beta reader
{{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{{cite book |author=Karen Hellekson |author2=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}} of writing, typically literature, who gives feedback to the author from the point of view of an average reader.{{Cite news|url=http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-beta-reader.htm|title=What Is a Beta Reader? (with picture)|work=wiseGEEK|access-date=2018-03-24}} This feedback can be used by the writer to fix remaining issues with plot, pacing, and consistency. The beta reader also serves as a 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 and software industry, where beta testers use an unreleased product to accomplish a real task, partly to identify problems in the product.
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 usually only looks at grammar and 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 is a specific type of beta reader who is from a culture that the author is not familiar with.{{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 }}