacked up and pasted together by a string of people filing their red pens to points on your ms. You develop a strong stomach for editorial input. And I have found it very helpful--especially where my lines are flaccid, my word choice awkward, my character descriptions riddled with cliche, or where I just had too many damn words.

The salient point here is: You need to get this straight with your partner before you begin.

I had a nasty experience with one potential partner when I blithely dove in doing line edits, and her knickers got majorly bunched up over it. We were both to blame: She hadn't said what she was looking for in a reader, and I hadn't asked. Because you and your partner have put in months or years on a manuscript, you might even go so far as to exchange a questionnaire:

• What issues do you need most help with? Plotting? Characterization? Voice? Pacing?
• Describe your ideal reader. (What do you honestly want from me?)
• Line edits? True or False?
• What time frame do you have for a complete read? How often will we be exchanging?
• Anything you DON'T want to hear from me?
• I'd also add: send me a jacket-flap synopsis of the book. If I'm going to read the whole thing, I want to be able to see where you're deviating from your concept.

And then start slow. You don't have to fall into the arms of any potential partner who comes knocking. You can reserve the right to say, "This isn't really working out. But it's not you. It's me."

[Looking for a reader? Go to the querytracker forum, check SCBWI forums (for kidlit), or check out Absolute Write Water Cooler.]