Beta reader
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A beta reader (or betareader, or beta) is a person who reads a work of fiction with a critical eye, with the aim of improving grammar, spelling, characterization, and general style of a story prior to its release to the general public.
The author or writer, referred to as the alpha reader, may use several betas prior to publication. The term "beta" is an appropriation from the software industry which uses the terms alpha and beta for software that are internal works in progress, and publicly released tests, respectively (though a beta may still be tested internally). While the usage of both the concept and the term is strongest amongst fan fiction writers, it is growing in popularity with novelists, to the point where some have thanked their beta readers (sometimes even referring to them as such) in their acknowledgments. An example of this practice can be found in the acknowledgments in Naomi Novik's novel His Majesty's Dragon, (published in 2006 by Del Rey) which reads:
| “ | I owe thanks first and foremost to the group of beta readers who saw His Majesty's Dragon through to completion, from the very first chapter to the last... | ” |
A beta reader, who may or may not be known to the author, can serve as proofreader, of spelling and grammar errors, or as a traditional editor, working on the "flow" of prose. In fiction, the beta might highlight plot holes or problems with continuity, characterisation, or believability; in non-fiction, the beta might assist the author with fact-checking.
Other types of writing groups have been known to use the French term, critiquer or the abbreviated, informal version, critter in the same context as beta reader.
