Welcome to Karen and Jennifer

Hello good people of the blogosphere! Jo here. Today, I'd like to introduce you to two more new members of the IBGW family: Karen Robinson and Jennifer Oberth. These two lovely ladies will be working with me, and I have to admit, I'm thrilled to have them on my team. Without further chawing on my part, meet them!

First up, we have Karen Robinson. Karen is joining us from Karen Robinson Edits.

Bio:
Howdy! I’m Karen Robinson, and I’m excited to be joining the editing team at Indie Books Gone Wild. I’ve been an avid reader since I was in elementary school, reading anything I could get my hands on although my favorite genres are fantasy and dystopian fiction. In college, I majored in English and spent a couple of years as a copy editor for a financial firm and then a medical publisher. An opportunity led me to graduate school where I received a PhD in medieval literature (and graded many many freshman composition papers).

I decided to leave academia after having a child and to go back to my editing roots. Since then, I’ve been doing a wide variety of editing work from websites for plastic surgeons to eBooks about social media as well as fiction, which is where my editing (and reading) heart lies. I’ve had the pleasure of working with indie author Shane W. Shelton on his Believing Magic series and look forward to developing editing relationships with other authors. When I’m not reading (and even sometimes when I am), I can be found with two sticks and some yarn in my hands—knitting is my other passion.

Using The Chicago Manual of Style - 16th Edition, my goal is not to rewrite your book or create a book that I would have written. Instead, I aim to keep your voice—but make it a cleaner version of your voice. Ultimately, you are the author and ownership of the book is yours, but working with an editor is a valuable way of strengthening your book and making it the best that it can be so that readers can get great enjoyment out of it.

See what Karen's clients are saying:
“Karen took on my 'MASSIVE' project and did a fantastic job taking my raw manuscript and turning it into a 'book.' She didn't alter the story line, or over edit, which was one of my key concerns. And at the same time she wasn't afraid to do what was just plain 'needed.' One of my problem areas (especially with my earlier writing) was with paragraphing correctly. She addressed that issue wonderfully, which means she not only read it and proofed it but had to 'digest' the material and make decisions as to flow and pace. All changes were made in a way that was 'tracked' and easy to review her edits and tweaks.” ~ Shane W. Shelton, author of the Believing Magic series


Next, we have Jennifer Oberth.

Bio:

Hello, my name is Jennifer Oberth. My mother started to read to me in when I was in the womb, and I was hooked on stories from that moment forward. I’ve kept a journal since I was seven, completed my first novel when I was ten, and published my first short story in 2011.

I’m a lifetime member of the Sisters In Crime, a mystery writer’s organization, and served on the board of the Sisters In Crime Chicagoland chapter as the treasurer for two years. I also sat on the programming committee. Back in 2009, I was on the Why Join? panel at Love Is Murder, a popular writer’s convention. I regularly attend the Writer’s Police Academy, easily the best writer’s convention I’ve ever been to. I love National Novel Writing Month and have written 50,000+ words in the month of November for several years.

As a part of improving my own writing, I’ve joined writing groups and helped other authors by critiquing their work in the process. I’ve been critiquing other authors’ stories for years. I discovered that I have a knack for editing due to my attention to detail, my care for the works, and the fact that errors jump out at me. As a kid, I used to love finding a mistake in a traditionally published book, and now I can’t pass a billboard without spotting common blunders.

I believe it’s a necessity for independent authors to have their books as professional as possible. They should be indistinguishable from a traditionally published book (or whatever high level of quality you hold books to) and the good news is, you don’t have to do it yourself. You likely can’t, as you’re too close to your own work to see those pesky, sometimes persistent, problems. That’s where I come in.

My goal is to make your book the best it can be, without changing your voice, vision, or story. It’s my job to make your book stronger, smoother, and of the highest quality.

I love mysteries, and will read any genre except horror or erotica. I prefer to avoid novels with extreme violence, gore, or harm or abuse to animals or children. The style guide I go by is The Chicago Manual of Style – 16th Edition. I can’t wait to read your book!

Squeep! Tomorrow, I'll have the introduction for Krystal Wade, our last addition to the team, and a great giveaway for you all.

Stay tuned.

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

Jo