How to Write a Book: Part Four

Stephanie Partridge
Sep 15, 2021
5 min read

Be sure to complete PART ONE - PART TWO - and PART THREE of the "How to Write a Book" series so that you're fully prepared for the awesomeness ahead.

Embracing criticism

When you feel somewhat confident in your self-editing work, it will be time for your first phase of beta readers. Putting your work out there is tough - I know. It's hours and hours of hard work that you now need to put in someone else's hands and ask them to critically judge. Let me be clear when I say THEY ARE CRITIQUING YOUR MANUSCRIPT - NOT YOU! Don't take it personally. You will not achieve your greatest potential if you can't accept, even embrace, criticisms. Learn from failure and grow.

Happy Failures

Let me share a couple of happy failures of mine. I decided on the name of my memoir before I started putting the book together. The name was inspired, heartfelt, and to the point, or at least that's what I thought. The title was "Prenatal Vitamins & Chemotherapy" for a year and a half while I wrote and edited. I loved the title and had no intention of changing it. I was asked to speak at a conference about my experiences. When they asked me to give the presentation a name, I didn't hesitate to say Prenatal Vitamins and Chemotherapy. There were three other break-out classes that people could attend during my time slot. Of the 200-300 people in attendance, only eight people came to hear me present. The room could seat 40-50 and it felt very baren. I was happy to share my story and grateful for the opportunity, but it made me wonder what it was that turned people off my class. After listening to a few people passing in the hall, I overheard impressions that the class title "just sounded kind of scary and sad." My title that I had held on to for 18 months was not going to work and I needed to accept that. I thought up new titles, I asked other people for their opinions, and I went to social media to have people vote on a favorite book cover/title (By the way, engaging with people about your book early is great marketing!). My new title: Baby Bump, Cancer Lump, is a combination of a few people's suggestions. I am so glad I accepted failure in my perfect title and allowed a change for the better.

I talked about this before, but when I wrote Prenatal Vitamins and Chemotherapy it was a collection of online journal entries. I put thought into what I posted online and felt that putting them together chronologically would be a sincere, real look into my life during a difficult time. After doing some editing, I followed the advice of other authors and asked a handful of people to read it and give their honest opinion. A few of them responded with editing suggestions, which were very helpful. One of the beta readers sent back the first ten pages with harsh truths I needed to come to peace with.

"This is great to save for your posterity, but no one else would want to read this. Most of these journal entries are boring and unnecessary. If you plan on publishing this as a book you should rewrite and add more 'story' to the experience." - harsh, but true, critique

Another beta reader came back with similar comments and yes, it was a little hard to swallow at first. Being a memoir, this book was more than just a book to me; this was my life, my pain, my heart in word form. I spent a few weeks doing some soul searching, and I swallowed my pride. It took me a few more months, but I was able to take my original journal entries to write a more relatable dialogue to tell my story. The story is still very real, raw, and genuine but no longer a list of journal entries only. I tell my story and share the entries at the end of each chapter. My current book is so different from what I thought was a complete manuscript. I am SO glad I accepted harsh critiques and allowed a change for the better.

Failure is just the turn on the road to something better. Embrace failure and get ready to grow!

Baby Bump, Cancer Lump

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Who to get as a Beta Reader:

Family- You don't need a professional at this point, you just need readers that can give honest opinions.
Social media friends - It's important to start getting people excited about your book, and talking about it early. Getting help is a great way to do that.
Writing groups - It is good to network with other authors in writing groups early on. You can do a search online for writing groups in your area, attend a writing conference to meet people, and look for your writing genre on Facebook to find an author group. Most people in these groups are also looking for help, so you can ask for beta readers or you can offer a swap and read their book in exchange.

What should a Beta Reader be asked to do/look for:

Make it clear that you are NOT asking them to edit the manuscript, but are happy with any editing suggestions they have.
Have them take note of any parts that are confusing, inconsistent, or repetitive in the text.
Have them take note when/if they start losing interest in the text.
When finished with the manuscript, have them answer these questions: "Is this relatable? Is there anything in the manuscript that you wish was done differently? Was there anything in the text that was distracting or that you felt wasn't resolved (unless, of course, it is an intentional mystery)? Do you have any tips or suggestions for me?"

I suggest getting three to four beta readers to start.

Review and analyze their comments and suggestions and make necessary changes. It took me a few months to completely re-write most of my book after my first group of beta readers. Give yourself time; this is not something you want to rush through. After you've made the corrections and changes, ask another three to four beta readers to critique your manuscript. If this group of beta readers is also giving a lot of suggestions/harsh critiques then make all the corrections needed and get another group of beta readers. It is not uncommon for an author to have their manuscript read by ten or more people during this phase. The more opinions and advice you can get here - the better off your work will be. Remember now is not the time to get offended. People are sincerely trying to help. Humbly take their critiques, but also know that you don't have to do everything they say. For example, I had one beta reader that did not like how I started my first chapter. She suggested I remove a whole section because it was "unnecessary and off-topic." I later heard from several beta readers that that was one of their favorite parts and made the book more relatable. I'm glad I decided to keep it. Just know that opinions are opinions.

If you feel that asking for help is just not an option, then you can skip this step, but it will mean a less polished final product. You could also pay the price to have beta reading done by professionals. This is called a content edit, which most professional editing companies offer, just be prepared for the price tag. I'll talk some more about this in my next post about professional editing.