Do Numbers Matter? - Author Tips On Reading Beta Reviews
I’m working on beta reading for my second book in the Word Walkers series, and I wanted to talk about one of the things I do in my process that some of my fellow writers and authors have suggested I pull out. I really like using ratings in my process, and I wanted to explain why I use it and how it can be helpful for you too.
So first of all, let me talk about one of the biggest weaknesses I have as a writer and it comes back around. I’m bad at visualizing things. It’s one of the reasons I’m beyond excited to be working with A. G. Winter to bring Word Walkers to life because it helps compensate for some of those gaps. It’s another reason I really like using numbers. Numbers give me a better visual of roughly how well I’m doing as a writer. Obviously, you should always review the actual comments of your betas because it’s not a perfect system, but for me it gives me a good eyeball to know how well I’m doing.
But another thing a lot of people ignore is that numbers actually say a lot about how a reader felt about the chapter as a whole, and can serve as a bit of a marker on how severe comments are, particularly lone critiques and how much you should worry about them. That isn’t to say look over lone critiques if you agree with them, but if you’re on the fence, this can help you make a decision. Let me explain.
I aim for a 7 out of 10 for my books in the first round of betas, and then 8+ for the second. That may seem kinda low for a first round, but a first round beta hasn’t gone through a lot of edits, and it likely has a lot of gaps. Also, a 7 isn’t that bad. The American education system may have told you otherwise, but 7 is the number most people will default to for something that’s an average enjoyable experience. Something that you liked, but wouldn’t necessarily read/watch/play again. Meanwhile that 8 is pushing into a better than average territory. 7 is also a good way to average between my niche readers and my outside genre readers, if the story is a good story and a good fantasy story together.
It’s also important that, even if you have an average you’re aiming for, you recognize your betas average. I had a beta whose average was a 3, yet their comments were nothing but complimentary. When I asked them about it, they confirmed this, they just gave things they thought were average a 3 and things that were extraordinary 7s. Some people rate higher or lower than others, and after you have some feedback back from an individual, it’s important to start gauging that.
Which all that said, this is my general findings about ratings you’ll get.
I’ll say for these examples someone who rates low/more critical readers averages at 6 and someone who rates high averages at a 9.
8-10
If your reader generally rates high, you really want to listen to their critiques. They’re enjoying it, and there’s a chance they just rate things high to be nice, but what they do have to stay is standing out to them having a generally good time. Fixing one off things can make a bigger difference.
If your reader generally rates low, then you’re doing something extremely right here. If there’s one off feedback on these chapters, it’s more likely to be something of personal preference, and you should review it based on your opinion, but don’t worry too much if you’re on the fence on the comment.
6-7
I’d say this is roughly average, leaning towards better than average. If you get a lot of 7’s, it’s not a huge issue, but you may want to look at pacing.
For your critical reader feedback, look over all of it, listen to patterns, and make changes. This is the meat and potatoes of your feedback and you should be listening and responding to it with a bigger effort.
For readers who rate high, you definitely need to be looking at their comments. People who rate high on average and sudden take a nose dive likely missed something in the text, something you need to address, both with the reader and with your text to make it clearer. This is the point where their feedback needs to start being taken more seriously.
2-5
When you start getting these numbers, you’re doing something wrong. Personally, I would give a chapter a 5 if the content was largely good, but there was something largely offensive in it, so this range can indicate overall quality and also egregious problems, but not often both.
Critical readers feedback needs to start being taken incredibly seriously at this point. You’re in the territory of not just needing to work on the content, but the content itself being bad or unenjoyable as is. For this kind of reader though, this content does have redeemable components, but it’s outbalanced by flaws.
If you have a reader who rates high giving you this kind of score, it’s borderline needing a rewrite at this point. Get a few more points of feedback for reference, but there are some glaring issues that need to be fixed.
0-1
You’ve done fucked up. No matter what kind of reader you have, if you drop below a 2, this section needs to be redone entirely, particularly if you consistently are getting these scores. Review all of your feedback, for this chapter and the surrounding chapters. What is the problem readers are having? Is it the plot of this chapter? Of the story in general? Is your pacing too fast? Too slow? Did you do something that was offensive? Whatever it is, you need to fix it, particularly if you get more than one of these comments.
Some additional comments
A one off low score is not the end of the world, even if it’s from a really good critique. I’ve gotten one off low scores on some chapters because they weren’t more thoroughly edited for spelling and grammar, which is something that’s really hard for me and something I don’t look for from betas. It’s obviously still a problem because it was so poor the chapter was difficult to read, and I resolved it, but with a little more spellcheck, the content itself was at a 6 or 7 usually with another editing pass.
Take a day before responding to feedback. It’s easy to get defensive or jump and make big changes when you get feedback, but this is your thought baby. Review the comments, but don’t make changes until you’ve waited a day.
Numbers are a good visual, but they aren’t the end all. Listen to your readers’ feedback above their numbers, because they may just have a difference view on numbers.
Be prepared to make decisions regardless of readers. No matter what end rating you have, it’s your decision when the book is ready.
Remember that betas will range from being in your niche and to not even being a fan of your genre, not to mention factoring in the bias of friends, family, and fans. Aiming for a 10 is great, but it shouldn’t be the goal because you should be gauging a wider range of readers.
Work with how betas read best. I have always done beta reading by chapter, but I have betas now who read in sections. Some betas may not be able to give large chunk feedback every section, but by the halfway point may be able to give a sizable explanation of how they feel about the story. Find a method that works for you and your readers.
It’s your WIP for a reason. It’s a work in progress, so let it progress. It will get better, but you have to be willing to listen.
And that’s what I have to say on numbers. Whether you want to use them entirely comes down to you. I personally would recommend it if you use it with a grain of salt, but always do what works best for you. If you have more questions about beta reading, or are interested in beta reading for my book, you can comment below, reach out to me, or get started today at one of the buttons below.