Showing posts with label indie books gone wild. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indie books gone wild. Show all posts

Friday, August 4, 2017

Paperback Giveaway on the IBGW Blog

Happy Friday, everyone! Nothing says lovin' like a paperback, am I right? Let's get into the deets of the book, and then I'll provide you with a linky to the OP and the giveaway. Get those clicking fingers ready, and let's get going!

Title: Snow
Author: Mikayla Elliot
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Length (print): 224 pages
Buy Link (paperback): Amazon - $8.99 (as of this post)

Blurb:
Taken from all she has ever known and loved, Neva finds herself swept into a world of vampires where she learns she will determine their future. Yet she quickly discovers she is the target of a vampire, Zachariah, seeking to stop her from altering the vampire lineage. She must decide which path she will take while trying to protect the family she left behind, and discovering a past she cannot escape.

This book was edited by Karen Robinson, proofread by Jennifer Oberth, and formatted for print and digital by Gaynor Smith (all of INDIE Books Gone Wild).

Here's the link to the post and the entry form on the IBGW blog today:

ENTER HERE

What do you think? Sounds like a pretty groovy book, eh?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

So Many Giveaways!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today, we'll talk about some giveaways. If you're ready, get your clicking fingers warmed up, and let's get going!

If you didn't know, over on the IBGW blog, we do giveaways of the books we work on. Why? Good question! Well, we figured that you want quality reads, our work helps authors produce amazing books, and we have a chance to bring those to your door. So, the real question is: WHY NOT?

Am I right?

This week, you can win one of two ebooks:


OR a paperback:

If you'd like to join the mailing list (we only send out emails when we have a giveaway running), and you haven't already, click here.

To enter this week's giveaways, click here.

May the odds be ever in your favor!

Did you enter? Didja?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Murder Mystery Book Giveaway - From IBGW

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm sharing with you all a little something going on over on the IBGW blog. We've been working hard this year, and some of our wonderful authors are starting to publish their books. We're over the moon about being able to share these awesome stories with the world.

Head on over to the blog to learn more about the books and enter to win! An e-copy of each of the books is up for grabs.

What is IBGW?

We're INDIE Books Gone Wild.

Our mission at IBGW is to remove the stigma currently surrounding Indie published books.
  
When a reader picks up a book with our name on the copyright page, they'll know they won't find flow, spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors in the story. Yes, we have lofty goals!

But, beyond what we wish to provide to readers, here's what we give our authors:

  • Education - With each edit, you'll learn what to do next time so your book is the best it can be. Links will be sprinkled throughout your editing comments so you learn as you go.
  • Promotion - We love our authors! There are no affiliate links on the site. We're here to help you shout to the world about your book being available for purchase. Why? Because when you succeed, we succeed.
  • Customer Service - If you don't feel like your editor is your new best friend once your book has been through their capable hands, we'll be surprised. Again, we adore our authors! We're here to work with you; not at you.
  • Minimal Confusion - We do line edits only so you get the whole enchilada every time. No need to go to three different kinds of editor to polish your book to a high shine. Plus, with every contract, we give you a proofread that's done by one of our team members! Quality control.
  • Communication - Ever waited three days for your editor to get back to you? That doesn't happen here. Our editors are the best responders out there.

Look for the IBGW logo when you're considering an editor. Whether you find them here or elsewhere, you'll know they'll treat you and your book with the highest regard.

We'll be heavily represented at UtopYA Con in June. If you don't have tickets to that event yet, get them here. Tomorrow, I'll be spotlighting some of the signed books we'll have on our table for our big UtopYA giveaway. You don't wanna miss it!

Go give our website a visit and see what we can do for you and your book!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Book Giveaways in Your Inbox

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I know you all love books, right? That should be why you're checking out my blog. Today I'm gonna tell you about an awesome service INDIE Books Gone Wild offers their clients and give you a link where you can join in the fun. Get your clicking fingers ready and let's get going!

PROMOTION

Why is that such a scary word? Because Indies promote tirelessly. It's really quite a big job to promote one book, let alone two, ten, or fifteen. For that reason, writers rely on having fans; people who know and love the books these Indies write, and folks who'll seek out more once they've tasted something awesome.

(Sign up for IBGW's newsletter here.)

Think about it: Who are your favorite authors?

Betcha have a list of well-known writers alongside those Indies you love, right?

How'd you find them?

Was it through a friend's recommendation, or were you browsing a bookstore one day and happened upon a novel that captured you?

What if you could've tried that new author you grew to love with zero risk?

That's what we're offering you!

Here's the skinny:

IBGW edits and proofreads a book (or a series). Once that book (or books--if we do them all at once) gets published, we set up and run a Rafflecopter giveaway. Entry options are always to give our author a follow on some kind of social media and give IBGW a follow somewhere, somehow. IBGW purchases the books and ships or gifts them to the winner(s).

This accomplishes two things:
  1. You get the chance to follow an author you might like
  2. Our authors get a little publicity as we build our own audience
We only send out e-mails when one of our authors publishes a new title we've worked on in some way, and an e-mail once a year (in January) as a recap/roundup. While we can't guarantee you'll love every genre and want to enter, or even that you'll love every story our authors produce, we can guarantee you'll find a well-edited (or well formatted, depending on the service we provided) novel. We embed the giveaway form in the e-mail, so all you have to do is click and enter!

When we edit and proofread a book, we give away two digital copies. When we format a print book, we give away one.

So, head on over to our signup form here:


and let the delivery of awesome begin!

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Did you sign up? What kind of genres do you prefer to read?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Further vs Farther and Apostrophes with Dates

Yup, it's still Thursday! Here's your second post for the day (because I'm playing a bit of catchup). It's short, sweet, and to the point. We're going over further and farther--two words that get confused more often than I like to admit. To my point: I have a post-it over my desk to remind me which one is which. *holds fingers in L to forehead* Another post-it I have up is about dates. So, grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

To put it simply:

Further is figurative distance, or something intangible that can't be measured by standard means.
Farther is physical distance, or something you can apply a tape measure to, resulting in a concrete number.

Examples:
She didn't want to speak further on the topic.
If he'd pried into my mother's illness any further, I would've smacked him.

I walked farther into the woods.
Because my arms are longer, I can reach farther than you.

I hope this little tip helps you keep them straight, too. My post-it looks like this:


I have others, but that's one I need to reference often.

On to dates!

When you're writing dates, remember not to use an apostrophe with the S.

It should look like this:
1990s
or
2940s
not
1990's

Examples:
I used my time-travel machine to go back and visit the 1800s for a week.
In my research, I found that time-travel might become possible by the 2900s.

Get it? No apostrophes with dates! *grin*

If you want a tip on lay and lie, go visit my cohort, Tia Silverthorne Bach. She's got a cute image to help you keep them straight.

Did these tips help at all? What do you confuse?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

How Writers Can Use Google Chrome Remote Desktop

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, you get a digital goodie that's all about productivity and collaboration. So, sit back, grab a cup of Jo, and let's get rolling!

I'm sure you're all familiar with Google Chrome, right? Well, if you don't use that, this post isn't for you. But, if you do, and you have an iOS device...

Google Chrome Remote Desktop is now available for your Apple device. It's free, and you can get it here.

Why am I so excited about it? Well, as you may know, I recently published a book titled Fractured Glass with four other ladies. When it came time to edit the novel, we had a ton of back and forth between myself and Tia Silverthorne Bach (the editors). It was difficult to collaborate with the miles between us.

The Remote Desktop app would've allowed us to share our desktops and edit that novel together. It would've cut our editing time in half (at least), and given us the opportunity to make decisions about structure and consistency on the fly. Those two things set us back a couple of times.

But, if you're writing a novel with a second person, this app could be of even more use. Tell me you wouldn't love to be able to co-edit right in MS Word! Yeah, that's what I'm saying. You can both be writing your novel at the same time.

As a disclaimer, I'm not being paid to tell you about this (I never am), and I'm not sure how many people can share at once with this app. I just heard about it over the last week.

When you click on the link above, it'll give you screenshots to show you how the app works, and you can read the reviews of users taking advantage. It's sitting at four stars, which means it can't be terrible or difficult to use.

So, if you're someone who likes to try new things that may save you time, check it out. If not, just keep doing what you're doing. Like I said, I just found out about it. Once I get some use under my belt, I'll be back to let you all know my thoughts about how it works/doesn't work. So, we'll see!

Do you use it? How? Has it helped you? If not, will you give it a shot?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Monday, December 22, 2014

New Release - The Self Publisher's Ultimate Resource Guide

Happy Monday, everyone! Wow, after the 12 days event, I'm tapped out. But, not so tired I can't bring you news of a fantastic new resource for Indie authors. Grab a cup of something to drink and let's get rolling!

If you're not familiar with Joel Friedlander over at The Book Designer, you should be. In addition to his cover design competition once a month (check out the entries and winners for November!), his blog is an awesome resource for all things publishing. IBGW happens to be one of the businesses listed. Go us! Getting to the point, he's recently released the new book I'm gonna tell you all about now.

Title: The Self-Publisher's Ultimate Resource Guide: Every Indie Author's Essential Directory-To Help You Prepare, Publish, and Promote Professional Looking Books
Author: Joel Friedlander and Betty Kelly Sargent
Genre: References and Directories
Length (print): 127 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $7.99

Synopsis:
The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide is the first and largest collection of curated and verified resources for independent authors who plan to publish their own books. Produced by a team with long experience in both traditional and independent publishing, the over 850 resources are listed in an easy-to-use format that includes live links, phone numbers, email addresses and brief descriptive copy. The Guide makes vendors and other resources easy to find by separating them into 33 distinct categories within the 3 main tasks the self-publisher must deal with. How to Prepare, Publish, and Promote their books:

PREPARE
Content & Developmental Editors
Copyeditors & Proofreaders
Indexers
Cover & Interior Book Designers
Image Sources
Illustrators & Cartoonists
Translators
Writing Software
Writers’ Conferences & Workshops Offering Scholarships
Grants and Funding for Writers
Professional & Trade Associations
Best Books on Writing

PUBLISH
eBook Conversion
Print-on-Demand (POD) Printing & Distribution Services
Subsidy Publishers
Short Run Printers
Book Production Software
Best Books on Self-Publishing
Helpful Links

PROMOTE
Website Design for Authors
Social Media Consultants
Book Review Services
Press Release Services & Sources
Best Blogs on Self-Publishing
Book Blog Tours
Marketing & Publicity
Sites to List eBooks
News & Views
eBook Aggregators & Book Distributors
Major Retailers
Writing Contests, Fellowships & Prizes
Book Awards for Self-Published Authors
Consumer Protection

The Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide ebook version is updated regularly to provide current information and links in the fast-changing indie publishing world, and the authors are actively soliciting input to keep listings current and comprehensive.

If you purchase the book and forward Joel your receipt (find the information on that here), he'll send you a $15 coupon to use toward one of his Book Design Templates.

There's currently a giveaway going on Goodreads, too!

Enter that here.

Runs through December 23!

Good luck to you all!

Did you enter? What do you think of Joel's book?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Giveaway - Yakimali's Gift - Print

Happy Thursday, everyone! I can't believe there are only FOUR days left until the awesome fun begins here on the blog. That's right, it all starts on Monday, December 8, 2014. I'm so excited to find some new authors, see some familiar faces, and hear some awesome book pitches. *squeals*

Anyway, that's not what today is about! Today is me telling you about a giveaway IBGW has going on for an awesome print book.

Here are the details:

Title: Yakimali's Gift
Author: Linda Covella
Genre: Young Adult Historical Romance
Length (print): 226 pages
Buy Links: Amazon paperback $13.35

Synopsis:
It's 1775 in Mexico, New Spain, and 15-year-old Fernanda Marquina, of Spanish and Pima Indian ancestry, can't seem to live up to her mother's expectations or fit into the limited female roles of her culture. To escape, Fernanda grabs any opportunity to ride the horses she loves. At a greater cost than she could ever have imagined, her dream of adventure in faraway lands is realized. With her family, Fernanda joins Juan Bautista de Anza's historic colonization expedition to California. On the arduous four-month journey, Fernanda makes friends with Feliciana, the young widow Fernanda can entrust with her deepest thoughts; Gloria, who becomes the sister Fernanda always wished for; and Gloria's handsome brother Miguel, gentle one moment, angry the next and, like Fernanda, a mestizo--half Indian and half Spanish. As Fernanda penetrates Miguel's layers of hidden feelings, she's torn between him and Nicolas, the Spanish soldier hoping to win her heart. But propelling Fernanda along the journey is her search for Mama's Pima Indian past, a past Mama refused to talk about, a past with secrets that Fernanda is determined to learn. The truths she discovers will change the way she sees her ancestry, her family, and herself.

If you want to see more, including screenshots of the interior and full wrap cover, you can visit the original post over on the IBGW blog here.

Here's the Rafflecopter entry form:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think? Love the pretty? Did you enter?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Paperback Giveaway - Not Born Here: Stories from Marsden, NC

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I know you're all annoyed with me for missing posts lately. I promise, I'm working on getting my schedule in order. Kids go back to school at the beginning of August, and things will be a lot smoother around here. Not sure what I was thinking by moving, attending UtopYA Con 2014, and trying to keep my duties with IBGW up and running all at the same time, but I'll get there. Please bear with me through this difficult time.

Anywho, over on the IBGW blog, there's a giveaway going on for the book below:

Title: Not Born Here: Stories from Marsden, N.C.
Author: Dennis Sinar
Genre: Fiction/Short Stories
Length (print): 196 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $4.99  ~  Paperback $8.99

Synopsis:
A collection of short stories about a fictional Southern town, Marsden N.C. Humor, foibles and heartwarming stories make the town real and the inhabitants memorable characters. The characters move through their days in a small town a daughter learns a secret about her dead mother, women goes through the stages of love, hopeful, love found and just as quickly lost. Roger learns something new about his wife's Jimmylegs and offers fine points on judging a chili competition.

~

This giveaway is being sponsored by the fabulous Tia Silverthorne Bach of INDIE Books Gone Wild. If you want to enter to win a copy, do so here on the IBGW blog.

Sounds like a great collection. I'm off to grab a copy for myself!

If you haven't joined the IBGW mailing list, I urge you to do so. You'll get these great giveaways in your e-mail inbox. We don't spam, and you'll only be contacted by us when we have a promotion going on. Hey, you're guaranteed a well edited read if you win!

Sign up here.

What do you think? Did you enter?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Friday, June 27, 2014

Love Giveaways with a Guarantee of a Great Read?

Happy Friday, everyone! As you all know by now, I'm a member over at INDIE Books Gone Wild. Well, we've just had a brilliant idea to get the books by our authors into your hands with greater ease. As you know, we do a little promotion and giveaway of our authors' books (at no extra cost to them) at the end of every edit, formatting job, or proofread.

Well, here's how we're doubling the exposure for our authors, and providing great books to readers:

Every time we list a giveaway on the IBGW blog, we'll shoot our readers an e-mail with the rafflecopter link and details about the book. No more having to keep an eye on the blog to know when another great title has just hit the shelves!

Besides that one e-mail every now and again, you'll get a message every January that recaps the previous year's publications. We won't bug you about anything else, sell your e-mail address, or spam you. No crazy marketing stuff, just books by our authors we know you'll enjoy winning (and reading).

As you may be aware, we're planning to add six new editors to our amazing team! Details about those lovely ladies will come on the IBGW blog next week and the week after. Keep your eyes peeled! This is going to be amazing. I've searched the web to find editors who have a love for the finished product and adoration for their clients. I think you'll all be extremely pleased to get to know them, work with them, and add them to your "go to" editor list. Their way of thinking melds well with ours, and I think you'll all love them as much as we do.

Time to give you that link!

MailChimp signup for INDIE Books Gone Wild Publishing News

If you're one of our authors, signing up for that e-mail will let you know when your giveaway is live.

What do you think? Did you sign up?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

UtopYA Con 2014

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Well, you all know I'll be at UtopYA Con this coming weekend. What you may not know is some of the facts about that event. I'm gonna share those now, as well as give you information on where you can find me and my awesome table mate, Tia Silverthorne Bach.

First up, the super awesome Fan Invasion event!

This event is completely separate from UtopYA Con. Even if you don't have tickets to the con, you can still attend the Fan Invasion on Friday, June 20, 2014, from 6-9pm. Attendance is free IF you bring a new or gently used children's book. Otherwise, you can get in for just five bucks. More about the sponsor here in a moment.

First, here's a little video I made to promote it:



It includes information on all the authors I did interviews with here on the blog. Here's a list of authors that'll be at the signing:
Charlotte Abel
Jennifer Armentrout
Amy Bartol
Stacey Marie Brown
Jacinda Buchmann
Susan Burdorf
Nely Cab
Chelsea M. Cameron
G. P. Ching
Kristie Cook
Shelly Crane
Anna Cruise
Megan Curd
Silvia Day
Rebecca Ethington
Amy Evans
Lila Felix
Sherry Ficklin
Michelle N. Files
Chelsea Fine
Amber Garr
Nichole Greene
Chanda Hahn
Rachel Harris
Amanda Havard
Teal Haviland
Erin Hayes
Andrea Heltsley
Heather Hildenbrand
Erin Horn
P. K. Hrezo
S. A. Huchton
C.C. Hunter
Ella James
Amanda Jason
Carmen Jenner
Sarah Ashley Jones
Tiffany King
Heather Love King
Elizabeth Kirke
C. A. Kunz
Anna Kyss
Carlyle Labuschagne
Cydney Lawson
Quinn Loftis
Liz Long
Bethany Lopez
Heather Lyons
Kelsey Macke
Jen McConnel
Christina Mercer
Jo Michaels
Amy Miles
Michele G. Miller
Christal Mosley
K. C. Neal
Rhiannon Paille
Melissa Pearl
Eva Pohler
Misty Provencher
C. J. Redwine
Kristina Renee
Sharron Riddle
Kelly Risser
Sarah Ross
Mindy Ruiz
Heather Self
B. J. Sheldon
Chelsea Starling
Nancy Straight
Felicia Tatum
Keary Taylor
Raine Thomas
Paulina Ulrich
Magan Vernon
Rysa Walker
Annie Walls
Devri Walls
Stacie Wilson
Morgan Wylie

We're listed (and will be seated) alphabetically.

This event is sponsored by Book 'Em. Here's a little info about them:

Book’em, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2014, is a nonprofit 501c3 organization focusing on two core areas: the collection and distribution of books to children and teens in lower-income families who might not otherwise have books of their own; and providing volunteer readers to local preschools and elementary schools. 

Now, the con kicks into full swing that morning, so be sure you get there early if you have tickets.

Here's the information about where you can find Tia and me Friday and Saturday:

We'll be in Area 51 at table number 27. If you get lost, look for the big banner on the front of our table with the INDIE Books Gone Wild logo front and center, and our logos on either side with our book covers.

Here's a picture of those logos:

We'll have a huge prize pack of books for a giveaway at the con. Titles include:
Keepers of Arden - The Brothers, Volume One by L. K. Evans
Tbinkerknese 101 - Poetic Enrichment for Teens - Book One by E. L. Thomas
First Visions - Second Sight, Book One by Heather Topham Wood
A Pair of Docks - The Derivatives of Displacement, Book One by Jennifer Ellis
Borrowed Things by Doris Schneider
I, Zombie by Jo Michaels
Chasing Shadows by Tia Silverthorne Bach
Sixty Days of Grace by Dorothy Ruppert

As you can see, it's a great bundle of books. We've worked on all of them in some way (may have been a small way, but we did something for each one). You can enter by stopping by our table and filling out a quick entry slip with your name. We'll draw the winners on Sunday morning.

We're so excited to meet everyone! Come on by and say hello because we aren't the shy type!

Come back tomorrow for a wonderful guest post by Tia, and find out who won my super secret sharing prize!

Are you going to UtopYA Con this year? Are you excited about next year? Planning to join us then?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Keepers of Arden The Brothers Volume One Re-release and Giveaway

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I bring to you an awesome re-release and a wonderful giveaway. If you recall, a few weeks ago I wrote a review of Keepers of Arden. Well, the author is re-releasing it and INDIE Books Gone Wild is doing a giveaway promotion! That's right, you'll have a chance to win one of two e-copies of the book. I hope you all have a clicking finger ready to go! I'm gonna start with information about the book, then move on to the Rafflecopter widget. Enjoy!

Title: Keepers of Arden (The Brothers Vol. 1)
Author: L. K. Evans
Genre: Fantasy & Sorcery
Length (print): Approx 459 Pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $2.99

Synopsis:
"Slowly, year by year, day by day, hour by hour, the evil grew stronger while he grew weaker. It found ways around his shield, and, even as he sat in the sun on a beautiful spring day, he could feel the tiny nibbles
the evil bit off from his soul."

This is just the beginning of the Laybryth brothers' journey, to not only rid the lands of Arden of a vile evil, but for one brother to save the other from the darkness that lives within him.



Believe me, it's awesome. I read it and loved it, then the author let me do the proofread on it and I loved it again!

Enter away, readers! Here's your Rafflecopter widget:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Thursday, February 20, 2014

What Kind of Editor do You Need?

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! I missed my post yesterday! But, it's all good because I'm caught up with work and back to one hundred percent. Kids are back in school, there's no snow days causing my internet to malfunction (you wouldn't believe how slow it is when the whole neighborhood is home and online!), and I'm back in my office after being run out by the cold. So nice! Anyway, today we're gonna talk about the different kinds of editors and how to decide which one is right for you. So, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

You've written a novel! Yay! Good for you. Now you have this manuscript you don't know what to do with. Well, first things first. You need to do at least four rounds of edits on it yourself. Start by following the steps listed here and the tips on what to look for here. Once you're done with that, then you'll be ready to start looking for an editor. But there are so many to choose from. Hopefully, this list will help you choose the right kind for your novel. Heck, you may think you need more than one. Allow me to open your eyes to a fabulous secret! But, that's on down the page. Keep reading!

First up, we have the Developmental Editor.
These guys will check your plot, structure, and flow. They'll make sure you don't have holes in your story and ensure your facts are kept straight. Yeah, they're the ones doing all the research and making copious notes on long, yellow legal pads. They're the right choice if you aren't sure about your novel's storyline, character building, or facts.

Next, I give you the Beta Reader.
These folks are fans of your genre and know what they're looking for in a story. Giving them a questionnaire to answer will help them give you much needed feedback. Commonly, a beta reader is used before you go through a ton of editing, but huge errors will have them complaining that you need to write your story better.

On to the Copy Editor.
These folks check facts, grammar, punctuation, and spelling. They do exactly what their title implies: edit the copy. They won't be looking for what the Developmental Editor looks for. There will be no plot, storyline, or character development checking. They live and breathe the written line.

Now, the Proofreader.
Your proofreader is NOT your editor. They exist to find those little, niggling errors missed by your editor (and yourself). Their whole purpose in life is to make sure your copy is clean and error free after the editing is done. It shouldn't take them as long as it did your editor because they should be able to skim your work to find what was missed.

Next up is the Content Editor.
They live and breathe plot, characters, voice, and setting. These folks don't give a hoot about your grammar, punctuation, spelling, or otherwise. All they care about is the story and making sure you aren't jumping tenses, head-hopping, or meandering off the storyline.

Bet you're freaking out right about now, huh? I suppose you can see how you could need more than one of these folks for your novel and how it would behoove you to have them all in your corner. Well, that leads me to the last (but certainly not least) type of editor on the list. This is the fabulous secret I mentioned earlier. Your secret weapon.

I give you the Line Editor.
These folks do it all. They check facts, grammar, punctuation, POV, plot, characterization, flow, tension, storyline, word count, redundancy, tenses, and every other manner of novel content. It should take them a long time to edit your novel. They don't play around and a lot of writers become dismayed by the amount of feedback given by a Line Editor.

Line Editors will cost you a little bit more. But, that's understandable, right? They're a one-stop shop. This is the service we provide at INDIE Books Gone Wild. We check it all. Your MS will have so many comments, you'll think you died and went to heaven. Plus, we hire one of our own to do your proofread after your edits are complete (yeah, it's included in the cost of editing). That's just good business.

Which one do you need? I'm sure by now you're foaming at the mouth. You already know. Indie authors should expect to use a Line Editor and then a Proofreader. ***Warning! If your proofreader gets your MS and it's obvious it hasn't been edited, they'll send it back to you (and will have every right to do so). So be sure you've used an Editor before you contact a Proofreader.***

Most importantly, be sure you know about your editor; no matter what kind you use. Vet them. Do the work to find out if they're worth it. Don't get snowed. Refer to Monday's post and Tuesday's post to know what to ask, what to expect, and what to look for in your contract. This is SO important. I won't take it personally if you don't use IBGW. I just want you to be careful and know what you're getting into.

I can't stress it enough. Watch your back because you're all you have. There's no big publishing house that's gonna do it for you unless you're traditionally published.

Questions? Comments? Pop them in below and I'll answer everything I can. If you have an editor you'd like vetted, feel free to shoot me an e-mail and I'll do everything in my power to check them out for you. Let's not use the comments section for that, okay?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Friday, November 22, 2013

Common Editing Errors

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Is it the last day of school for your kids, too? I sit here, cringing with the knowledge mine will be home all next week. Why? Because that means work comes to a screeching halt and I have a zombie novel to edit. About that, I got the most awesome bookmarks in the mail last week. Take a look:

These will be available exclusively at UtopYA Con 2014. 

If you don't have tickets to that event yet, you should. YA authors from all over the world will be there with their wares. You can get your tickets here:
www.utopyacon.com

But that's not the topic for today. I'm gonna talk to you about common editing errors in the hopes it'll help you avoid these pitfalls. So, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!


Learning to edit a book is like anything else, it takes practice (along with a handy reference guide to what works and what doesn't). Over at INDIE Books Gone Wild, we give editing tips now and then. If you follow them, your book will cost less to have edited by one of us.

Today, I'd like to go into some of the things to watch out for when you're doing those edits.

  1. Watch for homophones. I know that seems like an obvious SMH thing, but they're more common than you think.
  2. Use commas with care. In these two sentences: I went to the window and Bob moved to my side. I went to the window, and Bob moved to my side. You can see the one without the comma flows more easily. While they're both correct, common sense tells you to nix the comma on that one for readability.
  3. Adverbs can be cut if you use stronger verbs. Do a search for ly endings and eradicate by pumping up your prose. Here's a post that goes into that.
  4. Pay attention to pronouns. This is one of the most common errors I find when editing. See a post here about how to see if you're using the right one.
  5. Use contractions! Again, something I find a lot of when editing. We speak in contractions and read them more easily than we do when the words are broken out in two pieces.
  6. Watch out for the big words. Your reader knows you're a writer with a gargantuan vocabulary. Be careful not to shove it down their throats.
  7. Repetition in word use or information given. Okay, you told us his eyes were blue. Either find a new way to describe those peepers or cut the repeated information altogether.
  8. Hunt down your ize and ization words and kill those, too.
  9. KISS your reader. Keep it Simple, Silly. Use shorter words and smaller sentences (but remember to create variation, too) because readers can process information better when you do.
I hope that helps. I'll be working my way through I, Zombie today in an attempt to eradicate my own writing errors.

What do you think? Did you know to watch out for those?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Book Review - The Final Omen

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I bring you yet another Indie book review. This one is for Final Omen, book four (and the last) of the Second Sight series by Heather Topham Wood. Grab your coffee (or tea, for those of you in the UK), pull up a chair, and let's get going!

First, a little about the book I'm writing this review for:

Title: The Final Omen - Second Sight Book Four
Author: Heather Topham Wood
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Length: Approx 185 printed pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $3.99 B&N Nook $3.99 Smashwords $3.99

Description:
Psychic Kate Edwards had seen her death in a premonition. She was given the opportunity to stop her murder from happening and finally reconnect with her love Detective Jared Corbett. However, fate had different ideas…

Kate finds herself trapped between life and death. Her only companion is Rose Corbett, Jared’s long dead mother. Rose offers answers to many of Kate’s long-awaited questions and alludes to what the future could hold. However, before Kate can finally be happy, she must complete a seemingly impossible task: save Jared from his own tragic fate.

The Final Omen concludes the thrilling Second Sight series.
New Adult Paranormal Romance-Ages 17+ due to language and sexual situations.

I just love the covers on these books. I do wish the author's name weren't vertical, but that's my designer brain kicking in. You know, that old "all type should be one way or another" thing. I do appreciate that there are only two fonts. I see too many designers mixing more than two (or two of the same family serif or sans-serif) which just looks like a mistake.

On to the good stuff!

I was the proofreader for this book so I got to see it before anyone else. Of course, I still ran out and picked up a copy when it was released so I'd never ever lose it. I read the first three books in the Second Sight series and fell in love with them. This one blew me away. Ms. Wood has really pulled out all the stops to make it both terrifying and sweet. Let's get to the review!

From a reader's perspective:
I love, love, love Kate and Jared! He's such a sweet guy. I adore the sweet guys and haven't ever really been into the "bad boy" who breaks girls' hearts and is a callous jerk. Enter Declan. He's a player to the Nth degree. I was glad when he finally accepted his lot in the last book and decided to leave Kate alone. In this installment, he's working with Jared as they try to solve Kate's murder. That was a twist in and of itself. *NOTE* This won't ruin the story because the boys teaming up happens in the first few pages of the book. I'm not about spoilers. Kate has always been a character I could root for. She's no different in this book. I was quite the strange kid growing up and didn't bask in the limelight so I can identify with her insecurities and social withdrawal. When I found out who the killer was, I choked. I totally didn't expect the twist and it left me horrified (which is GOOD). The Final Omen isn't bogged down with a ton of description and gives a lot of the meat and potatoes we all love. It was a wonderful and satisfying conclusion to the series.

From an editor's perspective:
The story had great flow, few errors, an awesome twist that wasn't foreshadowed at all, and a wonderful premise. Top marks!

My rating:
1 Star for showing me a damaged girl who learns to love herself
1 Star for a brilliant story
1 Star for pacing and a wonderful ending
1 Star for giving me an awesome twist
1 Star for quality of writing
Overall, 5 out of 5 stars. Ms. Wood's best book in this series! I would recommend to anyone who loves a sappy romance tinged with murder mystery, action, and a great story to hold it all up.

I do hope you pick up a copy of The Final Omen. You won't regret it.

Have you read the series? What do you think?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Friday, September 20, 2013

Book Giveaway - Sixty Days of Grace by Dorothy Ruppert

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Tomorrow starts the weekend! I heard that sigh of relief. I'm right there with ya! Today I'm sharing with you all a giveaway we have running on the IBGW blog. It's for a printed copy of a wonderful book. Even if you aren't a religious person, you'll find this book a much loved read. I know I did. Enjoy! Rafflecopter entry form follows!

Introducing:
Title: Sixty Days of Grace: Reflections on God's Sufficiency for the Journey
Author: Dorothy Ruppert
Genre: Christian Inspirational
Pages: 136 printed pages
Amazon link: Paperback $10.58
Kindle $3.99

Description from Amazon:
In today's world, women desperately struggle to meet the unrealistic expectations of others and of themselves. Society tells women they can do it all, and yet they instinctively know they do not have the resources to accomplish all the demands placed upon them. Drawing on their own strength is not enough; in order to survive, women must draw on God. Sixty Days of Grace shares sixty stories from author Dorothy Ruppert, who has struggled through life and succeeded, only because of God's grace. This grace is the prevalent theme of the Bible. From beginning to end, the accounts of the lives of biblical figures demonstrate His eternal grace. However, in modern society His grace is often overlooked. There are many challenges women face as daughters of the King living in a broken environment. Ruppert has been there, as mother, grandmother, working woman, and retiree. Thanks to His grace, she found her strength. All women can do the same, with the power of God. It's time to turn away from self-sufficiency and lean on God's everlasting arm, because His grace is sufficient for the journey; His power is made perfect in human weakness.

It's a book you won't want to put down. But rather than a one-sitting consumption, the author suggests you read one chapter a day for two months. Besides, that cover is just lovely, isn't it?

Without further ado, the rafflecopter entry form!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, everyone!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Beautiful Books in Print

Happy Wednesday, everyone! What a lovely day it is. So, I was poking around my e-mail and came across a post that went up on The Book Designer. It's all about layout and page margins. If you have more than a moment, go check it out. Totally worth your time. So, today I'm gonna talk about another aspect of print book formatting: beautification. So, grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Joel makes some excellent points in his post about a book designer needing to be detail-oriented. We pay attention to the things you may miss or may think aren't important. What I think needs to be added to that post is something about the designer beautifying the book beyond the typography (which is the number one consideration). If your designer doesn't know typography, your book won't look (or read) like it should. But, that's another post. For now, let's talk consistency and artistic elements that will make your book stand out from the crowd.

Consistency:
When I'm formatting a book, elements and typefaces from the cover can be found within the pages. Sometimes, I'll set the books text in one of the fonts used for the cover, but this is rare (display or title faces do not good reading make). Rather than use a font that doesn't flow well, I tend to use the display or title fonts for the details. Running headers (or footers) can be set in any typeface you'd like because they aren't put there to help you read. Page numbers can be adorned in many ways because they serve only to mark a place or add a bit of glamor to a page.

My favorite place to use the cover fonts is in the chapter titles and numbers. And, man, are there a ton of ways you can format that first page! It's the page where the text generally begins about halfway down and you have all that white space to play with. You can add flourishes, decorative type, images, logos, anything! Drop caps are fun, too! But any good designer is going to take the time to make sure it's consistent.

You don't want a flourish on chapter one and then not again until chapter thirty. You don't want story breaks to have boring white space between them. Above all else, you don't want someone to open the book and be shocked by how different the inside is from the outside. They should be wowed.

Beautification:
If I've read the book, my imagination goes a little wild when I'm adding those little details that make a book sing off the page. I sometimes use elements from the cover or story throughout the design.

Here are a few of my interior designs (I'm including the covers so you can see how they match):





















































(There's a chance to win a printed copy of that last book shown, Borrowed Things, running right here on this blog! Check it out!)

Those are the types of things I love to do when formatting books. That logo on Borrowed Things is repeated for every story break (smaller in size, of course).

A couple of books I was wowed by when I opened them:
Splintered by A. G. Howard
Reckless by Cornelia Funke
Fearless by Cornelia Funke

These are the book designs that stay with me. Sure, I remember stories from many books, but it's when I'm wowed by a design that I remember the story with vivid detail. Each of those links provides a look inside option. Go look inside! See what these people are doing. Love it. Learn from it. Your only restraints are your imagination!

I hope you all got a new perspective on book beautification and consistency in design today. I also hope you checked out Joel's blog and took his advice to heart. Remember, don't sacrifice readability for lower printing costs! Margins matter!

If you're interested in having a book formatted for print, contact me using this form.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Merry Un-Birthday! Day Three

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have a great prize for all you indie authors! A chance to win a purchase and review of your kindle book! Check out some of my reviews from the past:

Love From Planet Wine Cooler
Underneath
Taken - Before her very Eyes
Dark Premonitions

All of my reviews are posted here, on Amazon, and on Goodreads. Usually, if I can find the book over on B&N, I'll post it there, too.

Here's the rafflecopter entry form:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I wish you all good luck!

Be sure and check out these giveaways running right now here on the blog. Win some books!
Day One
Day Two

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Monday, June 24, 2013

Editing vs Proofreading - What's the Difference?

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'd like to go over the difference between an edit and a proofread; including what you should expect from each. These are just a couple of the services we provide over on INDIE Books Gone Wild. If you aren't sure what services you need, this post will help you decide and tell you how to prepare for each one. So grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Editing

This is a service where you send your book to someone and they fix basic grammar and construction issues, punctuation, transitions, spelling, inconsistencies, and look to cut your word count. A good editor won't change your voice, they'll make it more legible.

Any editor you choose should give you a sample edit of your first chapter to see if you're a good fit. At IBGW, we use that first chapter to rate the quality of your writing and base our price from there. Why? Because if it doesn't take us as long to edit your book, you won't pay as much. You're paying your editor for their time and knowledge of the English language.

Be sure your editor uses a style guide so you'll know what changes to expect and have a reference.

An inline edit looks something like this:
Inline changes and notes in the sidebar are things you should expect. At IBGW, we strive to make you a better writer during our edits by providing education and noting things you should be watching out for. Every writer makes common errors; but if you know what they are, you're less likely to repeat them if you learn from your mistakes. This, I believe, is something every editor should do.

Proofreading

Different from editing, proofreading is all about looking for good transitions, proper use of punctuation, spelling issues, and redundancy. A proofreader should be able to speed-read your work and highlight issues without going into great detail. Your editor should be catching everything else. Many proofreaders will highlight things your editor may have missed and sling out a comment; but you shouldn't expect that. They're looking to give your manuscript a final once-over before it goes to print. All your T's should be crossed and your I's dotted after your manuscript is returned by a proofreader.

Your editor should never be your proofreader. They're too close to the work by the time the edit is done, and they'll miss things, just like you.

At INDIE Books Gone Wild, we use one person on our team to edit and another to proofread. Proofreading is included in the price of your edit. There's no need to shell out more money for someone else to do it. We even write it up in your contract and book your proofreading for you. That's part of the benefit of working with a team rather than a single person who tries to do it all.

No matter who you choose to work with, make sure you've read something they've written or edited and are comfortable with them as a person. Be sure you can respect their comments when your manuscript is returned. There's nothing worse than questioning every change someone makes. Trust is a huge part of the writer/editor relationship.

As a final note: Regardless of who you work with, be sure to have a contract. If your editor or proofreader balks at the idea of a contract, or won't let you read/look it over before you're expected to sign, run away. A contract is there to protect you both and shouldn't sway power one way or the other. Also, make sure it has an out clause.

I hope this helps you all in some small way.

That's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

INDIE Books Gone Wild

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! I'm happy to see you've made it through Monday. Today, I'm officially announcing the start-up of INDIE Books Gone Wild. If you haven't noticed the addition of the logo over on the right side of my blog here, I have to ask if your head has been under a rock the last couple of weeks. Wake up and smell the wonderful!


A little bit about INDIE Books Gone Wild:
We're a team of editors dedicated to helping Indie authors shine. We work individually and as a group to bring you the best edit of your manuscript money can buy. That's right, we charge for our work. But what you get for your money is two sets of eyes; one doing your edit and the other doing your proofreading. That's right, your proofreading cost is built into the price of the editing.

Our goal is for you to seek out the IBGW logo when you consider hiring an editor. If you see that logo, you know you'll get one hell of an edit on your book.

We strive to, not only teach you how to become a better writer as we edit your manuscript, but to help you produce the best book possible. Browse our About Us page and read a few of our blurbs!

As a bonus, we market every book we work on. That's like having a team of people helping you push your book for free!

Services we offer:
Our last item is something special. In the open critique service, you get a four-week writing class, complete with materials, that will give your craft a kick in the ass toward awesomeness. This is great for new authors or established ones. The price? Only $400; and it includes all the books you'll need.

So, if you haven't taken the time to check us out or like our Facebook page, please take a moment and do so now. We're gonna have an awesome contest soon. Here's the link:
http://facebook.com/indiebooksgonewild

So pop over and give us some love!

Do you use an editor? Why/Why not?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo