The ABCs of picking a beta reader

When LS Hawker first realized she’d need to use beta readers to prepare two manuscripts in twelve months, she certainly wasn’t excited about it.

If her normal critique group — which took twenty pages every two weeks — was like a paper cut, then a beta reader must be like an ice pick to the jugular, right?

Well, if you find the right readers, the analogy might be more akin to a relaxation massage versus a deep-tissue massage.

That is, the agony can be worth it in the end.

Hawker shares her advice for how to pick a beta reader, including questions to ask them and expectations to make clear, at Writer’s Digest.