Beta readers are the people you give early access to your manuscript because you want to receive editorial feedback and/or promotion support when the book is released.
While all authors can benefit from bringing together a team of beta readers to help promote the book upon its release, not all authors will seek editorial feedback. This is your prerogative.
If you do want your beta readers to provide editorial input, it’s best to set guidelines for them to follow. This ensures you make it as easy as possible for them to participate, while you receive the precise type of feedback you are seeking.
For example, if you don’t want beta readers reporting back about typos or misspellings, let them know they can ignore these in the manuscript because you will be hiring editors to address simple edits. Instead, you may be seeking insights into the clarity of the material, how well it flows, and if it is easy or difficult to read. If this is the case, these are the details you will ask them to provide when filling out the feedback form you create.
Before launching into questions, be sure to share your book description with beta readers so they know what the book is meant to accomplish and who makes up your intended target audience. This helps them review your work from the correct perspective. Review the following list of questions and consider which ones best fit your unique needs and goals for your own beta reader feedback form. Then input the details you want to capture into a simple Word/Google Document that you provide to your beta readers, or you can create a feedback form in a tool such as Google Forms (it’s free!)
Chapter-Specific Questions for Beta Reader Feedback of a Nonfiction Book Manuscript
If you are seeking chapter-by-chapter feedback from your beta readers, consider using some of the following questions.
=> Are there any parts in the chapter that are redundant?
=> Are there any parts of the chapter that were confusing or out of place?
=> Does the flow of the chapter make sense?
=> Are the real-world examples relatable?
=> Are there any topics that weren’t covered in the chapter that you think should be added?
=> Do you have any unanswered questions after reading the chapter?
=> Knowing my target audience is , and my goal for readers is to , do you feel this chapter accomplishes these goals? If not, how could it be improved?
=> Are there any parts of the chapter that felt slow or boring?
=> Are there any parts of the chapter that need further clarification or more examples?
=> Did you notice any overused phrases or words?
=> Are the statistics and facts in this chapter compelling? Does it need more or less?
=> What are the strengths and weaknesses of this chapter?
=> What suggestions do you have to make this chapter the best it can be?
Potential Questions for Beta Reader Feedback of a Nonfiction Book Manuscript
When seeking feedback on an entire nonfiction manuscript, consider adding some of the following questions to your beta reader feedback form.
=> Does the manuscript feel authoritative? Do you feel it was written by an expert in the subject matter?
=> Are there any parts of the manuscript that are redundant?
=> Does the order of the chapters and content make sense?
=> Is there any content that should be moved to come earlier or later?
=> Are the real-world examples relatable?
=> Are the statistics and facts compelling? Does it need more or less?
=> Are there any topics that weren’t covered that you think should be added?
=> Do you have any unanswered questions after reading the entire manuscript?
=> Knowing my target audience is , and my goal for readers is to , do you feel the book accomplishes these goals? If not, how could it be improved?
=> Are there any parts of the book that felt slow, boring, or out of place?
=> Are there any parts of the book that need further clarification or more examples?
=> What is your favorite chapter and why?
=> What is your least favorite chapter and why?
=> What are the strengths and weaknesses of this book?
=> What suggestions do you have for making this book the best it can be?
Potential Questions for Beta Readers for Memoir and Narrative Nonfiction
=> Does the writing describe scenes in vivid detail?
=> Are the characters in the story well-developed?
=> Are the characters in the story likeable?
=> Are the characters relatable?
=> Did you have any challenges following along with the individual characters and their story lines?
=> How did you feel about the protagonist when you finished reading the manuscript?
=> Is the protagonist relatable for readers?
=> Does it read like novel? (Narrative should be written as compellingly as fiction.)
=> What would make this book the best it can be?
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