Beta Readers VS ARC Readers

Publishing a high-quality book is a lengthy process. Somewhere along the journey, you need the eyes and opinions of readers to produce that high-quality book and make sales. Here are two terms that you need to know and understand as you work to publish your book.

1. Beta Readers

Beta readers are the people you enlist to read your book before editing and publishing.

They will read a free version of your book and give you detailed suggestions on how to improve the characters, plot, or storyline. They’ll point out where the story flops and where it soars.

The beta reading stage should come after:

   •   You have a full manuscript.

   •   You’ve re-read and revised your own work.

   •   You’ve found 2–4 individuals who fit your target audience and will give you honest feedback.

   •   You’ve drafted specific questions you want the reader to answer.

   •   You have a way to send out your manuscript securely and receive feedback in a format you can best process (written or auditory).

Trying to find beta readers while writing or before finishing your manuscript is a poor writing and business strategy. Here’s an analogy to help:

Just a few decades ago, women would get pregnant and give birth with less medical intervention. Nowadays, there’s so much technology involved in the process. For some, it’s improved the birthing experience; for others, it has contributed to rising infant mortality rates and maternal deaths.

What am I saying?

Intervention while finishing a manuscript often leads to the abortion of the book.

You may desire validation, but it’s healthier for your book “baby” to be fully birthed before placing it in another’s hands. You may also think, “I want the correction now so that I don’t have to revise later.”

This is a poor writing and business mentality. You become a better writer as you write. The revision process improves the quality of your manuscript and your capacity as a writer.

Here’s another mental picture: The baby is cleaned and swaddled before visitors are allowed to come and view the child. Don’t give your beta reading team a bloody newborn to read.

Many authors select family and friends to be a part of their beta reading team. It’s a safe choice, but not the best one for your book’s success.

Ever seen American Idol? Remember how in the audition tapes there’s always a terrible singer whose family and friends are convinced the judges are wrong?

Yeah, that’s what you get with a family-and-friends-only beta team.

The beta reading team you choose should represent your target audience. You don’t want your dad or male cousin to beta read your romance novel. Women are the primary audience for romance. You don’t want your left-brained friend to read your poetry book, or your co-worker with focus issues to read your 100,000-word novel—they probably won’t make it past chapter three.

You don’t want people who don’t buy, read, and enjoy your genre beta reading your book. The feedback you want should come from people who would purchase a book like yours.

How do you find those people?

We recommend checking out StoryOrigin and Betareader.io.

Both platforms allow for the secure delivery of your manuscript to individuals who buy and read your genre. Readers can give detailed feedback that you can use to improve your manuscript.

Both have free options. StoryOrigin allows you to grow your email list, create a landing page for your book, collaborate with other authors, get ARC reviews, and more.

Betareader.io makes it easy to upload and manage book files. It’s intuitive, and you can add surveys and questions for readers to answer as they move through your book. It also has a phone app for convenient reading.

Both platforms let you control who can and can’t read your book. You can even have your family and friends (if you go that route) join for free to review your book.

The beta reading stage should come before:

   •   You send your book to be professionally edited.

   •   You format your book for print.

   •   You publish or print your book.

This stage is essential to perfecting your book. And it’s hard to perfect a book that’s already published.

After revising your book, send it to a professional editor for proofreading, line editing, copyediting, or developmental editing. Developmental editing may not be needed depending on the quality of your beta readers, their feedback, and how well you incorporate it. Each stage improves your book’s overall quality and reception.

2. Advanced Reader Copies (ARC Readers)

If you want help making sure your book is well-received, you’ll want to look into ARC readers.

Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) are finalized versions of your book sent to readers in your target audience who will provide reviews.

Have you ever picked up a new release with reviews from USA Today, NYT, or unnamed sources on the back cover? Those come from ARC reviewers.

Seen unreleased books with reviews on Goodreads? Those are from ARC readers.

Scrolled through social media and saw a famous book reviewer with an unreleased book? Yep—ARC review.

ARC reviews can go a long way in helping your book make sales. Their purpose isn’t to improve the book, but to generate early buzz through reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your website, or social media.

ARC readers receive a free version of your book in exchange for an honest review. Many authors send physical copies, but it’s acceptable to send an ebook. We recommend physical copies for those doing video reviews.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when soliciting ARC reviews:

   •   People with large platforms often have specific procedures for accepting ARCs.

   •   You may have to pay for the ARC review—this doesn’t guarantee a positive review.

   •   Negative reviews can be leveraged just like positive ones. Don’t be sensitive. Be business-minded when handling feedback. Not everyone will love your work.

   •   Give people time—2–3 weeks to read. Collect contact info before sending out your book (especially email!). After three weeks, send follow-up emails reminding them to review. Include a direct review link. Send no more than four reminder emails (about two weeks apart) before considering the ARC review a loss. Remember, you are not their top priority. If you didn’t pay for the review, life happens—move on.

There are platforms built to manage ARC reviews. Our favorites are:

   •   StoryOrigin

   •   Booksprout

   •   BookFunnel

Each has different features. Based on your book’s genre, your needs, and your budget, you’ll want to explore your best option. Expect to pay around $10/month for optimized ARC features.

It doesn’t matter how you gather reviews—remember that people have lives. Every dart won’t hit the bullseye. Use strategies like email capture, reminders, and direct review links to hit that target more often.

It’s not always about the cheapest route. It’s about finding the best route to hit that bullseye, time and time again.

We hope this breakdown helps you find and secure the feedback you need to write, publish, and sell a high-quality book. If you want support laying out a detailed plan to get a high-quality version of your book published, grab an Author Consultation today!