Once you’ve completed and self-edited your manuscript, it’s time to gather valuable feedback. Input from others can give you a fresh perspective, highlight any areas for improvement, and ensure that your story resonates with your target audience. Here’s how to approach the feedback process effectively.
Choose Your Beta Readers Wisely
Your manuscript’s first audience should be a small group of trusted beta readers. These readers should reflect your target audience—whether that’s children, parents, teachers, or caregivers. Think about who would naturally engage with your book:
- Parents and Teachers: They can offer insights into how age-appropriate and educational your story is.
- Children in Your Target Age Group: If your book is intended for kids, getting direct feedback from them (with guidance from an adult) can be incredibly valuable. You’ll want to know if they found the story fun, engaging, and easy to follow.
Aim to share your manuscript with people who understand both your genre and your audience. Their feedback will be more targeted and helpful than sharing with just anyone.
Key Questions to Ask Beta Readers
To get useful feedback, it’s important to guide your beta readers with specific questions. General feedback like “It was good” won’t help you make meaningful improvements. Here are some questions you can ask to get detailed and actionable feedback:
- Is the story engaging from start to finish? Did they lose interest at any point?
- Is the language appropriate for the target age group? Do they feel the vocabulary is too complex or too simple?
- Is the plot easy to follow? Was there any part of the story that confused or lost them?
- Did the characters feel relatable? Were they able to connect with or understand the characters’ motivations and actions?
- Did the story hold their attention? For younger readers, keeping their attention throughout the book is critical.
- Were there any sections that felt too long or too short? Feedback on pacing can help you adjust the flow of your story.
Providing a list of focused questions will ensure you get the feedback you need to fine-tune your manuscript.
Be Open to Critique
It can be tough to hear criticism about your story, especially if you’ve spent a lot of time working on it. But remember, feedback is an essential part of the process. Your readers aren’t there to tear your story apart; they’re there to help make it better.
- Take note of patterns: If multiple beta readers point out the same issue (e.g., a section feels rushed or a character’s dialogue doesn’t fit), that’s a signal that it’s worth addressing.
- Not all feedback will apply: Some feedback might be personal preferences that don’t align with your vision for the story, and that’s okay. Ultimately, it’s your book, and you get to decide what stays and what changes.
Getting Feedback from Children
If your book is aimed at children, their feedback can be invaluable—but it also requires a different approach. Here’s how to get the most out of feedback from younger readers:
- Watch for non-verbal cues: Children may not always articulate their thoughts clearly, but their reactions can tell you a lot. Pay attention to when they’re excited, bored, or confused.
- Ask simple questions: Stick to basic questions like “What did you like best about the story?” or “Was there anything you didn’t understand?”
- Check if they want to hear more: If a child is eager for the next chapter or wants to hear the story again, that’s a good sign you’ve captured their interest.
What to Do with the Feedback
Once you’ve gathered feedback from your beta readers, take the time to reflect on what they’ve shared. Break it down into categories like plot, pacing, character development, and overall engagement. Use this input to guide your revisions:
- Look for common themes in the feedback: If several readers point out the same issue, that’s where you should focus first.
- Prioritize critical changes: Address any major issues, such as confusion in the plot or characters that don’t connect with readers.
- Fine-tune the smaller details: Once the bigger revisions are made, use the rest of the feedback to polish your dialogue, pacing, and tone.
