# Beta reader

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{{Short description|Test reader of an unreleased written work}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}

A '''beta reader''' is a test reader of an unreleased work<ref>{{cite book |author=[Karen Hellekson](/source/Karen_Hellekson) |author2=[Kristina Busse](/source/Kristina_Busse)|title=Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet: New Essays|year=2006|publisher=McFarland|isbn=0-7864-5496-2|pages=15, 43, 172–179|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UgZsi_DOKoQC&dq=%22Beta+reader%22&pg=PA180}}</ref> of writing, typically [literature](/source/literature), who gives feedback to the author from the point of view of an average reader.<ref name="wisegeek">{{Cite news|url=https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-beta-reader.htm|title=What Is a Beta Reader? (with picture)|work=wiseGEEK|access-date=2018-03-24}}</ref> This feedback can be used by the writer to fix remaining issues with [plot](/source/Plot_(narrative)), [pacing](/source/Pace_(narrative)), and consistency. The beta reader also serves as a [sounding board](/source/sounding_board) to see if the work has the intended intellectual or emotional impact on the target market.

== Origin ==
"Beta reader" is an English term originally borrowed from the [information technology](/source/information_technology) and [software](/source/software) industry, where [beta tester](/source/beta_tester)s use an unreleased product to accomplish a real task, partly to identify problems in the product.<ref name="wisegeek" />

== Differences from other roles ==
Typically, a beta reader reviews a draft that has gone through at least one revision. An '''alpha reader''' reviews a draft that is still without an ending or is completely unrevised. Alpha and beta readers must be well educated generally, with a good knowledge of current affairs.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}} This enables them to read works in the current context, with regard to both world affairs and the target market that the work is aimed at.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

A [proofreader](/source/proofreader) usually only looks at [grammar](/source/grammar) and [spelling](/source/spelling) {{Citation needed span|text=and is a paid professional,|date=August 2023}} while a beta reader is more holistic in their scope. A critique partner is a trained writer who test reads from the perspective of an author, while a beta reader is a trained reader, test reading from the perspective of a typical reader. A [sensitivity reader](/source/sensitivity_reader) is a specific type of beta reader who is from a culture that the author is not familiar with.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kole|first=Mary|date=22 October 2021|title=What Is a Sensitivity Reader?|url=https://www.goodstorycompany.com/blog/what-is-a-sensitivity-reader|url-status=live|access-date=9 December 2021|website=Good Story Company|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208225413/https://www.goodstorycompany.com/blog/what-is-a-sensitivity-reader |archive-date=8 December 2021 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [Beta tester](/source/Beta_tester)
* [Critique](/source/Critique)
* [Literary criticism](/source/Literary_criticism)

== References ==
{{reflist}}

Category:Literary criticism
Category:Internet slang
Category:Popular culture language
Category:Editors by type

{{lit-criticism-stub}}
{{Popular-culture-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Beta reader](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_reader) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_reader?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.