Whats a beta, Mommy?
First things first; let’s start with a few definitions. What is a beta reader anyway? Well, a beta reader is simply an editor — a person who reads your finished or partially finished story and offers you comments, corrections, and suggestions on ways to improve it. It’s much the same as what a professionally written piece goes through before it reaches the publication stage — grammar and spelling are corrected, confusing sentences are straightened out, and any missing information is filled in. The term “beta reader” itself evolved from the gaming industry’s practice of building new games, testing them (“alpha testing”), and then sending them out to teams of gamers for a second look, or “beta testing,” before putting the games on the market. These terms are now used in the software industry as well. Beta readers can be called “betas,” “editors,” “proofreaders” or any number of other titles, but the basic job description is the same. Beta reading can cover a wide range of services, dep
