Alpha, Beta, Gamma … oh my!

Most of you would have heard about a beta reader - someone who is the first person to read your story after briefly editing yourself - but what many people don’t know is that there is also an alpha reader and a gamma reader to be included.

While some authors don’t find the need of alpha or gamma readers, we have given a brief description below to explain each type to help you decide if they are what you need before you sending your story off to the editor.

Alpha Readers:

These are a very select group of close people you would trust with your writing in a very raw form. They are the first people who read your draft and offer advice on how the overall story flows and if it makes sense before you start the second draft. Alpha readers need to know that when they read your raw copy, you are still heavily in the editing process. Some authors may use writing groups to look for Alpha readers for a completely unbiased opinion while others choose to use family or friends.

Beta Readers:

Beta readers are a person preferably outside the publishing industry and most likely not a close friend or family member, who will give the book a read over and tell you their honest opinion. It is a good idea to include a small questionnaire in order to get the answers you what from them. Beta readers are used in gauging audience reaction so it is a clever idea to ask people who are a fan of your genre or at least, a part of your target audience to read over it for you.

Gamma Readers:

They are basically free proof-readers. They will focus mainly on grammar and spelling before it goes to a professional. It is a relatively unknown source and not many authors use them but there are others who strongly recommend them. They can also be another platform of testers to see how your story goes with audiences.

These, of course, should not replace professional editors but they can be instrumental in providing honest feedback and helping to make sure your ideas make sense to your audiences. After all, any feedback is good feedback when it comes to the writing process.