Longtime readers might remember when I used to do the 3@3. New readers, welcome to the explanation: a few years back, I used to go live once a week at 3pm and answer 3 questions that had been pre-submitted. It was all live, no editing, just raw talk. Turns out, I've got a pile of those clips sitting around, and honestly, most of the advice hasn't aged a day. Would I add some information or say it a bit different? Maybe. But these are still so solid, I decided to resurrect them and share them with you again!

The question this time:

When self-editing before querying, at what point should you bring in beta readers, and at what point should you stop getting feedback and hit submit?

This one hinges on a distinction a lot of authors blur together: alpha readers, critique partners, and beta readers are not the same thing, and they don't come in at the same point.

Alpha readers and critique partners see the rough stuff, sometimes really rough, at various points while you're still writing and revising. Beta readers come later. Beta, as in testing, means the draft is essentially done and you're finding out what still needs fixing before it goes further, whether that's to an agent, an editor, or straight to publication.

One thing a lot of authors get wrong with beta readers specifically: don't just hand over the manuscript and ask "what did you think?" Give them specific things to look for, specific questions to answer. General feedback from a beta reader is rarely as useful as targeted feedback.

​So, when do you stop and hit submit? (My full answer in the video at the link!)

Once you've selected your beta readers, gotten their feedback, and fixed what they've flagged, that's your submit point for querying. If you're self-publishing instead, beta readers can come at different spots around your editing rounds, sometimes before your editor sees it, sometimes after, to catch anything still unclear.

If you want the deeper breakdown of exactly which reader type belongs where in your process, Edit Your Way has a full chapter on this, alpha readers, critique partners, beta readers, and how to use each one well.

And still asking: would you want live 3@3 back, or something like it, so you could bring your own questions?

Happy writing!

~Angela
​

This is a paid sponsorship. If you click, we get a small commission. No further action is needed from you, so just clicking on the sponsorship helps us pay for this newsletter!