Contract Considerations

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Well, the kids are back in school and not a moment too soon. While I enjoy having the little nose-miners at home, it's not productive to have them pulling at my skirts while I'm trying to work. I've been busier than a one-armed paper-hanger! Anywho, today we're gonna talk about contracts! I know you're all super excited about that. I'll tell you what to expect, what to avoid, and what you should be looking for. Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!


Yesterday, I talked about finding a good editor and what you should be looking for when you vet them. If you missed that post, take a look at it here. Tomorrow, we'll talk a little about the different kinds of editors. But, for today, let's discuss the contract. This applies to proofreading, editing, and any other service you have done by an outside source (book design, cover design, etc...).

What you should expect:

• A contract outlining exactly what your editor will do for you.
• Dates things are due back to you.
• The ability to read over the contract before you're expected to sign it.
• Clauses that prevent you from defaming your editor (and your editor from defaming you).
• A very straightforward clause that releases your editor from any claim to your work.
• Something that says your editor is allowed to refuse your work at any time.
• An out clause for you that states the contract is allowed to be terminated if you choose to do so and at what point it becomes null and void.
• An informational page that details the book to be worked on.
• Something stating when payments are due and when the contract is settled.
• A clause that states you're required to display the editor's name on the copyright page (this is pretty standard).

What you should avoid:

• Anything stating the editor has claim to any part of your manuscript once work is completed.
• An editor who doesn't use a contract (this is HUGE).
• A feeling of unease. If your editor seems shady, listen to your gut.
• Anyone who doesn't answer you in a timely manner.
• Someone who changes the price on you EVER. Once you get the job quote, that's what should be on the contract.
• An editor who's known to slander other authors.
• Someone who doesn't give you a final, signed copy of your contract.

What you should be looking for:

• Someone who has lots of references and is well spoken of.
• An editor who has a backlog of books they've worked on you can check out/read.
• A person you feel you can trust once you've talked with them.
• Someone with a good knowledge of the English language (yeah, go read their blog).
• A copy of the contract as soon as your inquiry is responded to so you have time to look it over.
• Everything should be spelled out in black and white on your contract. It should include:

1. Prices (fees section)
2. Dates things are due (goes in the services section)
3. Termination details
4. A detailed list of what you're going to get for your money (services section)
5. Slander clauses that go both ways
6. A release of claim by the editor to any part of the work's copyright (ownership of work)
7. Your editor's full name and address
8. Details about the book (title, genre, word count, author, format)
9. A spelling out of all prices (watch out for editing contracts that only contain numbers - these can be changed)
10. Something that releases the editor of guarantees (sales, etc...)
11. A clause detailing how the editor won't talk about your work to any third party
12. Non-transfer clause (this is so the editor can't send the work to anyone else to be completed)
13. Something detailing how additional changes will be handled (outside what's agreed upon in this contract)

If you read your contract and it's full of legalese, be sure your editor/proofreader/designer answers all your questions in full before you sign. Don't go into anything not understanding exactly what it is you're getting (or signing).

If you find an editor who doesn't use a contract, run away. Please.

I hope this helps you all in some way.

If you have contract questions, pop them into the comments or shoot me an e-mail. I'll be happy to answer anything.

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

Jo

Editors - Good vs Evil

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! I realize you were all probably looking forward to meeting Ms. Allison Pensy today, but I made a last minute decision to push everyone back to the dates they were originally given for their interviews. Ms. Pensy will be here in 2 weeks. I'm super duper busy this week and want to give Allison's interview the attention all my other guests' have gotten. So, today I'm going to talk about editors instead. Grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Over at IBGW, we do a lot for our authors. Not only do we take a book and help it be all that it can be; we also throw a team of editors at it while we're working it and into the promotional stuff once the book goes live. Our authors become like our family members. When the books we work on go live, we watch them like hawks. One thing can be said about every IBGW book: There are no technical flaws in the writing (unless the author rejects some of the changes that are suggested). While people may not love the story between the covers, they can't complain about the grammar.

Our mission: To have the IBGW mark/name represent quality. We want to make it known that if you pick up a book, flip to the copyright page, and see our name there, you can buy the book with confidence.

When you're looking for an editor for your novel, be sure you're in sync with your editor and that they have a proven track record of turning out quality work. How can you be sure? Here are a few tips:

• Be sure you know which style guide your editor uses and you agree with the rules between the pages (your edit will turn into a headache if you don't). Also, be sure your editor has a style guide they reference and has it listed on their about me page. Anyone who doesn't follow a style guide is going to have trouble giving your book the proper consistency.
• Ask your editor what books they've edited in the past. Check those books out on Amazon and Goodreads. See what reviewers are saying.
• Make sure your editor isn't the proofreader on your work. Once you've been through two rounds of edits (or three) your editor is as close to the work as you are and begins to miss things.
• Is your editor an author? Read their work. Read the reviews on their work. Yeah, it matters.
• Perhaps most importantly, be sure your editor has a contract and they let you read over it and ask questions before you're expected to sign.

I give you these tips because I'm a reader and Indie author as well as an editor. I can't even begin to say how angry I get when I know a fellow author paid someone a lot of money to have an edit done, and I still find a book full of errors. No, no, no! One or two are common (even in traditionally published books). Those I can ignore.

A good editor will be available to answer your questions about the changes after the work is done. They'll be able to explain any changes made to your novel and why those were done.

Please, for the love of all that's good, vet your editor like you would your child's date. Don't hand over your money willy-nilly.

A good editor won't be cheap. Understand that and be okay with it. Remember the old adage: You get what you pay for. It's as true today as it was when it was coined.

Oh, and don't hire more than one editor to work on your book at once. It shows a lack of confidence in your choice. While you may think it's a good idea, if the person finds out, they may refuse to work with you in the future. Too many chefs in the kitchen makes for an unstable soup.

I hope this post saves someone from a headache.

Tomorrow, we're gonna talk about contracts and what you should be looking for.

Questions? Comment? Epitaphs? Post them below!

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

Jo

Blogs You Need to Read

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today I'm bringing you a list of blogs you might want to check out. Some are writing blogs, some are review blogs, and others are all about book design or marketing. So get your clicking fingers ready and let's get going!


First up, I'll give you the writing blogs:
The Hungry Freelancer - A place to go to find tips and tricks on freelancing, author interviews, and book reviews. Great site!
Grammar Girl - If you haven't heard about this blog, I have to ask where you've had your head stuck the last few years. Answers to many writing questions can be found here.
Depression Cookies - This is a writer who self publishes and is one of the editors for IBGW.
Ice Cream for Zombies - All about writing. Gives a plethora of tips on how to, what to, and when to.

Next, we'll go to the review blogs:
Heather's Book Chatter - At least two reviews per week on this awesome little blog (many times you get four!)
b00k r3vi3ws - It's exactly what the name implies. You get tons of book reviews from this site.
Mom in Love With Fiction - Lots of great book reviews here (and the rating is in the title of the post!).
Books by L. K. Evans - Reviews galore and personal stuff on writing, too.
The Kindle Book Review - Bet you've heard of this one, too.
ShhMoms Reading - A review and book tour blog.

Now, on to the marketing and design blogs and sites:
The Book Designer - It's also exactly what the name implies it is. All things book design, all the time.
Ask David - This site promotes books and is awesome at it.
Kindle Publishing for Blogs - Think your blog is awesome? Will folks want to get it delivered to their Kindle? Go here and sign up!


A few other sites you may want to check out:
Share a Rafflecopter giveaway - This page is a form you can fill out to have Rafflecopter share your giveaway!
50 Websites Every Author Should Bookmark - Lots of great stuff here!

So? How about that? Did you all find something new today?

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

Jo

Style Guide Per Novel

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Well, the snowpocalypse is still going strong and I'm considering writing a collection of fictional short stories about things that happened. But that's for another day! Today, I wanna gab about style guides for your novels and why they're important. So, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

First and foremost, we all get an itch now and then to break a writing rule. This is all well and good until you don't break it consistently. For each of your novels, you should have a short list (in a notebook or separate Word document) which details the rules you're breaking or the particulars of your own style.

What the heck am I talking about?

I'll give you an example:
Character A always uses the word wanna rather than want to when speaking.
Character B not only uses want to and never wanna when speaking, but also never puts an S on the end of toward.
Character C is a mother and never, ever curses as one of her quirks.

So you're writing along and you throw the word wanna into Character B's speech. This is totally fine; write on. You feel the need to have Character C and Character B face off with dialogue. It's a heated argument  which the two almost come to blows over.

Suddenly, Character B is saying something about Character C walking backwards out the door. Add to that, she's suddenly in Character B's face, screaming expletives. Still, all good; write on.

Now it's time for editing. Chances are, you're going to catch those expletives and find tamer ways for Character C to say what's on her mind. During the heat of the battle, will you remember to check for that S on the end of backwards?

This is where your style guide will come in handy. Once you're done writing, you can do a quick find and replace on any phrases you've decided the characters will use or any rules you're breaking to check and make sure they're consistent.

When you send your novel to your editor, be sure an attach your style guide. This will help all those involved because the editor can also be sure you're breaking the rules consistently, and they'll know of any particular quirks your characters have and add or remove things as needed.

It doesn't take long to create a style guide. But the payoff is enormous.

If you have certain writing quirks, keep a running list of those, too. I'm an author who doesn't put the S on the end of backward, toward, forward, etc... so I know to do a search for those words when I'm done and be sure I'm consistent.

Make sense?

Good print book formatters keep style guides on the novels they're working on, too. Again, it's all about maintaining consistency.

For I, Zombie, I had a rather extensive style guide. Folks from Southern Louisiana have a particular way of speaking. They tend to leave the G on the words anything, bring, along, and everything, but drop it from nothing, doing, having, and leaving. Since I wanted to be true to the regional dialect, I had to be sure everyone spoke the same way (except when Tammy was on the air). It's quirky, but it's consistent.

Style guides are especially important for series. You can't have Character A suddenly belting out want to in novel three when he hasn't for the last two books.

What's in your personal style guide? Have you ever made one for a specific novel?

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

Jo

PoSSeSSive S

Happy Hump-day, everyone! Snow in Georgia again and all the kiddies are out of school. I have to say, I'm more than ready for spring so I can get back to a normal schedule. This weather and being sick last month has really thrown me off. Anyway, enough about all that. Let's move on to today's post about the possessive S. Grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

If you aren't familiar with INDIE Books Gone Wild, allow me to share a bit of information with you. Every now and then, one of us posts on that blog about grammar, punctuation, or other little tidbits we find frequent errors revolving around. Before we get to the good stuff here, pop on over there and check out Tia's post on the Apostrophe. Yeah, it matters. Go read that sucker.

Now, I'm a Chicago Manual of Style lady. I have a copy of the 15th edition, and I follow it to the letter when doing an edit. Of course, this causes some of my clients to have small hernias when they don't agree with my edits or they have a style guide that's different from mine (which is totally fine, they should go with what feels right to them). I try to be very clear on our About Us page over on IBGW and state that I use the book I own as a reference. So, today's discussion will be the rules from that style guide.

When you show possession of a singular noun (not the demonic kind), the rule says you add an apostrophe and an S to the end of the word (section 7.17). Examples:

• Dora's shoes.
• Kitten's playground.
• Lola's necklace.

But what if those words end in S?

Well, here's where we get into a bit of a pickle. When choosing names, one usually avoids the ones ending in S so they don't have this conundrum. If you happen to select one that ends in S, how do you handle it? This is where the general guides don't agree.

If you're showing possession of a collective, like a family or group whose names or title of the collective end in S, the solution is easy, you add an apostrophe to the end. Examples:

• The Huss' house (this is the Huss family).
• The Picketts' son (this is the Picketts family).
• Those kittens' meows (more than one kitten).
• These dogs' leashes (more than one dog).

However, if you have a character who's named Cleatus, how do you show possession?

In section 7.18, page 282 of The Chicago Manual of Style 15th Edition, it states: The general rule covers most proper names, including names ending in s, x, or z, in both their singular and plural forms, as well as letters and numbers. This means writing the name and adding an apostrophe with another S at the end. Examples:

• I saw Cleatus's sneakers over there.
• We went to the mall to get Kriss's new purse.
• I can listen for hours to Venheis's violin.

Now, this is the way it's written out in the guideline. I think, when reading, it keeps me from thinking there's more than one Cleatus who owns sneakers I saw over there, and makes the possessive name read more easily.

All this is great! But...

Yeah, you knew there was a but. *grin*

In section 7.23, there's a suggestion for an alternative usage by simply adding the apostrophe to the end of the name. While easier to remember and apply, I think it reads with a clunky timbre. But, try it both ways and see what works for you. This goes back to Tia's post I mentioned above, where she talks about Strunk and White.

Before we wrap this post on possessive S up, I'd like to remind you of another rule of possession you may not be familiar with. Section 7.24 talks about more than one noun. When mutually exclusive, both nouns get an apostrophe S. If both are owning the same item, only the second named gets the punctuation. Examples:

• My daughter-in-law and son's house.
• Our niece and nephew's car.
• or
• My ex daughter-in-law's and son's houses.
• Our niece's and nephew's cars.

Seems a lot of stress rests on the S.

How can you avoid this when writing fiction? Easy: Choose names that don't end in S when you're making your list.

I hope you all enjoyed our little lesson for today. If you have questions, comments, or otherwise, feel free to pop them into the comments section.

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

Jo

Book Review - The Memory Witch

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today I bring you another book review from my extensive TBR list that was created to support the endeavors of Indie Fever 2014. What's Indie Fever? Well, it's a collaborative of readers who get together and read Indie books all year and write reviews. There are many different levels to sign up at! You can see them all here. I invite you to join the reviewer roster, read Indie books until your eyeballs ache, and write some reviews. It's easy; just decide how many books you're going to review, add your name to the linky list, and get busy. Not interested in reviewing but love to read reviews? Check out the reviews written by members here. Grab your comfy chair and let's get going!

First, a little about the book on the butcher block today!

Title: The Memory Witch
Author: Heather Topham Wood
Genre: Young Adult (I think it's maybe supposed to be New Adult) Urban Fantasy
Length (Print): 230 pages
Links to Purchase: Amazon Kindle $7.99 B&N (paperback) $12.98

Synopsis: Ten years ago, Quinn Jacobs’ mother made a bargain with a local witch—steal away Quinn’s memories from the first eight years of her life and in return, Quinn would spend a year in servitude to the witch.

On Quinn’s eighteenth birthday, she’s forced to leave her home and friends behind. For the next year, she’ll live at the Chadwick House, learning everything she needs to know about being a spellcaster. As her powers grow, Quinn begins to unravel the secrets of the past and the reason her mother was so desperate to conceal the horrifying truth.

~                  ~                   ~

*Will not appear in review elsewhere*
Let me start off by saying how much I LOVE the cover for this book. I did a look inside over on Amazon and I wish the inside matched the cover awesomeness. Even the chapter lead-ins done in the same font as the cover would've given it that little something extra. Being a lover of great typography and a graphic designer, I'm a huge fan of those gems I find in interior design when checking out the preview of a print book I enjoyed on Kindle. All that being said, I don't knock off points in a review for the cover of the book; I just like talking about them. *grin*

On to the good stuff!

I grabbed this title during my 12 Days of Christmas party, that special time of year when I stock my Kindle with books I intend to review over the next twelve months. Heather is an author whose work I love reading and she showed up with a pitch for The Memory Witch I couldn't say no to (I've also been sitting on pins and needles waiting for this title to hit the shelves). So, I popped on over to Amazon and ponied up the dough. I have to say, I'm glad I did. While Amazon has this categorized as Teen and Young Adult, I don't think it's appropriate for those under the age of sixteen/seventeen because of some graphic scenes. But, enough rambling, let's get to the review.

From a Reader's Perspective:
I loved the main character, Quinn. Wood has such a unique way of painting her characters so the reader can identify with them, I really enjoy delving into the mind of a new one she comes up with. That being said, Quinn seemed a bit prudish to me. According to the book, she's eighteen and a member of the dying breed known as virgins. That doesn't bother me so much, but her actions during the story threw me for a loop a time or two. I was left scratching my head and asking, "Why?" But the premise of the story and the pacing (which was wonderful and fast) made me care less about the questionable morals of a teen and more about what secrets would be unraveled during the course of the tale. I was hooked. Magic, a father Quinn can't remember, and an unanswered mystery about the past kept my eyeballs riveted to the pages. You'll cringe a number of times when the author gets to some very graphic scenes, but she wrote them well. Details were horrifying. Either way, I adored the story and stayed up late to finish it. Can't wait for the second installment! Let's move on to talk about the writing.

From an Editor's Perspective:
I waited on this novel for so stinking long, I thought I'd get the best of the best of the best (Sir! With honors!) as far as writing goes. Well, not so much. As anyone who reads my reviews knows, I mark errors as I go (it's an editor/proofreader thing). I found over seventy errors. Not misplaced pronouns or comma drops, but errors like: "I hadn't stay up hours each night..." and "...dating back almost thousand years." or "A startled sound broke into..." Needless to say, my head landed in my hand a lot. This isn't the norm for Ms. Wood. These errors didn't fudge with the story, but they were noticeable and did make my mind stutter over the words.

Rating:
+ 1 Star for a great reveal
+ 1 Star for pacing (fast)
+ 1 Star for the well written magic and horror scenes
+ 1 Star for hooking me with a world I felt could exist
- 1 Star for editing
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars. A highly recommended read if you love fantasy, magic, and curses.

Join me next week for a review of The Bestiarum Vocabulum (a collection of beastly short stories).

I hope you all enjoyed that review. If you've read it, what did you think? If not, will you take a chance on it?

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

Jo

A Guest Post by Carlyle Labuschagne

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have with me author Carlyle Labuschagne with a guest post on why it's important to read when you're a writer, and how it changed her life. Carlyle is the author of Evanescent and The Broken Destiny, as well as being one of the authors attending UtopYA Con 2014 in June. If you don't have tickets to that event yet, click the name to buy yours soon. So grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Reading and Writing and How it Changed My Life

by Carlyle Labuschagne

Thank you Jo for having me on as guest today, I am absolutely thrilled.

Why is it so important to read as a writer?

Books are very much an addiction to many. I read because I enjoy it, but as a writer I learn a lot from other books and authors. As many might know, English is not my first language, so by reading as much as I can – I learn the way of the English language. It is also good to see what is out there, what grabs at you and what you can bring differently than others. There are an abundant of gifted Authors I have read and yet to read. I am one of those readers who are swept away totally by a read. I am there within every book I read. My imagination allows for it. I think we are addicted to our imaginations more than anything, but what would our imaginations be without reading and for the talented Authors to ignite it for us? Books to me are a work of art, they are feelings, thoughts, and souls between the pages of books.

I write because I want to understand others as well as myself. I first started expressing myself at a very young age though poems, song writing. But finally found my true passion. Novel writing. My first novel The Broken Destiny is as I am sure many authors can relate to, is a combination of my experiences my world and the world inside my head, understanding myself as well as others , and feeding the passion. A almost craving for the feeling that writing has brought me. I have overcome the biggest obstacle of my life – to believe in myself , to prove myself to no one but myself of what I am capable of. To be a hard worker and enjoy it. To see things through.

Through writing I have learnt a lot about myself. Finally being able to move on from my mistakes. The Broken Destiny is about a girl who has to find her true self to unleash her Destiny towards greatness. Every person has good and bad, and everything comes down to a choice, and sometimes making the wrong choice is actually the write choice at the time - To grow, to learn - To love yourself. The only person who can hurt you is you. You are your worst enemy. Don’t change who you are for the sake of satisfying others, in the end it hurts only you. Your path is one of greatness and being true to yourself is the greatest gift you can give yourself and others. But it is often only through experiencing who you are not to know who you are. To know the light you have to have experienced the dark. But always remember everything you go through, no matter how hard - is for a reason. Writing gives me great pleasure and satisfaction. Writing heals.

My desire for everyone is to find that one thing and go for it, no matter how impossible it may seem at the time, you will never know if you don’t try, and once you have tried you will know you can never be without it. If you have a passion, you can perform deeds you never thought you were capable of.

~ Don’t be crippled by fear. Let love and passion give you wings ~ The Broken Destiny
Happy writing all
~Carlyle Labuschagne

I couldn't have said it better myself, Carlyle! Inspiring words.

If you'd like to check out Ms. Labuschagne's books, you can find The Broken Destiny here on Amazon as well as Evanescent here.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to enter the rafflecopter giveaway to win!
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Got questions or comments? Pop them down below!

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

Jo