Why Beta Readers and Sensitivity Readers Matter (and How to Use Their Feedback)
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Today’s audiences are invested in the quality and craft of the books they read and have the platforms to vocally declare their love (or revulsion) where everyone can see. On social media and in reader reviews, readers share the books they loved and decry the ones they didn’t — and often outline in detail why they didn’t connect. No matter how good the book, every book gets some 1-star reviews. Just look at all the poor reviews on literary greats like Jane Eyre or The Great Gatsby!
To improve the chances of your book landing well with its target audience, getting early feedback before publication is crucial. These readers can alert you of potential issues while you still have time to change the text, setting you up for success, and preventing blindsiding responses that could damage your book’s reputation.
This is where beta readers and sensitivity readers come into play. Building the time into your production process to garner these readers’ valuable feedback will give you the opportunity to identify weaknesses in your manuscript and brainstorm ways to resolve them before your work is thrown to the ravenous public.
You might think, “I’ve told the story exactly as I mean to tell it” or “there’s nothing offensive in my book,” so why should you seek out these early readers? You’d be surprised what falls under these umbrellas!
Here we’ll go over the value beta readers and sensitivity readers can provide to your review process and how best to incorporate their feedback — plus some templates to get you started!
What’s the Difference?
Beta readers offer your first responses. They can read through the book chapter-by-chapter as you’re writing, providing feedback (and motivation!) as you go, or they can read an early draft in one pass. These are readers who are good representatives of your target audience and who can provide constructive feedback. Someone who just says “I love it!” wouldn’t help you grow; likewise, someone who just tries to change your voice into how they would write the book isn’t any help either. A good beta reader should be able to answer specific questions about writing craft (like pacing, voice, and consistency) while also engaging with the text as an audience member (are they entertained, credulous, or emotionally moved?).
Sensitivity readers should be brought in once your manuscript is in a closer-to-finished state, where all your story (or structure) and characters (or themes) are well developed. At this point, you’ve got everything on the page that you want to be there, in the order you want to present it. If there are topics that may limit or potentially distress your audience, or experiences reflected in your characters or theories that portray lived experiences you don’t share, it’s important to make sure you’ve handled them accurately, appropriately, and with sensitivity. Bringing in outside eyes from within the experience or community you’re writing about can catch stereotypes, inaccuracies, or missed opportunities. Addressing these concerns and revising the affected sections with their expert guidance can ensure your book is received well by your readers.
How to Address Bias
Every author has unconscious biases. These are usually formed by our experience living in the world (after all, “write what you know,” right?). But biases can also be absorbed from the media we consume. Especially if your sources are older or are all from a specific perspective, there are likely large pieces of the picture you’re not aware of. This can translate into inaccuracies in how you tell your story or present your findings.
When stereotypes or falsehoods are repeated often enough, they can get absorbed through cultural osmosis, erroneously believed as fact, and then perpetuated by authors in their own books. Watch any doctor on social media as they debunk medical practices depicted in shows like General Hospital or House, and you get the idea.
This kind of bias creeps in where writers least expect it, and it’s practically impossible to see on your own. This is where having a diverse group of beta readers can really help. They bring all their lived experience to your book, filling in those blind spots and ensuring your work is as solid and accurate as possible. Getting their feedback and catching those gaffs before the book hits public shelves will prevent embarrassing errors, callous portrayals, or bigoted language that might result in negative reader reviews. Every author wants to be taken seriously and have their work perceived as skillful, relevant, enjoyable. Why wouldn’t you remove barriers that could be alienating readers or hurting your sales opportunities?
Why Does It Matter?
Readers look for stories that reflect their experiences, but the book industry still has a long way to go in terms of diversity and representation.
According to the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, in 2022, only 30% of books for teens and children contained characters of ethnic backgrounds (though the number of main characters remained much lower). The National Literacy Trust found that 40% of young readers don’t see themselves racially reflected and 44.3% don’t see gender representations that reflect their identities. Meanwhile BookNet Canada’s 2021 study found 41% of adult readers found that one or more aspects of their diverse background (including faith, gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, neurodivergence) was not represented in the books they read.
These numbers represent a large portion of the reading public that isn’t being served. Those readers could be part of your audience if you handle their truths well. Of course no minority group is a monolith, and what may ring true for one may not reflect the experience for another. But it’s better to strive for accuracy than to perpetuate stereotypes that offend or revile your potential readers.
There are also specific topics that — if you haven’t lived them yourself — you’ll need to seek experts to verify. This is where sensitivity readers shine. They act as a living library of certain experiences. They can root out unintentional bias to ensure that readers like them will be reflected accurately in the book.
How to Find Beta Readers and Sensitivity Readers
Depending on the kind of reader you’re looking for, you’ll need to choose an appropriate database.
Many beta readers are writers themselves, so you can make connections in your local writing groups, often by offering to read their work in exchange. You can also find writers in online groups on MeetUp, Facebook, or NaNoWriMo. You may want to start with exchanging a test chapter to make sure you’re a good fit and that the feedback styles match. If you already have an existing mailing list or audience, you can ask if there are any readers among them who might want to weigh in on your book before publication.
For sensitivity readers, you could ask people in your life who belong to that group, but ensure they have experience in providing this kind of feedback. If you don’t know anyone personally, you can start with associations of editors, such as the Indigenous Editors Association, or writing groups like Writing Diversely. If you’re looking for specific topical expertise, you can also look up university professors or consultants in that field and ask if they’d be able and willing to review your work. When working with experts, you may even be able to ask for a testimonial for the book cover.
Keep in mind that reading critically and providing feedback is an investment of time and expertise, so you should budget for compensating your readers for their time. Sensitivity readers usually set flat rates based on the length of the work or per word. Some beta readers might be willing to read in trade, but others might expect compensation. Be sure to confirm timelines — especially if getting multiple readers’ responses to your work — in order to incorporate their feedback. And be sure to include your thanks to all your readers in your acknowledgements!
How to Gather and Use Feedback
In order to collect useful feedback, you’ll want to focus your readers’ attention on the areas where you’re most looking for help. This might be the overall pacing of the book (Did you get bored at any point? Did you find yourself having to re-read a section?), or specific scenes or characters that you’re worried may not be as convincing as you’d like (Were there any areas of confusion? Did this push your suspension of disbelief too far? Were there any inconsistencies?).
If you present your questions to your readers up front, they can focus their time and attention on providing the feedback you want. It helps to have multiple readers providing feedback on the same topics, as then you can review a range of comparable responses. You’ll want to prioritize a consensus, but you can then sift through differing feedback to get a nuanced picture of the potential changes you may wish to make. Of course, leave room for anything else your readers might pick up on, too. They might have great insights into aspects you weren’t aware of at all!
To help you gather useful, consistent feedback from your beta and sensitivity readers, we’ve put together three starter questionnaires. You can use the below as a base, but of course feel free to adjust any of these items to better suit your book’s contents. As getting consistent feedback is key, create a template in your preferred format for receiving your readers’ notes (email, Word docx, Google Doc, PDF, etc.) so you can easily compare apples to apples. Preface your questionnaire with your book title, synopsis, word count, and reading window to ensure the deadline for submitting feedback is clear. Then wait for the responses to come rolling in so you can compare, consider, and implement as needed.
The Beta Reader Questionnaire (Fiction)
Plot
How would you describe this book to someone else?
Do the chapter titles fit the contents without giving anything away?
Did you spot any anachronisms (technology, terminology, colloquialisms, etc., that don’t fit the setting/time period)?
Did you spot any inaccuracies (technological, medical, historical, geographical)?
Was the plot easy to follow? Did you see any twists coming (if so, when did you figure it out)?
What theme(s) did you notice?
Pacing
Was there anywhere your attention flagged? Did any areas feel like they dragged? Did any transitions happen too quickly that you felt disoriented or that you might have missed something?
Which scenes most emotionally resonated with you?
What was your favourite part and why?
Did any chapters feel unnecessary? If so, what was missing?
Was the ending satisfying? Did it come too soon or take too long?
Characters
What was your perception of characters (any favourites/least favourites)?
Are POV changes clear? Does each character’s voice feel internally consistent?
Was the dialogue believable?
Were there any character motivations that didn’t ring true or make sense to you?
Did any characters feel too similar? Did you struggle with any names being too similar or lose track of who anyone was?
Did the antagonist(s) feel appropriately threatening/dangerous? Did you root for the villain?
Did any characters feel flat/unbelievable?
The Beta Reader Questionnaire (Nonfiction)
Organization
Does the book’s organization make sense?
Do the chapter titles accurately reflect each section’s topic?
How was the overall pacing (was there anywhere your attention flagged)?
Any unnecessary repetition?
Were the citations clear? Would a resources/reading list help? Would an index help?
Was there anything missing that you expected to see?
Content
Balance of narrative voice: was the tone appropriate and appealing? If not, why not?
Any anecdotes that don’t fit their topic/have unclear messaging?
Was there any terminology that needed more explanation? How accessible was the language (too dense/too basic)?
Any inaccuracies (factual, technological, medical, historical, geographical)?
Are the exercises/takeaways helpful? Are they clear?
Any areas that needed clarification?
How was the balance of narrative/references/anecdotes?
Impact
How would you describe this book to someone else?
Who would you recommend should read this book?
Did you find the book useful? Why or why not?
Which parts were the most interesting/useful?
Did you learn any new facts/techniques/approaches?
What was your takeaway message?
The Sensitivity Reader Questionnaire
Subject matter to review
Any sections that don’t ring true
Any sections that are triggering or offensive
Any characters/statements that perpetuate harmful stereotypes
Any cultural elements that are inaccurate
Where did you feel most seen?
Is there any content that you’d recommended be handled differently (expanded/trimmed back)?
How would you describe this book to someone else?
Who do you think this book would appeal most to? Is there any group you think might be excluded from the readership?
If you feel this book should have content warnings, what would you recommend?
All questionnaires should end with space for the reader to leave their final thoughts on the text they’ve been asked to read, in case any of their feedback doesn’t fit into the boxes you’ve identified.
The beta and sensitivity reading process is likely to add time to your publishing journey, but it’s often time well spent. We hope this resource enhances your understanding of this process and helps you write and publish your stories with confidence!
