Direct answer
Do a continuity pass before sending the draft out, define the questions you most want answered, and prepare a light support packet with character names, context, and any boundaries around spoilers or unfinished arcs.
Why it matters
A better-prepared manuscript gets more useful reader feedback and fewer avoidable continuity comments.
A simple way to handle it
- Fix the obvious contradictions first so beta readers are not doing cleanup work.
- Decide what kind of feedback you want on plot, pacing, or character clarity.
- Package the manuscript with enough context to reduce confusion without over-explaining.
Clean the draft before asking for reactions
Beta readers should not be spending their attention on the contradictions you already know how to fix. Run a quick continuity pass first, especially on names, timeline drift, missing setup, and obvious scene-order confusion.
That pass does not need to be perfectionist. Its job is to remove the avoidable noise that would otherwise dilute the feedback you actually need.
Guide the feedback without scripting it
Readers give stronger notes when they know what kind of help you want. Tell them whether you are most concerned about pacing, motivation, confusion, emotional payoff, or the clarity of the ending.
A light packet with character names, context, and response questions is usually enough. Too much explanation can flatten the authentic reader experience you are trying to test.
- State the feedback priorities clearly
- Give only the context needed to read well
- Keep your own revision questions visible while responses come in