In the Beta Reader Spotlight series we ask our smart, diverse and multi-talented beta readers what makes them tick, and what they're seeing in Spun Yarn manuscripts. Our beta readers span the gamut of literary taste, so expect to see a little bit of everything! 

By day, Khaiyah is a video editor, illustrator and content creator at the branding company DynamikWorks. She’s also a poet, recent high school grad, a world traveler, and of course, a Spun Yarn beta reader. Khaiyah started out beta reading Young Adult and Romance, but as she gets older she’s expanded her literary repertoire, and is one of our fastest and most reliable eclectic readers of all genres.

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The Spun Yarn: Khaiyah, I've wanted to interview you for a long time! You are one of our most prolific readers, but also one of our young beta readers, specializing in Young Adult, Historical Fiction, and Romance. You've been reading for us since 2017, and you always manage to return helpful feedback so quickly. I have many questions for you, starting with this one: I get the sense that you are a busy woman. What else are you involved in, and how do you make the time to read?

Khaiyah:   First of all, thank you! Yes! I’m so excited to have this opportunity to share a little bit more about myself and my love of reading. In the eyes of many I may be a busy woman, but I’d like to think that I operate with efficiency, haha. Outside of beta reading for The Spun Yarn, I am a video editor, illustrator and designer for my family owned branding business, DynamikWorks. I’ve been editing since I was nine years old and I’ve always had a passion for creation. In anything I do be it, writing, reading, videography, dancing, or singing, etc. I just want to innovate and create new things. My family and I also love to travel so we find ourselves on the road, frequently traveling to new states. I have an affinity for organization and time management. Something I’ve learned is that we always make time for what we want to make time for and I love reading and participating in this beta reading process with the Spun Yarn so I make it happen. Prioritizing and giving myself deadlines and sticking to them is what allows me to do it all. 

The Spun Yarn: What sparked your love of reading, how has it been a part of your life, and what are some of your favorite books?

Khaiyah: I like to joke that my mom reading to me while I was in the womb made me a reader before I had a choice in the matter, but in all honesty, I have just always loved reading. In school, I was a natural reader and seemed to excel in all things English. I think at a young age when you find something you’re good at it’s easy to continue in that vein and make it a large part of your adult life. As I progressed into high school, leisure reading became a part of my day-to-day life and it was something that I looked forward to all the time. Always wondering what would happen next to some of my favorite characters or when the next book in a series was coming out. 

As I grow into a young woman, I’m discovering more genres that I enjoy that I never would’ve picked up a few years ago or even a few months ago. I’m coming to enjoy more self-help books, fantasy, memoirs and non-fiction books on topics I’m interested in. Keep in mind that I’m still a romantic at heart and cheesy romance books keep me going so I have to include some in my favorites: 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Twilight (The Saga) by Stephanie Meyers

You Are A Bad*ss At Making Money by Jen Sincero

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Divergent (Series) by Veronica Roth

I hope those aren’t too cheesy or predictable and that they’re hopefully stomachable for all my non-romance fans, haha.

The Spun Yarn: What are some of the things you're looking at very closely in the manuscripts you beta read? What are some of the things that are hard for authors to get right?

Khaiyah: When I beta read I’m looking very closely at how it makes me feel because when I provide feedback from a place of technicality it’s easier to glaze over the emotions in and behind the manuscript, and it becomes harder to grasp the meaning and purpose the author wanted to accomplish. The emotions a manuscript evokes are important for feedback and as a beta reader I want to ensure I have a clear understanding of what the manuscript makes me feel. A couple of other things that I really look at are the believability of the situations, the depth of the characters and their growth throughout the story, and what would make anyone else want to read it. What about the book kept me coming back for more? How did I and how can others connect with these characters? What was the author’s purpose and do I think they accomplished that purpose? These are just some of the things I try to cover while beta reading. 

In my experience I’ve found it’s a challenge for authors to convey growth in characters without explicitly saying they’ve grown and I see this issue in an array of instances. For example, blatantly stating a fact about a character’s growth instead of showing it through changes in behavior or differences in interactions or new thoughts. I find that reading manuscripts in which the author manages to imply everything versus openly saying it is much more enjoyable.  

The Spun Yarn: You're one of that small group of beta readers who is poised at the edge of adulthood. What are your plans for the future?

Khaiyah: My being on this metaphorical edge of adulthood can be overwhelming, exhilarating, unnerving, and also exciting. The range of emotions I experience just getting through one month is a rollercoaster in itself and thinking about the future can be, to accompany my rollercoaster analogy, a bit nauseating. Nevertheless, for the future I intend to do whatever makes me happy. I think that is the biggest commitment I can make to myself at this point in my life. I have seen so many people sell out at this age. Working towards their dreams all through their teen years and then adults force them to grow up. Unfortunately for many, unhappiness follows. I’d prefer my story be one of joy and contentment in all of my endeavors. So right now I intend to continue working with DynamikWorks and making content that makes people feel good and makes my clients happy. And of course I want to continue working with The Spun Yarn simply because I don’t feel like I’m working at all and that combined with a plethora of positives I don’t intend to stop anytime soon.

The Spun Yarn: What kinds of books do you think we need more of in this day and age?

Khaiyah: I think in this day and age we need more books that reflect real life. I understand and wholeheartedly support books being an escape from the reality we so badly want to change, but I also know that books are a form of awareness for issues that don’t get publicity. Creating more books that show the problems of some people’s everyday lives opens up a space for conversation and hopefully change. I think books are a way for us to reconnect as humans and open up to one another about things we go through. Books and written words are ways for us to empathize and understand each other and with more books that reflect real life, I think we’ll find new ways to love our neighbors and that is only for the best of humanity. 

The Spun Yarn: You’re absolutely right. One of the benefits of beta reading and especially targeted beta reading, or sensitivity reading, is that authors can seek out perspectives they couldn’t or didn’t think to access to before the digital age. More importantly, people whose voices are traditionally disenfranchised can increasingly tell their own stories if the publishing industry is vigilant about seeking them out. I hope we see more of both kinds of books, those that showcase new perspectives, and those that have thoughtfully incorporated those perspectives via carefully chosen beta readers. Thanks as always for your thoughtfulness and zeal, Khaiyah!