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<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Beta reader</span></span>
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</p><p>A <b>beta reader</b> is a test reader of an unreleased work<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> of writing, typically <a href="Literature" title="Literature">literature</a>, who gives feedback to the author from the point of view of an average reader.<sup id="cite_ref-wisegeek_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-wisegeek-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This feedback can be used by the writer to fix remaining issues with <a href="Plot_(narrative)" title="Plot (narrative)">plot</a>, <a href="Pace_(narrative)" title="Pace (narrative)">pacing</a>, and consistency. The beta reader also serves as a <a href="Sounding_board" title="Sounding board">sounding board</a> to see if the work has the intended intellectual or emotional impact on the target market.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Origin">Origin</h2></div>
<p>"Beta reader" is an English term originally borrowed from the <a href="Information_technology" title="Information technology">information technology</a> and <a href="Software" title="Software">software</a> industry, where <a href="Beta_tester" class="mw-redirect" title="Beta tester">beta testers</a> use an unreleased product to accomplish a real task, partly to identify problems in the product.<sup id="cite_ref-wisegeek_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-wisegeek-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Differences_from_other_roles">Differences from other roles</h2></div>
<p>Typically, a beta reader reviews a draft that has gone through at least one revision. An <b>alpha reader</b> 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. 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.
</p><p>A <a href="Proofreader" class="mw-redirect" title="Proofreader">proofreader</a> usually only looks at <a href="Grammar" title="Grammar">grammar</a> and <a href="Spelling" title="Spelling">spelling</a> <span class="citation-needed-content" style="padding-left:0.1em; padding-right:0.1em; color:var(--color-subtle, #54595d); border:1px solid var(--border-color-subtle, #c8ccd1);">and is a paid professional,</span> 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 <a href="Sensitivity_reader" title="Sensitivity reader">sensitivity reader</a> is a specific type of beta reader who is from a culture that the author is not familiar with.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2></div>
<ul><li><a href="Beta_tester" class="mw-redirect" title="Beta tester">Beta tester</a></li>
<li><a href="Critique" title="Critique">Critique</a></li>
<li><a href="Literary_criticism" title="Literary criticism">Literary criticism</a></li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>
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<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">
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</style><cite id="CITEREFKaren_HelleksonKristina_Busse2006" class="citation book cs1"><a href="Karen_Hellekson" title="Karen Hellekson">Karen Hellekson</a>; <a href="Kristina_Busse" title="Kristina Busse">Kristina Busse</a> (2006). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=UgZsi_DOKoQC&dq=%22Beta+reader%22&pg=PA180"><i>Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet: New Essays</i></a>. McFarland. pp. 15, 43, <span class="nowrap">172–</span>179. <a href="ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <bdi>0-7864-5496-2</bdi>.</cite></span>
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<li id="cite_note-wisegeek-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-wisegeek_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-wisegeek_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-beta-reader.htm">"What Is a Beta Reader? (with picture)"</a>. <i>wiseGEEK</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">24 March</span> 2018</span>.</cite></span>
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<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFKole2021" class="citation web cs1">Kole, Mary (22 October 2021). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.goodstorycompany.com/blog/what-is-a-sensitivity-reader">"What Is a Sensitivity Reader?"</a>. <i>Good Story Company</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20211208225413/https://www.goodstorycompany.com/blog/what-is-a-sensitivity-reader">Archived</a> from the original on 8 December 2021<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">9 December</span> 2021</span>.</cite></span>
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This article is issued from <a class="external text" title="Last edited on 2025-06-15" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?title=Beta_reader&oldid=1295680754">Wikipedia</a>. The text is available under <a class="external text" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en">Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0</a> unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.
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