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[Lance Charnes]

Three-part question:

1) Where do you get beta readers who can give you actual usable input on your works? I've already been through the crit-group mill with my latest WIP, but that was 3000 words at a time. So far, the couple of advance readers haven't come up with usable input, even though I've given them a list of questions to answer.

2) If you have an editor who wasn't handed to you by a publisher, how did you find him/her? There are a lot of people out there flacking for business. How did you choose?

3) If you have both an editor and beta readers, which do you think gives you the best input? How often does your editor point out things the beta readers don't (not counting typos)? How often do the beta readers like something the editor hates, and vice versa?

Thanks.

[Leon]

Lance,
Here are two sites to help you more clearly understand beta testing.

www.wisegeek.com    www.joelonsoftware.com

As to editors - if you have 100 editors read your work your will get 100 different replies.

Maybe I can be of more help if you let me know what you expect having people read your work.

Best of luck.

Leon
ikciv@gte.net

[MTH]

I got some amazing help from members of this forum. If you go with an unknown, make sure the person is familiar with the genre you're writing in. You'd be surprised how much that matters. I made the mistake of paying someone and she didn't have a clue about mysteries. Even though I gave her a list of things to consider, she failed on all accounts.

Mickey

[Lynette]

I belong to a mystery critique group and they're very helpful in pointing out things that I've overlooked or left hanging in the plot. But with a critique group or beta reader (which I've never used) or even an editor, the publisher's editor will have different ideas. I'm published by different publishing companies. In one, my editor, not only wants me to always avoid the use of the word 'was' but she adds tons of commas. Another editor will take our almost every comma I put in. So I find that I make my manuscripts as near perfect as I can on my own (of course they're always perfect) and worry about the final editing when the piece sells. And I've learned that no matter what I do, the final editor is going to change something.
Good Luck
Lynette