Beta reader checklist

I’m in the process of writing a novel (yep, brain about to explode, paranoid about changing even a comma in case there’s a butterfly effect and it causes continuity problems downstream), and I realise that one of the things I’m going to need is beta readers (people who read the book before it’s published to give their opinion). However, beta readers need a bit of guidance as to what is expected of them, so here is a list of questions that can be useful. Whether they write something detailed or succinct is up to them.

Since I’m sure there are other people out there in the same situation (keep going, everyone!), I figured I’d share my list, in the hopes that someone can find it useful. I’ve included a ton of questions that I think would be relevant, plus some that are optional, depending on the style you’re writing in. Feel free to add or remove depending on your needs. I have taken inspiration from many lists I’ve seen over the years, so maybe between all of us we can make the Mother of All Beta Reader Checklists.

And without further ado, here’s the list:

Engagement

1. Did you find the opening of the book interesting? Did you feel like reading on?
2. If you didn’t, why not?
3. Was it clear from the beginning what was happening, who the characters were and what the relationship between them was?
4. Were there points where you lost interest and found it hard to continue?

Main plot

• Was the plot believable?
• Were there any points in the story where you were confused?
• Did you find any plot holes, inconsistencies or continuity mistakes? Were there any factual errors?
• Were the protagonists’ goals clear?
• Was the plot fulfilled in a satisfying way? (even if not the way you wanted or expected)
• Did you find the plot to be overly complicated?
• Did you find the plot predictable?
• Were there any unanswered questions left that you felt needed answering?

Side plots (if any)

• Were the side plots necessary? Did they add anything important to the main plot?
• Were they believable?
• Were they well integrated with the rest of the story?

Pacing

• Did the pace of the story feel natural and appropriate?
• Were there any points where the pace is too slow (especially at the beginning)?
• Were there any points where the pace is too fast? Why?
• Were there any points that felt repetitive?
• Were there any points where you find there are ‘information dumps’ (a lot of information in a short time, making it difficult to remember everything)?

Characters

• Was the protagonist relatable? What did you like about him/her? What didn’t you like?
• Did you find his/her actions believable, even if you didn’t agree with them? (this is useful for unlikeable protagonists)
• Was there enough information to understand his/her motivations and actions?
• Was the antagonist relatable? What did you like about him/her? What didn’t you like?
• Were the main characters’ motivations, personality and backgrounds clear?
• Were the secondary characters’ motivations, personality and background clear? Was there too much/too little information about them?
• Was it easy to remember who the characters were?

Descriptions

• Were the descriptions clear? Could you clearly visualise all the important elements (e.g. characters, settings)?
• Were the descriptions evocative/vivid?

Language

• Was the language appropriate for the story?
• Did the dialogue suit the characters? Was it clear who was talking, even if it wasn’t explicitly stated?
• Was the dialogue realistic?
• In general, was the book easy to read? (this doesn’t mean language should be simplistic. It is possible to use complicated words, but in a way that isn’t ambiguous or obscure)
• Was the language clear or did you have to re-read any bits to understand what was going on?
• Was the language consistent throughout the book? (e.g. same level of formality/colloquialism, no changes in verb tenses)
• Were there words or expressions that stood out as being used too often?
• Did you find any typos, grammar mistakes or spelling mistakes? (careful with how you tell the author about this. Some of them will start weeping uncontrollably if they know they’ve made a spelling mistake)

Miscellaneous

• What is your favourite scene/chapter, and why?
• What is your least favourite scene/chapter, and why?
• Did you feel immersed in the story? Did it cause clear feelings of happiness, anger, sadness, etc?
• Were there places where you couldn’t suspend disbelief?
• Did you like the ending? Do you feel it suited the story as it had developed up to that point?
• What were the strong points of this novel? What were the weak points?

Romance (optional)

• Did the main characters have chemistry and did their relationship make sense?
• Were there any scenes that would need expanding upon? Were there any that were too detailed?
• Was there anything that made you uncomfortable?
• Did the relationship advance in a natural way?

Mystery/thriller (optional)

• Was the answer to the mystery obvious before you got to the end?
• Did the answer to the mystery come out of nowhere or were there enough clues along the way?

Non-fiction (optional)

• If you knew about the subject beforehand, did the book teach you anything new?
• If you knew nothing about the subject beforehand, did it hold you interest?
• Was the research and presentation thorough enough? Was it too detailed?

I hope this is useful. Feel free to suggest more questions if you think any more are necessary.