Writers: You Don’t Need a Beta Reader

Tony Peak
6 min readJul 19, 2023
Image credit: Andrew Neel via Unsplash

Yes, you read that title correctly. One of an author’s allegedly most useful resources — getting someone read an unpublished work to aid with its revising, also known as a beta reader — is unnecessary.

By now, you’re probably yelling at your screen and exiting this essay. If you’re still here, I’ll tell you why I make such a strong statement. (Hint: It’s not AI. What kind of a writer do you take me…

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Tony Peak

Science Fiction & Fantasy author, member of SFWA, HWA, & Planetary Society; represented by Ethan Ellenberg