Two groups of early readers can make or break a book: beta readers, who help you fix it, and ARC readers, who help you launch it.
You don’t need to pay for either. You need to know where to look, what to ask and how to keep good readers coming back. Here’s all of it.
Beta readers vs. ARC readers
Beta readers read your draft before it’s finished and tell you what’s working and what isn’t. They’re story readers, not proofreaders. You want honesty, not praise.
ARC readers (ARC stands for advance review copy) get the finished book before release, so they can post honest reviews when it goes live. You want reviews on day one.
Same kind of people, different job, different timing.
Where to find beta readers
- Reader groups for your subgenre on Facebook. Many allow beta-reader requests on certain days, so read the rules first.
- Reddit. There are communities just for matching writers with beta readers, plus subreddits for most romance subgenres.
- Goodreads groups for your subgenre, especially ones with a section for authors.
- Discord servers for romance readers and writers.
- Other authors. Swapping beta reads with a writer in your genre is common, free and often the most useful feedback you’ll get.
- Your own readers, once you have a newsletter. Your most engaged subscribers make the best beta readers of all.
Whoever you pick, they need to actually read your subgenre. A thriller fan can’t tell you whether your dark romance delivers what dark romance readers want.
Three to five good beta readers is plenty. More than that and the feedback turns into noise.
How to ask
Keep your request short and specific:
- your subgenre, tropes and heat level
- the length, and the deadline (two to three weeks is fair)
- what you want from them (honest notes on story and characters, not typos)
- any content warnings
Send them questions, not just a file
“Did you like it?” gets you nothing useful. Give them a short list of questions to answer at the end, or at the end of each act:
- Where did you get bored, or start skimming?
- Was anything confusing?
- Did you believe the leads were falling for each other? When did you start rooting for them?
- Which character did you care about most, and least?
- Did the ending feel earned?
- Would you read the next book? Why or why not?
Send the book in a way that’s easy to read on a phone or e-reader. A delivery service like BookFunnel makes this simple, or you can send an .epub file.
What to do with the feedback
- Look for patterns. One reader who hates your hero is an opinion. Three readers who hate your hero is a note.
- Separate the problem from the fix. Readers are great at telling you where something’s wrong and less reliable at telling you how to fix it.
- Fix structure before sentences. If they skimmed the middle, fix the middle before you polish a single line.
- Thank them, properly. A thank-you in the acknowledgments and a finished copy go a long way, and the readers you treat well will beta read your next book too.
How to build an ARC team
Start with your newsletter. Invite subscribers to join your early-reader team. People who already like you are the most likely to read and review.
Ask in reader communities where ARC requests are allowed.
Use a sign-up form so you know who’s who. Ask for their name, email, which retailers they review on, which of your genres they read, and whether they’ve reviewed for you before.
Deliver the book easily. BookFunnel is what a lot of indie authors use for this. Secure ARC delivery starts on its Mid-List plan (BookFunnel pricing). There are also platforms that connect authors with ARC reviewers, so compare their current plans before you pay for anything.
The ARC timeline
- About two weeks before release: send the ARC with a friendly note and your release date.
- Release day: send the link to the book page and a gentle reminder.
- About a week later: one last, gentle reminder.
That’s it. Don’t chase people beyond that.
Keep it honest
Ask for honest reviews, never positive ones. Don’t make the free copy conditional on a review, and never pay for reviews. Amazon is strict about review manipulation, so read its current Community Guidelines before your first launch. It’s also good practice for reviewers to mention they received a free copy.
Keep your team healthy
Keep a simple spreadsheet of who received a copy and who reviewed. After a couple of launches, you’ll know who your real team is. Thank the readers who show up, and quietly stop sending copies to the ones who never do.
Go deeper
Chapter 11 of Plot. Publish. Profit. covers beta readers as part of the layered editing process, and chapter 14 walks you through your first launch, ARC team included. See also: how to edit a book on a budget.
