You’ve just finished a novel. Maybe you wrote it as part of November’s National Novel Writing Month. Either way, you’ve got this first draft happily sitting there and you’re wondering… what happens next?
First, let it sit. Then sit down and do some serious revision and editing until your book is as good as you can make it on your own. Then it’s time to put your baby where it belongs: in the hands of readers! I’m not talking about publishing… that’s a discussion for the next post. I’m talking about giving your book to readers to get feedback on what you should do with it going forward.
Sending your book out in the wild to be read by people that aren’t you can be very nerve wrackin! But getting commentary from real, live readers can be invaluable and your book desperately needs those outside perspectives. The comments from your readers about what they liked and didn’t like, which parts were slow or boring and even where they laughed will all help as you do your final edits.
Warning: Some people will have less than complimentary things to say about your baby. I know it doesn’t fell like it but, trust me, that’s good. Finding out what doesn’t work in your book is the first step towards making it work. A reader that just kisses your butt and tells you it’s wonderful isn’t as useful as someone who helps you figure out what’s wrong.
If you’re already part of a critique group then now’s the perfect time to give them your novel for an in-depth read. If you don’t have an already established group of beta readers, here’s some tips on how to create one.
- Think of the writers that you’ve done critique work for in the past. They’d probably be happy to return the favor.
- Put out a request for readers on message boards, Twitter, Facebook or whatever social network you spend the most time on. There are also several critique sites where you can trade manuscripts with others in a more structured setting.
- Ask writer friends that you specifically think are a good fit for your novel based on the kinds of things they write if they’d be willing to give it a read. Just keep in mind that most published authors are very, very busy and don’t have time to read the work of others. But it never hurts to ask as long as you are a close friend, ask nicely and go in expecting a no.
- Ask your family and friends. This group will probably be the most willing but will also be the least helpful commentary. Nothing against your family and friends, I’m sure they’re lovely! But your friends and family like you and are already predisposed to like what you do. They aren’t going to give you the hard hitting commentary that your book may need to become the best that it can. But all friends and family are not created equal so do yourself a favor and start with those that are avid readers to start with… they’ll be able to give you the highest quality comments.
In general, you can’t possibly get enough readers to look at your book. The more perspectives and opinions you can get on your story, the better it will be for it.
Once you’ve got your readers, it’s time to play the waiting game once again. While they read away, you’ll be antsy with anticipation but try to work on something else while you wait so you don’t think about it. Then when their comments and feedback start trailing in, you’ll find yourself back to the editing stage while you incorporate their feedback. Extensive rewrites may mean that you’ll need a second batch of readers so you may end up repeating this process down the road.
How do you find your beta readers and critique buddies?
Hillary DePiano is a playwright, fiction and non-fiction writer who loves writing of all kinds except for writing bios like this.
