Handling A Hater Beta

So, you have beta readers now. Congratulations! You finished your book and took the scary step to share it with random strangers.

But now the worst has happened.

A beta reader has come back with heart-wrenching feedback which is crushing your soul.

The worst part: They didn't even get the book.

There are some beta readers out there who just won't vibe with the words you wrote, and that's okay. Not everyone vibes, it doesn't mean no one will.

Some beta readers will love everything you write, some will have feedback for you that might make you angry but is ultimately there to help you -

and some, are hater betas.

Hater Betas are readers who don't like your story, don't connect with your characters and cannot bring themselves to believe anything that happens in the story - but they won't tell you that. Instead, they'll tell how to change the story, all the parts will be bad and they'll tell you what's what to make a better, more believable story.

But it won't make any sense.

I once had a hater beta whose feedback was very different to everyone else's. The feedback didn't make any sense to me, and they got hung up on teeny tiny details I had almost forgotten about.

A lot of their feedback was about making tiny details bigger. Tiny details like a colour and make it into a symbol that would monopolise a lot of the story. Or a side character, and turning them into a main character. This type of feedback didn't make any sense to me, and I didn't know what to do with it.

Then they asked for money.

I was mad.

But I did some googling and took a breath.

You do not have to listen to a beta reader if you do not feel like they fit your manuscript. And you do not have to pay them. Especially if you have already discussed and agreed beforehand on how you will thank your beta reader. (Thanking them could be by giving them a free copy of your book, acknowledgement in your book, a small gift, or payment if you choose).

The best thing to do in a situation where a beta reader gives you feedback you disagree with is to compare it to the rest of your beta feedback (I hope you were able to find multiple beta readers).

If your other betas are saying the same thing, take a long, deep breath (and maybe a hot bath).

If this beta is the only one giving you weird feedback, you can thank them for their time and let them know you no longer require them to continue reading.

In my case, I was lucky. Without payment they refused to carry on. So I just didn't pay them.

What's been your experience with a Hater Beta?