Between mid-April and the end of May, I had given
my manuscript to 17 people to beta read and critique. I know, that number seems
really high but that number really doesn’t matter. Out of
those 17 people, only six people read the full manuscript. Yes, that’s right,
only six. That number still might seem high but this is what happened. With those six beta readers, it took two months to hear
back from all of them. Only two of them were able to provide feedback that I
could use. That’s right, only two. They commented on the plot, the setting, the characters, the dialogue, grammar, etc. One of those beta readers didn't like something in the book (two other beta readers shared that opinion so it gave me something to think about. The other beta reader was fine with it. Both of these beta readers really enjoyed the book
and couldn’t wait to read more about the characters.
Beta reader #4 read the manuscript and really got
into the story early on. After a few weeks, the reader congratulated me on a
great job but then refused to give me a critique, saying how they just didn’t
have the time. I sent a few emails, asking for anything specific I could use to
make the book better and all I got back were a few generalized sentences and
how certain scenes seemed repetitive.
Beta reader #2 took two months to critique the book
and then gave me feedback that was mostly based on the beginning of the book
(with no mention of the main character towards the end of the book). There were
many generalizations in that critique and nothing specific was pointed out so I
could change/fix those areas. This beta reader liked some parts when first
reading the book and then disliked the same parts when finished with the book. This
beta reader said that they enjoyed the book and couldn't wait to read more.
Beta reader #9 really liked the book and didn’t
think anything really needed to be changed except for maybe a repetitive scene
or two. This beta really enjoyed the book and couldn't wait to read more.
Beta reader
#10 took about two months to read the book, liked some parts when first reading
the book and then disliked the same parts when finished with the book. The
reader wanted some more background information on the main character. This beta
reader really enjoyed the book and couldn't wait to read more.
All six of the above beta readers told me how they
liked the beginning of the book and how it jumped right into the action. One
said that more information was needed in the beginning of the book about the main character.
Two more beta readers started the book but did not
get through a lot of it as of this post. Both said that the beginning was slow and there was too much information given (which is what the opposite of what the previous six readers thought). One of beta readers made a few helpful comments on
the parts that were read but unfortunately, I think that that beta reader has
stopped reading the manuscript (I never heard back from that beta reader).
As I was thinking about this post, I started
imaging that this was like growing a garden. In the beginning, when I was first
started to plan my garden, I had two people that were checking out my plans and
enjoyed what I was plotting. They were able to give some helpful feedback that
I used to make my garden look better and then helped out when the flowers
started to grow. Once my garden was finished, I invited a lot of people to come
and view my garden. Only a few people decided to show up; the rest said that
they might get to look at it later when they had time. Six people walked around
the garden and praised my hard work. Then five of them told me that something
just wasn’t right with the plants and flowers. I asked them what was wrong and
they could only tell me that was too much of something and some things needed
to come out. I asked them where these areas were and all I got back was
silence. I asked them what needed to be removed or move around to make my
garden look better and again, I was met with silence. Once person came late,
walked around, said that perhaps one flower could use a little mulch around it
and then that person disappeared. That feedback was appreciated but then the
person left before anymore helpful comments could have been made.
I now sit here, in my completed garden, wondering what I
should pull out. If I pull out the wrong plants, my garden might take a turn
for the worse. If I pull out too many flowers, my garden might look too sparse.
If no one is willing to point out
specifically what needs to come out, how will I know what has to be fixed?
So, that’s where I stand with the beta readers.
Four of them wanted some scenes to be cut out due to repetition but were unable
to tell me which scenes needed to be axed. I’m basically right back where I
started in April. I have a manuscript that could use some work but no one is
able to, willing to or wants to tell me where these scenes are so that I can
fix them. I’m too close to the book to see these flaws and I was really hoping
that my beta readers would have been able to help me make improvements to my book.
My questions are: do I just start randomly cutting out
dialogue, scenes, etc. and hope for the best? What if I cut out a part that
works and leave in something that doesn’t? If no one is willing to give me
specific help on my manuscript, how am I supposed to make it better?
I’m at a
loss as to what I should do next and that is the status of my manuscript.
Until next time ~
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