Beta Reader Brief Template: What to Send With Your Manuscript

A beta reader brief is a short note you send with your manuscript. It gives your reader the essentials: what kind of book it is, how much they'll be reading, which draft they're getting, what feedback would help and when you'd like it back.

Agree on the reading and deadline before sending the file. Include the brief with your manuscript so your reader has everything in one place. You can copy the template below into an email or a separate document.

Start with the book and the amount of reading

Give the title, genre, intended readership and word count of the file you are sending. Distinguish a complete novel from an opening sample. “Adult fantasy, 84,000 words, complete draft” sets a different expectation from “the first three chapters, 9,500 words”.

Add a sentence or two about the premise, then let the pages speak for themselves. You'll learn more from the reader's own impressions than from explaining what you hope they'll notice.

Name the draft and keep the file stable

Use a recognisable filename such as Glass-Harbour-v3-2026-10-30.docx, and repeat the version in your brief. Keep a copy of exactly what you sent. Chapter numbers or scene references will make feedback easier to locate later.

If you revise while someone is reading, avoid silently replacing their file. Either save the changes for the next round or ask whether they would prefer to switch versions. A reader's confusion may belong to the older draft; you need to know which one they saw.

Explain what feedback would help

Say what matters for this draft: perhaps the opening's clarity, a relationship or the pace of the middle. A short overall response and a few questions can give readers a useful structure. Let them know whether you'd also welcome notes in the margins.

Reedsy's guide to working with beta readers distinguishes the reader's experience from a professional edit. Use your brief to make that distinction practical: “Please tell me where you lost the thread” gives someone a clearer task than “Please edit my book”.

Confirm whether this is a volunteer read, a critique swap or a paid service, and agree on how much feedback each person can offer. For a swap, discuss both manuscripts and both deadlines.

Include content notes and a workable deadline

Give readers enough information to decide whether the material is right for them before they open it. Be specific where useful: “on-page violence” is more informative than “dark themes”. Offer more detail privately if they want it, and let them decline or stop without asking them to explain personal experiences.

Ask which file format they can comfortably read, check that the link opens with the intended access, and agree on whether comments should go in the file or a separate response. Ask them to keep the draft private and check with you before sharing it.

Share the word count and ask how much time they'll need. Agree on a date for feedback, including a time zone if it matters. If you're working towards a submission deadline, say so. Let them know how to reach you if they need more time, and whether partial feedback would help.

Ask questions that leave room for surprise

Begin with an open invitation to share impressions. Then ask a few questions about moments in the reading experience, rather than questions that announce the answer you want. “Was the betrayal obvious?” can prompt a reader to look for a betrayal. A question about what they expected at a particular point leaves more room for their own response.

Andrew Noakes, founder of The Niche Reader, recommends combining broad and focused questions and placing story-specific concerns after the general response in What to Ask Your Beta Readers. The template below has five questions and space for one about your current draft. Keep the ones that will help you revise.

If you're sending a sample, replace the question about the ending with one about what the reader expects next. Chapter or scene references make it easier to find the passages they're discussing.

Copy this beta reader brief

Fill in the brackets and cut anything you don't need.

Download the editable beta reader brief (.txt), or select and copy the text below. No signup is needed to use it.

BETA READER BRIEF

Thanks for considering my manuscript. Here are the details so you can decide whether you have time for it.

Title and author: [title / your name]
Genre and intended readership: [genre / adult, YA or other audience]
Short introduction: [one or two sentences, without explaining the ending]
Reading scope: [whole manuscript or chapters / word count of the file]
Draft and filename: [version / date / filename]
Content notes: [relevant subjects and level of detail; offer more information if wanted]

This round's focus: [one or two things you want to understand]
Feedback requested: [e.g. your overall impressions and any scenes you found confusing]
Arrangement: [volunteer read / critique swap / paid service]
File and access: [agreed format / link or attachment / access instructions]
Please keep this draft and its contents private and ask before sharing it.

Feedback due: [agreed date / time zone if relevant]
Return feedback by: [reply email / document / agreed method]
If you need more time or cannot finish: [how to reach me; whether partial feedback would help]

Please share your first impressions before answering these questions. Chapter or scene references are helpful; short answers are welcome.

1. Which moment would you tell another reader about, and what made it memorable?
2. Where did you pause because you needed information the story had not yet given you?
3. Where did you feel most absorbed, and where did your attention drift?
4. Which character choices felt convincing? Were there any you struggled to understand?
5. After the final page, what felt resolved and what were you still wondering about?

Optional question for this draft: [one neutral question, answered after reading]
Anything else you would like me to know: [open response]

Thank you for taking the time to read and share your thoughts.

Send it, then give them time to read

Before sending, check the filename, word count, content notes and deadline. Open the link or attachment yourself to make sure it works. Send the questions with the manuscript, check that everything arrived, then give your reader time to settle into the book.

When feedback arrives, thank them and read the whole response before planning changes. If a note is unclear, ask which passage prompted it. Keep the reader's reaction separate from a proposed fix: you may solve the underlying problem in a different way.

For the wider workflow, see The Beta Reading Process: What to Expect. You can also share our guide to meaningful beta reader feedback with someone who would like help framing their notes.

We're building Manuscript Match to help writers find readers who enjoy their genre. Join the waitlist and we'll let you know when it's ready.