I am profoundly grateful to my beta readers. I beta for other people when I have time. In fact, I have to search some old databases to find a beta I did back in September, which bounced in email form from its intended recipient.
If the act of inviting strangers into your world is intimidating, think of how alien and unnerving it can be for them! They don't know your characters, your world, your great story arc. I'm thrilled any time a beta reader emails me with a comment other than 'what in the bloody hell are you rambling on about, woman?'
Because some of my betas are either wicked fast or have as little a life as I do, they can respond quickly to a mms. The later betas might be critical of an issue that's already been spotted and fixed. I have three big screens and keep all versions, so I can compare notes. Everybody's contributions get the same weight.
If the act of inviting strangers into your world is intimidating, think of how alien and unnerving it can be for them! They don't know your characters, your world, your great story arc. I'm thrilled any time a beta reader emails me with a comment other than 'what in the bloody hell are you rambling on about, woman?'
Because some of my betas are either wicked fast or have as little a life as I do, they can respond quickly to a mms. The later betas might be critical of an issue that's already been spotted and fixed. I have three big screens and keep all versions, so I can compare notes. Everybody's contributions get the same weight.