How to Handle Beta Feedback (P1)
...OR: how to analyze & synthesize beta comments
This is the second to last part of my revamped beta reading series!
Unlike the others, this one is focused more on writers. This is also probably the longest, so I’ve split it up into two posts. Thanks for sticking around and hopefully you learn something!
Main Points:
So You've Got a Bunch of Comments... Now What?
Conflicting Comments
Stayed tuned for the second half next newsletter!
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS ALL PERSONAL EXPERIENCE/OPINION
1. So I've Got a Bunch of Comments... Now What?
First, you thank your beta readers. They took the time to read your book, usually for nothing in return. So thank them!
Then, here comes the fun part—or the worst part, maybe.
Now, you have to read all those comments, over and over, and figure out what to do with your story based on them.
But, MJ, how the hell do I do that?
Well, a lot of this is trial and error and figuring out what works for you. This isn’t so much advice as it is me breaking down what I do, so that you can then hopefully adapt it to your needs.
So I'll split this up by type of comment. In my experience, the majority of comments will fall into these categories. Some of these are "easy" to make changes on, and some are not.
The “Easy” Edits: Typos & Grammar
So, this is where personal style/taste will differ. For me, when I'm in the beta stage, I ignore these comments. Yep, you read that right. Ignore them. Completely. Like they don't exist.
During beta rounds, my goal is to analyze and fix the story. Believe it or not, grammar and prose have very little to do with that. This is something I will edit right before I give it to another set of betas, but I never start here (unless it's a glaringly annoying typo).
To me, these are “easy” edits because they’re short, quick, and don’t take a lot of problem solving. In the cases of grammar and typos, there is a clear Right and Wrong. You don’t have to think through hard decisions in order to fix them. I save these for when I’m working on style and prose, fixing them as I go.
The “Medium” Edits: Style & Prose
Style and Prose gets a bit more complicated because these are subjective. This is the actual choice of words, the flow, the pacing, whether or not you are minimalist or flowery.
Personally, I hold off on these edits because as I change and edit the story, plot, characters, etc. the prose could change during that time. This is something I might not touch much until Draft 4-5.
Once you are ready to edit style and prose, though, there are a few things I’ve learned.
When it comes to feedback on style and prose, I hesitate to jump in and change everything that readers recommended. In a lot of cases, this comes down to personal preference. Making your prose more/less descriptive, more/less concise, etc. etc. might not be making your writing better, just different. So, dive into these comments with a goal for your writing style in mind and only edit based on comments that 1) agree with this goal and 2) you agree that the change would make the prose stronger.
Examples: If you know you want your story to be fluffy and descriptive, you might ignore comments that ask you to shorten or remove descriptions, and instead act on comments that strengthen your descriptions. If you know you want your story to be minimalist, then you might ignore comments that ask for more descriptions, or only add in description if all betas agree that something is unclear or difficult to picture/follow.
The Hard Edits: Plot, Structure, & Character Arcs
This part can be overwhelming. This is the part where you might actually have to scrap and rewrite, which is always stressful.
When I'm reading these bigger-picture comments, I jump in with these mindsets to help me focus:
All comments are opinions and suggestions. Regardless of how they are worded, I am not obligated to follow them.
They are trying to help me and want my book to be the best it can be. (If some readers seem to not have this intent, perhaps ignore those comments for now*.)
*I will discuss this more below
These reminders help me hold on to the positives, and I tend to start there. Which parts of my story did everyone across the board respond well to? Perhaps it's a specific character arc, or a particular plot point. I always like to make mental note of these, because no matter what happens with the rest of the comments, I don't want to lose these. Even if the entire scene gets redone, I don't want to lose what people connected with.
Maybe even write these down. I don't do this personally, but maybe start a document and keep bullets of the parts that most/all betas collectively agree are the strongest parts.
Then, go through and do the same for the weakest parts. The hardest part of all this is figuring out which parts are actually weak, and which parts are just not to some readers' tastes. Then, on top of that, once you have found the flaws, you have to figure out how to fix them.
So how can you tell if a comment is pointing out an actual issue, or if it's personal taste? Here are some pointers:
Keep your goal in mind (re: the themes, a character's development, etc.) Does the comment conflict with your goal? If yes, it could be personal taste. (Or, it could mean something is unclear and/or they've interpreted it differently, in which case it's your decision to edit or not)
How many betas commented on it? If it's 1/5, then it's probably personal taste. If it's 4/5, you should take a deeper look.
Is the comment pointing out something you were considering changing / something you already suspected was weak? If yes, then it's probably a real issue. Always trust your gut.
Is the comment telling you how to change or fix something? If yes, take a step back. It might be a real issue, but you need to decide for yourself how to fix it.
Personally, I take notes and leave comments within the manuscript like sticky notes of what I'm going to change. For example, in one wip, multiple betas felt a particular scene was slow so I made a note for myself so the next time I go to edit I'll dig deep and figure out why it was slow for myself (regardless of what they think the reason is) and fix it.
But, when it comes right down to it, you have to make these decisions yourself. It can be very hard to determine which comments need action and which ones don't. A lot of it comes with experience.
Another issue with this, too, is that it doesn’t necessarily get easier with each draft or even each story. I thought when I went through multiple beta rounds with my first finished manuscript that it would be easier the second time. I thought: ok, I know what bad comments look like now. This will be easier on my next wip. Nope. Wrong. A new story meant a new audience meant new problems and new comments. It was easier, because I know how to handle the emotional side of it better. But actually discerning the major issues in the manuscript and how to fix it was not easier.
I don’t want to dishearten you! But every story is a different experience entirely. I do think that in general, I’m better at editing my own work now, and no longer feel that I need beta readers for style or prose at all! I know enough about my own voice and writing style that I can choose for myself what I want to do. But, when it comes to arcs and the story itself, writers are probably always going to be a bit too close to the situation—you really do need outside, fresh eyes to clearly see what works and what doesn’t.
2. Conflicting Comments
When you have multiple readers providing feedback, this is going to happen. It's inevitable.
One person might think your story is super slow, or that a plot point didn't make any sense, that a character's arc was pointless, or that the climax was a huge letdown. Another beta might say the exact the opposite. So what do you do?
Essentially, you have to decide for yourself and your story what to do. I don't have much advice here other than you're not alone in going back and forth.
I can tell my own story, though, and maybe you'll get something from it. Twice now, for two totally separate manuscripts (and genres), I have struggled with what to change when betas have incompatible criticisms and recommendations.
And over and over again, I have come across the same cycle:
Betas read it and make suggestions, and I make changes that I think are best at the time even though the comments were conflicting.
I let those betas reread it, and they LOVE it. So much better than the previous draft. Great!
I hand it to new betas, and they make the same exact comments that were made on the original draft. Again, just as conflicting as before.
And it's an endless cycle. And from it, I have learned that there is no such thing as a book that will satisfy everyone. No matter how polished, when you edit things to fit others' wants and needs, there are going to be others who don't like it.
And especially in my first manuscript and beta experience, I realized (after 5+ drafts) all I was doing was changing the story, but not making it better. I was adapting it to people's personal tastes, and in doing that, it was losing the me in it. I actually ended up going back and doing a full round of edits through the whole manuscript to literally inject myself back into the narrative. And it is wholly better for it.
I have gone through this twice now, where I have adapted manuscripts based on beta feedback and ended up in this loop.
If this does happen to you, the only recommendation I have for this is to step back. I wish I had done this sooner, both times. Force yourself to not look at the feedback or the manuscript for weeks—if not months. All of these changes you've made, all these different comments and feedback and drafts? Let it marinate, go work on something else, and come back later.
Conflicting comments are a part of writing. You're going to have to get used to it, and know that it's impossible that your story is going to resonate with everyone, or that your style is going to work for everyone. It takes experience and practice, like everything else, to get good at interpreting comments and acting on them.
But just know that conflicting comments doesn't mean your story is bad or that you need to scrap it and rewrite the whole thing. Conflicting comments is actually a good thing. It means, like all works of art, there are various interpretations, and readers with those differing interpretations are making recommendations based on them. You, as the writer, must decide your own intent for the work, and no one can tell you what to change or how to edit (at least, not unless you have an editor/publisher lol). That's part of the writing process you have to figure out on your own.
Stay tuned for more discussion on beta reading and critique in the next newsletter!! If you want more posts and the expanded version of this newsletter, head over to patreon!
