Building Your Inner Circle of Support: How to Find Beta Readers | How To Write the Future podcast, Ep 218
Building Your Inner Circle of Support: How to Find Beta Readers – How To Write the Future podcast, episode 218
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“We may write alone, but we actually edit together.” – Beth Barany
This short episode packs a punch!
Did you know building trusting relationships with your beta readers can make the process easier when it comes to your next book as they’ll be waiting for the email about your new story?
Listen to this episode of How To Write the Future titled “Building Your Inner Circle of Support: How to Find Beta Readers” where host Beth Barany shares why it’s important to nurture your beta reader relationships, where to find beta readers, and what questions you can ask them after they’ve read your book.
Beth also shares an actual sample email in the resources you can adapt to your book from her article: “3 Essential Editing Tips: Beta Readers (Pt 3).”
Platforms the podcast is available on: Apple Podcasts | Buzzsprout | Spotify| YouTube
RESOURCES
Getting Feedback on Your Novel by Beth Barany
https://writersfunzone.com/blog/2022/01/19/getting-feedback-on-your-novel-by-beth-barany/
3 Essential Editing Tips: Beta Readers (Pt 3) by Beth Barany
About the How To Write the Future podcast
The How To Write The Future podcast is for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to write positive futures and successfully bring those stories out into the marketplace. Hosted by Beth Barany, science fiction novelist and creativity coach for writers. We cover tips for fiction writers. This podcast is for readers too if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.
This podcast is for you if you have questions like:
– How do I create a believable world for my science fiction story?
– How do I figure out what’s not working if my story feels flat?
– How do I make my story more interesting and alive?
This podcast is for readers, too, if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.
Transcript for episode 218 Building Your Inner Circle of Support: How to Find Beta Readers
Welcome and Topic
BETH BARANY: We may write alone, but we actually edit together. This episode is about finding beta readers. Nurturing your supporters, your fans, and beta readers is a relationship. It is not transactional, in my opinion. You can have transactional relationships, but I want to encourage you to have real relationships with your beta readers.
Hi everyone. I’m Beth Barany. I am the host of How to Write the Future podcast. I’m a writing teacher and coach, and specialize in helping science fiction and fantasy writers.
[00:35] Where to Find Beta Readers
So today we’re gonna talk about how to find beta readers and the importance of beta readers. How do you find them? You may find them in your critique group, writing group, online, in your social media channels, on your email list.
If you have a Substack, that’s a good place to find them. If you’re in a writing community, that’s a good place to find them.
[00:58] Preparing Your Request
So what do you ask beta readers?
Here’s what you ask beta readers.
And you can follow the resource link for the actual sample email that I suggest you send to beta readers.
So first, you wanna get their agreement and get them on a waiting list so that when you are ready to send out for more feedback to these beta readers, you are ready. You have a list of people.
So there you are, you have your list of people, and you get right to the point.
Thank them for their, their feedback and support.
[01:32] Formats and Deadlines
Tell them that you have attached the manuscript with the working title, or maybe you have a fixed title. Give it to them in the format they like. I usually offer people Word, PDF, or EPUB. And Draft2Digital lets you convert easily a Word document into an EPUB and PDF.
And I collect what is their preferred format ahead of time in a Google form. I have a sample of that. You can see my actual beta reader request form also in the resource section.
You tell them how long it is and you give them a deadline. People love deadlines. And then you give them a list of questions. Here are six questions that I ask them, and they’re in the email, and I say, “Short answers are fine.” These are not editors. These are people who are reading your book for free.
We’re not expecting them to be editors, copy editors, fix our typos, although some people will because they can’t help it.
[02:26] Six Key Questions
So here’s what we want to ask them.
Number 1: At what point does the motivation or the actions of the characters seem realistic?
Number 2: Where does the story get boring?
Number 3: What was missing? What do you want more of? It’s two different ways of asking the same thing.
Number 4: What would make this a five-star story for you?
Number 5: Do you feel attached to the characters?
Number 6: Optional. Any line edits like typos or grammar would be great.
[03:01] Set Expectations and Thanks
Then I tell them this. I say, ” Thank you for your honesty. I would rather learn that my story doesn’t work now than learn that it sucks from Amazon reviewers, and I don’t take constructive criticism personally. Thanks again. Have a great week.”
And then I do my sign-off.
So that is a sample note that you can send your beta readers.
[03:24] Wrap Up and Teaser
Let me know if you have any questions about finding beta readers or dealing with beta readers so I can answer them in an upcoming episode. That’s all for this week, everyone. Write long and prosper.
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ABOUT BETH BARANY
Beth Barany is an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist and creativity coach for writers. They help novelists write, revise, and publish stories that matter—blending practical craft guidance with a big-picture commitment to imagination, meaning, and possibility.
Learn more about Beth Barany at these sites:
Author site / Coaching site / School of Fiction / Writer’s Fun Zone blog
CONNECT
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CREDITS
- EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: https://www.descript.com?lmref=_w1WCA (Refer-a-Friend link)
- MUSIC CREDITS : Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/fuzz-buzz License code: UMMKDRL02DFGKJ0L. “Fuzz buzz” by Soundroll. Commercial license: https://musicvine.com/track/soundroll/fuzz-buzz.
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- SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
- SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
- EDITORIAL by Iman Llompart
c 2026 BETH BARANY
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