I feel certain that as soon as you saw this title your initial thought was “one is paid and one isn’t,” which is absolutely correct in most circumstances. But there’s a lot more worth knowing and considering the pros and cons of exclusively using beta readers as a novel development team or hiring an editor as well:
Beta Readers
Working with beta readers is a longstanding tradition in the writing community, and finding a team of beta readers is easier than ever before with the social internet bringing writers together. But knowing what you’re getting into before you send over your manuscript is key.
Pros for Working Exclusively with Beta Readers
fewer costs
a broad scope of feedback
responses from writers share a common language
get direct feedback from your intended audience
builds a network of support for your novel early in the process
you can still get help from professionals at this level
anyone is qualified to beta read
Cons of Working Exclusively with Beta Readers
anyone is qualified to beta read
broad feedback can be difficult to focus into meaningful changes
can take a long time to receive feedback – volunteer-based
sometimes readers are more interested in inserting their own ideas
feedback is based in opinion, not story mechanics
no editorial roadmap is provided
Essentially, working exclusively with beta readers and critique partners is the low-risk, questionable-reward option available to authors. You’re not investing much capital, but you also have to take the feedback with your daily recommended sodium levels. There are way to sure up your chances of good feedback, though. Having a comprehensive beta reading questionnaire tailored to your needs can help direct their thinking of the book and give specific feedback. You can also consider hiring a professional beta reader to round out your team without the expense of a book editor. In any case, trying to work with beta readers first is the option I’d try first. Then you can move on if you find you’re still not seeing the results you wanted.
Developmental Editors
Indie developmental editors are a newer phenomenon in the literary community. The reason why comes down to capitalism. Development was a regular practice for editors at publishing houses for centuries. They would send back and forth letters for what could be years before publishing a novel. With time, higher production expectations squeezed that out and created agents. Now agents are experiencing the same phenomenon, and authors are expected to develop their novels by themselves. But it’s really hard! So, indie editors began cropping up in hopes of helping authors looking for professional guidance.
Pros of Working with a Developmental Editor
a third-party perspective with fewer biases
more easily vetted in advance to ensure a good experience
provides specific, actionable feedback based in your authorial voice
a source of knowledge in writing, editing, querying, reader experience, and more
has an industry perspective, can comment on trends and positioning
can build a long-term relationship for help during querying, marketing, etc.
works for you to helping bolster your vision, not their own
Cons of Working with a Developmental Editor
the financial commitment
extra effort to vet needed before receiving feedback
can only provide one perspective
no guarantee of landing an agent despite extra support and risk
As you can see from these lists, independent editors have a lot of high-quality pros and few but harsh drawbacks, which lands them in the high-risk, high-reward end of the spectrum. But there are ways to minimize the risk involved. If you intend to do a big edit, meeting with the editor and asking thoughtful questions first is key to understanding how they work and if it jibes with your writing style. As is reading content they’ve provided that’s relevant to your experience. Finally, always ask for an editing sample before committing a large sum of money to a project to ensure you’re receiving high-quality edits. For me, this often looks like suggesting we do a beta read together before a developmental edit to ensure we’re on the same page about what direction we’d expect the story to take.
Other Options to Build a Development Team
Much of drafting a novel is like running a marathon. It’s a largely solo venture that takes a lot of endurance. But you’d never make it over the finish line without additional resources helping you train, eat, stretch, and care for injuries along the way.
This is also true of publishing a novel. While drafting is usually done alone, editing, getting feedback, finalizing a query strategy, and more can be greatly benefitted from having a development team. Beta readers and developmental editors are often a huge part of this experience for authors, but there are other options as well. Book coaches are great resources for learning new skills, asking complex questions specific to your narrative, problem solving narrative plot holes and corners, and helping establish writing habits. And if you’re wanting an in-depth look at a particular scene or several, working with a line editor can help you achieve your goals with fewer costs than a developmental edit as well.
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