Beta-reading vs. Editing vs. reading submissions

I am about caught up with all the submissions for Crystal Codices that have been glaring at me for a very long time now. I've taken a bit of a break on working on things. My brain got a little bit fried during August and September with all that I had to do to get Emerald Tales, Crystal Codices, and everything else up and running. So, in the past week I have been beta-reading novels for a few friends. Which leads to the title of this blog post.

See, I had one of my friends say thanks for the editing. Except that when I beta-read my brain is in a different gear from when I am editing and when I am reading submissions my brain is in a different space from either of those.

When I read submissions, I read them as a reader would. I don't see the typos, grammatical mistakes, etc. As long as the story holds my attention, I continue reading. If it doesn't hold my attention for any reason, then I pass on it. This leads me to a huge stack of stories that do hold my attention that I have to then go through again when considering submissions for Emerald Tales.

When I beta-read for a friend, I don't see the punctuation and grammar mistakes. If I notice one, then I mark it, otherwise, I am reading for flow, for plot holes, at characters and their reactions, looking for things that don't make sense.

When I am editing a story, my teacher's brain is fully engaged looking for the typos, punctuation, and grammar mistakes.

I don't know if agents and other editors are the same way. It would be interesting to find out.