Donna Maree Hanson, Author, Phd in Creative Writing

I met Gareth in Bristol in late 2010. He was there to attend the William Gibson talk and is part of the Bristol/Bath and surrounds’ spec fic scene. The fantastic Cheryl Morgan had organised tickets for us for this event, which happily coincided with our visit to that part of England. (William Gibson borrowed my pen!) Gareth was a friend of a mutual acquaintance, Colin Harvey, who passed away suddenly in August 2011. Since that meeting, Gareth has gone on to have his science fiction books published by Solaris Books. He had a collection out prior to that through Elastic Press.

You can find more about Gareth at his website (he is also on Twitter)  here.

Thank you Gareth for being interviewed.

1.    How many beta readers do you have and how long have you used beta readers in your writing process?

My main beta reader has always been my wife, Becky. She’s read and commented on the first drafts of nearly all my short stories, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank her for her feedback and support. She makes a first class first reader, and I’m lucky to have her on my team.

In addition, my brother Huw and sister Rebecca (both novelists themselves) offered useful feedback on my latest novel, The Recollection (Solaris Books 2011), as did fellow writer Neil Beynon; and my wife and another friend, Duncan Harris, offered some feedback on my first short novel, Silversands (Pendragon Press 2010).

2.    In what ways do beta readers assist you in developing your novel for publication?

The main things I’m looking for when I ask someone to read a novel draft are: a) Does the plot make sense? b) Are the characters believable and relatable? c) Are there any dreadful typos or continuity issues that I’ve missed?

3.    Do all your beta readers pick up the same points?

Mostly, yes; although sometimes there will be disagreements. The original draft of Silversands contained a sexual relationship between two of the main characters. One reader approved of this development, and the other didn’t. And as that latter reader was my wife, I ended up agreeing with her and the sex scene got dropped. And to be honest, its omission made the relationship between the two characters deeper and less obvious than it might otherwise have been.

4.    Do you sometimes target your beta readers to particular areas based on the experience you had with them in the past? For example, one reader is good at plot holes, another reader is good at grammatical issues and another might be good at style. Or do you take what comes?

I pretty much take what comes. I’m just grateful that they take the time to read and comment.

 5.    How hard is it to find a good beta reader?

I’ve been extremely fortunate, in that I know so many intelligent and literary-minded people who have been willing to help; so, I haven’t had the need to go out searching for beta readers, as they’ve been there for the asking.

6.    Do you have any advice for readers who want to be beta readers or even editors in the long run? For example, what type of commentary to you prefer?

Allow me to refer you back to my answer to question 2, above. What I really want to know is whether the book works as a story, whether I’ve made any fundamental errors, and whether they enjoyed it as readers. Any other useful comments are gratefully received.

Thank you Gareth for doing the interview. 

Donna