What Do I Ask My Beta Readers?

Getting ready to release your book can be a lengthy, sometimes tedious process, and there are a lot of steps to follow in order to give your book its best shot. As I get down to the end of the re-writing process for my new novel, I'm getting out and dusting off the lists of questions I have asked my beta readers in the past. 

When I send my book out to beta readers, I'm looking for very specific feedback. At this point in the book launch process, I'm not looking for editing, and I always include that statement when I send the book. Instead, I'm looking for story feedback. Here are some of my favorite questions that I like to ask my beta readers. While this list may change depending on the book and the feedback I'm looking for, I find these questions most helpful to developing my book based on my readers' thoughts and suggestions. 

#1 Did the story hold your interest from the very beginning? If not, why? What would you suggest I change?

#2 Were you able to get oriented fairly quickly at the beginning as to whose story it is, and where and when the story takes place? If not, why? What would you suggest I change? (This is a question I find particularly important for fantasy novels that require more world-building at the start).

#3 Could you relate to the main characters? Did you feel their pain and excitement? Do you have any suggestions for creating more relatable, consistent characters?

#4 Did the setting interest you? Did the descriptions seem vivid and real to you? 

#5 Was there a point at which you felt the story lagged or you became less interested in finding out what was going to happen next? Where, exactly?

#6 Were there any places that the book got boring or failed to hold your interest? Were there any parts you feel could be cut out completely? 

#7 Were there any parts that confused, frustrated or annoyed you? Which parts, and why? Were there any parts where you felt you needed more of something? What is it you felt you needed more of?

#8 Did you notice any discrepancies or inconsistencies in time sequences, places, characters, or other details? 

#9 Were the characters' actions and motivations believable? If not, why?

#10 Did you get confused about who’s who among the characters? Were there too many characters to keep track of? Too few? Are any of the names of characters too similar? (This is especially one I like to ask for my fantasy novels).

#11 Did the dialogue keep your interest and seem natural to you? If not, whose dialogue did you think sounded artificial or not like that person would speak?

#12 Did you feel there was too much description or exposition? Not enough? Maybe too much dialogue in parts? Did any parts of the story drag?

#13 Was there enough conflict, tension, and intrigue to keep your interest? Why or why not?

#14 Was the ending satisfying? Believable? 

#15 Do you think the writing style suits the genre? If not, why?

#16 Would you be willing to have some of your feedback featured on the back of the book? 

​BONUS QUESTION: Do you have any other thoughts or suggestions?

I hope this list was helpful! Again, this is not a comprehensive list, as the questions I ask largely depend on the story itself and the kind of feedback I'm looking for, but this list always provides me a pretty good starting place. 

Thanks for reading!  Check back next week for more writing tips, tricks, and other fun bits!