on Jami Gold:

I’ve shared many tips about beta readers before, from advice on where to find beta readersto how to make beta reading work for us. One assumption throughout most of my posts is that we find beta readers through a beta-reading exchange with other writers.

When that option works for our situation, it can work well. We get the benefit of free feedback on our story, and at the same time, we learn about what makes for good writing through the reading and feedback we do for our exchange partner.

However, a beta-reading exchange isn’t always the best choice. We might struggle to find beta-reading partners at all, much less ones who are competent. (In fact, the reason I created the Beta Reading Worksheet was to help us get better feedback from those who don’t have experience.) Finding good readers who are also reliable? Or we just might not trust our work with those we do find.