What's the Difference Between a
Beta Reader and an ARC Reader?
A Beta Reader is someone who reads the book to give you feedback as to whether people will even like the story. A beta reader knows they are reading a book that is not ready to be released. They are aware or should be made aware that they will be asked for feedback as part of the final crafting of the book process.
An Advanced Copy Reader is a different animal. They are readers who are also expected to give feedback, but many are not quite aware that the book is not yet "finished". They also don't look at giving feedback an obligation.
WHICH ONE IS BETTER? A BETA OR AN ARC READER?
In my humble opinion, they are different readers for different reasons. But I will share how releasing my book as an ARC copy came back to bite me once or twice.
I chose to use Bookfunnel or SiteOrigin to release my ARC copies so that I could get the readers' emails to be able to contact them with a gentle reminder to review the book when it was released. Sounds innocent enough, right?
Well, what I found out later was that often readers will volunteer to be an ARC reader but they just want a free eBook. I don't necessarily have a problem with that. However, then some don't read the book for up to a year or more. And when they do, they forget they are reading "an early copy" or an "imperfect copy" of the book.
I can point to several snarky remarks about spelling and/or punctuation in a few Goodreads and/or Amazon Reviews. I learned the hard way to never send out any ARC copies to any eReaders unless or until it has been beta-read, professionally edited and it's just waiting to be listed for a pre-order.
MORE ABOUT BETA READERS:
The other thing I learned about beta readers is that they were hard for me to find. I went to innumerable forums or groups asking for someone, but no one ever responded. I do believe authors who are more extraverted and more actively socially have an easier time asking for help. For me, I tried, but I didn't find anyone.
I decided to go to Fiverr.com and hire a beta reader for $80.00. Go to Fiverr.com and type in "Beta Reader" in the search box. Look specifically for those who have done it a few times and have a 4 to 5 star rating. It's that easy.
Once I chose somethin, I gave the woman a copy of the book in Word and she make comments throughout the entire book. Not just corrections, but actual feedback and suggestions as she read. This was so000000 helpful! It was worth every penny and more.
The other thing I liked about using Fiverr is that it made it easy and instantaneous. When I was ready to pass the book off, I wanted someone right away. In the forums, I didn't get the impression anyone was home when I was there. I also have a problem asking people to do things for free. Most people I know are working so I consider their time valuable. I always have. So by paying the woman for her time, she made a little extra money on the side and I found a great beta reader. It was a win-win for both of us.
I STILL USE ARC READERS BUT FOR A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PURPOSE:
I will continue to request ARC readers and I include a questionnaire in the back of the ARC copies. Several readers do take the time to fill them out for me. It's so valuable. Each one has a different take on things.
Going forward, I may also put a statement at the end of the ARC book copies reminding the reader that they are reading an ARC copy of the book and to forgive any last minute errors that are still uncorrected. Many of my past ARC readers did take the time to alert me to a typo or two on top of filling out the questionnaire and I can't tell you how valuable someone like this is. I now also put my ARC readers on my Acknowledgments page. They have no idea how grateful I am for them. I usually offer them a small gift or a free eBook for their trouble.
After release, I only send one gentle-reminder email asking for a review after the book is released. Not everyone posts a review, but that's okay. If I get a few, again, I'm thankful. If they are members of my newsletter list, I usually put an announcement that the book has been released and this serves as a second gentle reminder.
If you are interested in seeing more about my ARC reader procedure, click here.
WHAT'S THE TAKE AWAY?
The take away is -- at least in my humble opinion -- you don't need a whole team of 10 or 20 people to release a book. If you have one beta reader, a professional editor that you trust, and get feedback questionnaires from a few readers, that's enough. After all, at the end of the day, some people will love your work and some may hate it. You're writing for your own readership -- not for those people who don't like your work.
ONE FURTHER NOTE ON WRITING IN BOOK SERIES:
I write in series of four to five books. In the first book in any series, when the characters are new, this is when I may hire two beta readers. You want more than one or two opinions when main characters are new. When I released Murder in the Sanctuary, I had no idea if people would like the main characters -- Jack and Fiona. But it turned out most of the readers really liked them. What a relief! The additional beta readers gave me the confidence I needed as I went forward into releasing the book.
ADVANCED COPY READERS | ADVANCED FEEDBACK READERS - CHECKLIST AND CHEAT SHEET
Now, you know I love to have checklists, worksheets and cheat sheets. So of course I have one for this blog post and video.
The most important lesson I ever learned about Beta Readers and ARC readers -- in releasing a book in general -- is that it takes time. I need at least eight weeks to do a full ARC campaign, and two weeks for a beta extra for the beta readers and editor. When I was new, I had no idea of needing to do so many things before release.
This Checklist will lay out everything that has to be done, how much time you will comfortably need, and it will give any newbies the added confidence that you're not forgetting something!
BOOK MARKETING FOR THE SHY AND INTROVERTED:
Every self-published author -- and even some who have literary agents and publishers -- have to learn basic marketing skills today. I have developed many marketing skills that work for the introverted and camera-shy. If you can relate to that, subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me on social media as I post about book marketing strategies all the time.
Here is a link to download the checklist in PDF format
I made a video where I speak about this topic that may be helpful:
