Reader feedback is the response and reactions of an audience to content, particularly in journalism and media. It helps journalists gauge public opinion, improve the quality of their work and create a connection with readers. The feedback can be provided in the form of letters to the editor, online comments and social media interactions. In addition, it can be gathered through structured surveys and polls.
The most common way to gather reader feedback is by using beta readers. Beta readers are usually fellow authors who have read your genre and can provide valuable insight into how well you’ve captured the setting, characterizations, plotting or pacing of your story. They may also be able to offer suggestions about which parts of your story work and which don’t.
Some reader-response theorists like Holland and Bleich focus upon individual reading responses (“individualists”) while others conduct psychological experiments on a limited number of participants (the “experimenter” group). Still other reader-response theorists, such as Hans-Robert Jauss in Germany, have suggested that readers have a certain mental set or horizon of expectation with which they enter into a literary text.
It’s important to remember that not all reader feedback will be helpful or even useful. It’s your job to sort through the feedback and decide which bits you will incorporate into your story, how they might be improved and whether or not they are worth the time and effort of working them into your manuscript.