Reader feedback is the most valuable thing a writer can receive. However, when a beta reader tells you something that goes against what you thought was in your story, it can be hard to accept. After all, it’s your book, a work of art that you may have spent months or years writing, editing, and revising. It erupted from your inner world, and if someone doesn’t like it, that can feel personal.

While a beta reader might not understand your story as you do, they do know what they like and don’t like about the story, which can help them identify problem areas. They can point out things like “overly descriptive” or cliched language, unexplained time lapses, or that there are “Huh? What?” or “You’re kidding!” moments.

Whether they’re highlighting what they liked, what was missing, or how they might have changed the plot to make it better, their feedback can give you the tools you need to revise your work and improve it for future readers. But turning that disparate feedback into actual changes can be a challenge.

It’s important to show your gratitude to beta readers all along the way, from clear communication and a mention in your acknowledgments, to resisting the impulse to argue with them when they disagree with you. Beta readers invest hours of their own time helping you write a book that works for readers, and they deserve to be treated with respect.