Beta Readers VS Editors
Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay
What’s the difference between a beta reader and an editor?
I admit, when I first started writing I had no idea. In fact, the name beta reader was alien to me.
As I started my editing journey, I discovered I’m not the only one who didn’t know the difference.
While most understand that a beta reader is free and you pay for an editor, many seem to get rather hazy when explaining why.
So let me lay it out for you in the simplest terms…
If you want to know if your story is any good, get a beta reader.
If you want to make your story better, get an editor.
Now, I can hear your cogs going as you think, “But, a beta reader can give me advice…”
And yes, they can, to a degree, but let’s break it down a bit.
Your first beta readers will usually be friends or acquaintances. They are not likely to tell you your story is rubbish, so then you look online, where you can find any number of avid readers ready to tell you what they think of your book. If you are lucky, you will even get some honest ones.
I won’t deny these are brilliant people. After a few good beta readers, you will know if your book is engaging and if any bits are boring or don’t make sense. If your characters are likeable. And some will even spot some plot holes. But normally, that’s about as far as it goes.
So how does that differ from an editor?
When you hire an editor, they won’t just read your book and give an opinion. They will go through it with a fine toothcomb. If someone’s eyes change colour halfway through, they are trained to spot it. Are you describing someone walking? We will tell you to change it to the active verb, walked.
An editor with tell you how to stop using passive voice; they will spot plot holes and inconsistencies.
Are you changing point of view during a scene? We will let you know. Could a sentence be reworded to make your book flow better? We will tell you how!
And that’s just scratching the surface.
When you hire an editor, you have to be open to changing things.
Is it easy? Hell no!
But will it improve your book? Most definitely!
So, what it comes down to is, how good do you want your book to be?
Do you need beta readers?
Without a doubt! They are invaluable to finding out if you have a good story.
But do you need an editor?
If you want a book that’s going to shine.
Yes, you do!
