Something Needing to be Shared

Happy Monday, everyone! Jo here. I ran across a great article this weekend over on the Small Blue Dog Publishing blog I'd like to share with you all. It's something we all need to read and take into consideration when looking for an editor. Grab your coffee, laptop, and comfy chair and let's get going.

Why are Book Editors so Expensive?

by Belinda Pollard

I’m going to let you in on a secret.

Book editors are expensive.

Ooh, are you shocked? “But aren’t you One Of Them??” I hear you say.

Yes I am. But I’m also a writer. And very soon I’m going to have to hire an editor for one of my own projects, out of my own personal piggybank. And I’m dreading it.

So, why? Why are editors so darn expensive???

Well, sit right down and I’ll tell you a story…

Read the rest of the article here.

~

Be sure you share, too! A book editor is never a waste.

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

Jo

New Release Giveaway - Finding Autumn

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Jo here. Today, I bring you information about a hot new release and a Rafflecopter giveaway! I did the proofread on this title. I also read Falling for Autumn and enjoyed the heck out of it. There's a giveaway going on my blog for that one (and a number of others). Anyway, get your clicking fingers ready and let's get going.

A little information about the book up for grabs:

Title: Finding Autumn - A Falling for Autumn Novella
Author: Heather Topham Wood
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Length: About 153 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $0.99

Synopsis:
***Not a standalone. Falling for Autumn from Blake's point of view. Includes bonus chapters set after the events of Falling for Autumn.***

Two years earlier, Blake Preston received a phone call that would change everything. His stepfather—a man he trusted and admired—had been accused of sexually assaulting one of his students. His stepfather declared his innocence and Blake chose to stay loyal to the man who had raised him as his own.

Cook University is the one place Blake can keep his anonymity. No one knows about the scandals surrounding his stepfather’s arrest and subsequent conviction. To his friends, he is merely the star running back for the college team and an NFL hopeful. But the life he has built at Cook is threatened when Autumn Dorey locks eyes with him at a campus party.

Getting entangled with Autumn is a mistake. Yet Autumn is the only person who can answer the one question that haunts him: is his stepfather a monster?

Blake conceals his identity and starts a friendship with Autumn under false pretenses. What begins as a way to uncover the truth about his stepfather changes as he grows close to Autumn. His relationship with her calls into question everything he thought he knew about his family. Against all odds, he falls in love with the one girl he’s forbidden to have feelings for. But can their love last once Autumn finds out who Blake Preston really is?

60,000 Words

Ages 17+ Due to Strong Language and Sexual Situations

Now for the entry form!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, everyone!

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

Jo 

Welcome Krystal

Hello everyone and happy Thursday! Jo here. I'm really excited to be announcing the final addition to the team. This lovely lady will be working with the wondersauce that's Tia Silverthorne Bach and the other two amazing editors you met last week, Eliza and Mollie. We're so excited to welcome Krystal to the IBGW family. We have some exciting stuff happening around here, and I can't wait to share it with you in the upcoming weeks. *claps hands* Let's get to it!

Meet Ms. Krystal Wade

When I first began writing, I never imagined becoming an editor. I mostly imagined posh residences, flash photography everywhere I went, zero money issues, and a departure from my 9-5 in the nation's capital. Boy, what an idiot I was. My first book was accepted for publication, and my editor threw ALL THE RULES at me. She taught me everything I know, and then some, using her little red notes and references back to the publisher's style guide. Since then, I've worked in several different arenas of the publishing world: from acquisitions, to marketing, to production, to full-scale edits. I love helping authors hone their craft, teaching them how to write clean manuscripts the first time, pointing out their usual flaws, and making stories sparkle like hot vampires--if you're into that sort of thing. My first love is young adult fiction, with strong interests in dark plots and twisted characters . . . and a little romance helps. And if you must know, I live in Virginia with my husband, three children, two dogs, two cats, three bunnies, and way too many chickens.


Here's what her clients are saying:

"Krystal provided tremendous insight into the publishing industry, particularly where young and new adult novels were concerned. She consistently made herself available to answer any questions, provide coaching, and offer moral support to ensure I stayed on track.

She routinely demonstrated that she had a keen eye for detail, performed well on a deadline, and was always willing to go the extra mile when needed. Her work was always completed before the deadline in a very satisfactory manner." ~ A.K. Morgan, FADE (2012)

"I’ve already learned so much from Krystal. She’s given great feedback not only on the technical aspects of sentence construction but also on content. Her advice and suggestions have made my book tremendously stronger already, and we aren’t even finished yet. Her comments are honest but kind. She not only shows what needs to change, but will explain why so I can understand what I need to do differently in the future.  She’s always very clear with her comments, which I very much appreciate. I am thankful to get to work with her and would definitely recommend her editing services to anyone." ~ Amy Bearce, FAIRY KEEPER (2015)

"Krystal always edited with enthusiasm and an innate understanding of the story and the book-selling market. She helped me produce the best version of my manuscript possible. She always worked on deadline and was very willing to provide additional information and clarify certain points as needed. I highly recommend Krystal as an editor. As an author and public figure herself, she takes great pride in her reputation, conducts herself professionally, and is easy to work with." ~ Jamie Ayres, My So-Called Afterlife (2012)

We'll be having the giveaway soon. Book titles will be randomly chosen from the editor's body of work. I didn't want to put it up this week because that would be bad service for the authors we already have giveaways running for.

Keep your eyes open for that. I know I told you it would happen with Krystal's announcement post, but I reconsidered. You'll have a chance to snag some great reads very soon.

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

Jo

New Release & Giveaway -- Not Born Here: Stories from Marsden NC

Happy Wednesday! Glad you stopped by. 

Hi, Tia here, and I'm so proud to highlight another wonderful book worked on by IBGW. I did the proofread for this amazing collection of short stories. 

Before we get to the paperback giveaway, I wanted to tell you a little bit about the book. 

Without further ado...

About Not Born Here: Stories from Marsden NC

From Goodreads: 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.

From the Back cover: Marsden is a fictitious town in coastal Carolina. The characters are familiar to anyone who has lived in a small town, alive with personalities and foibles. The stories come from everyday experiences told in a uniquely Southern style. The topics are diverse--a supernatural experience between a daughter and her dead mother to the challenges of judging the annual chili cookoff. 

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble

It really is a charming read, so check it out!

Giveaway

As we do for our clients, we are offering a paperback copy (US only). Please enter via the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK!

If you are ever in the market for a quality book, always feel free to check out IBGW. We'll hook you up!

Have a wonderful week.

Tia

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

Welcome to Eliza and Mollie

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Jo here. Well, I promised you some exciting changes coming to IBGW, didn't I? This is the first of three posts we'll be doing to welcome five new editors to our little family. Today, I'm proud to introduce you all to Eliza and Mollie. They'll be working under the fabulous Tia Silverthorne Bach. Which basically means she'll be guiding them through our standards and will be available to help them fulfill all the INDIE Books Gone Wild promises we make (you know we promise a lot and live up to those pledges). Every one of the ladies you'll be meeting over the next three posts have been fully vetted. They joined the team because their ideals and love for the author are in line with ours, and we're thrilled to have them on board.

We know you'll adore them, too!

First up, we have Eliza Dee. Eliza has joined us from Clio Editing.

Bio:

Hi, I’m Eliza Dee. I’m a lifelong word nerd and foreign language freak. I was that child who read the dictionary for fun, and the only thing that’s changed is that I have more dictionaries now! I hold both bachelor’s (University of Michigan) and master’s degrees in English, in addition to stints as a law student and a student of library science. I’ve always known I wanted to work with words for a living, but while I love writing, bringing out the best in others’ work is my true passion.

Fiction editing is somewhere in between an art, a craft, and a science, and I am as passionate about the technical aspects of language as I am about the art of storytelling. Before switching to fiction editing, I spent over ten years editing academic writing. I’ve also been a college composition instructor, a writing center administrator, and a writing tutor, experiences which are reflected in the educational approach I take to my editing work. I love seeing my authors improve over the course of our relationship, so I won’t just tell you that a comma is unnecessary—I’ll explain why!

I’m thrilled to be a part of the self-publishing revolution and to work directly with indie authors to make their books the best they can be! My style manual is The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed.

Here's what Eliza's clients are saying:
"Eliza is AWESOME. She just did content editing on my release for next month and her work is meticulous, thorough and very thoughtful. She knows her stuff. I’ll definitely be coming back to her again in the future for the next books."  ~  Brenna Aubrey, bestselling author of At Any Turn (edited by Eliza) and At Any Price

"The book she edited was the first book I’d published. It had already gone through edits with another editor. However, I kept finding mistakes in the manuscript and had planned to get it re-edited when Eliza stepped in. Talk about great timing! I have to say that Eliza caught a lot of mistakes. It gave me a headache just looking at all of them! Eliza is the real deal. Copy edits and line edits were awesome. She even did some proofreading and found lots of extra spaces in the manuscript, backwards quotation marks (grr), among other typos. For developmental editing, she caught lots of plot holes (which I fixed up) and gave me a 5-page report that detailed motivation problems, detours, plot holes, loose ends, and characterization problems with the story. [...] If you’re working on your first book, I highly recommend Eliza’s comprehensive editing."  ~  L.G. Castillo, author of The Broken Angels series

Next, Mollie Turbeville! Mollie is joining us from Mohr Editing.

Bio:
Hi, I’m Mollie. I’m an editor who strives to preserve every writer’s unique voice. I graduated from North Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a minor in Creative Writing. I developed a love for reading and writing over the years, as well as a keen interest in helping authors put their best story forward.

After college, I worked as a writer and editor at a literary consultancy, helping business professionals establish their brand, create and edit content, and manage social media accounts. I launched my business  a year later as an independent editor, and I have immensely enjoyed helping authors enhance their stories. My style guide is The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition. I currently live in Winter Park, Florida, with my husband, lazy hound dog, and two fat cats. I like to ride my bike around the city and drink my weight in coffee.

Testimonials to come!

These ladies will still provide other kinds of editing via their own businesses (independent of the IBGW name or association), but they'll now have the unique INDIE Books Gone Wild line editing package available to their clients. Once we get everyone announced, we'll be doing a special giveaway of a bundle of books these ladies have worked on so you can get to know their authors!

Monday, we'll be welcoming two more lovely editors to the team: Karen and Jennifer. Tuesday, we have one more awesome lady: Krystal. Then, on Wednesday, there will be another great giveaway held by Tia for a book she worked on a while back that just went live a few days ago. Be sure you come on back for all the fun!

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

Jo

Re-release and Giveaway - The Crossroads of Time

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Jo here. It's time for another awesome INDIE Books Gone Wild giveaway! If you haven't already, join our mailing list to be notified when we do one of these promotions. We won't spam you, you'll just get the Rafflecopter entry forms right in your e-mail and one message a year that does a recap.

Today, I have for you a book that's been re-released after proofreading was done by yours truly. I'll give you some information about the title and we'll get to the free stuff. There will also be a review of this book on the Jo Michaels blog either tomorrow or Friday, so be sure to check that out as well (after all, you wanna know what you're winning, right?). So, enough yammering. Let's get on to the book information, shall we?

Title: The Crossroads of Time
Author: Rhonda Denise Johnson
Genre: African American Urban and Historical Fiction
Length (print): 292 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $9.95   ~   Paperback $8.96

Synopsis:
Chloe loves to listen to music, but when the music starts listening to her, she begins to wonder. Try as she might, she can’t dismiss the strange things happening in her life as mere coincidence. Could some spirit be trying to send her a message? She tries to live a normal life as a student at California State University, but the more she tries, the more bizarre her life become. From the moment Chloe consults a Candomblé priestess to find out what’s what, the events in her life spin from uncanny to numinous.

As her visions become more corporeal, Chloe gets literally swept out of her twenty-first century Los Angeles world in the stormy vortex of Oya, the African Orisha of the wind. Oya takes Chloe on a journey through time that throws her into the world of Ayodele, her ninteenth century ancestor on a Virginia tobacco plantation.

Both women share dreams of achieving more in life than is expected of them as women and as African Americans. At the Crossroads they must decide which costs more, struggling to fulfill their dreams or letting them die—and which price are they willing to pay?

I recently finished the proofread for book two (this is a series), and I'll have that one up for grabs as soon as it's published.

Time for the Rafflecopter entry form! Good luck, all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don't forget! We'll be doing some welcome posts in the near future for some new editors. Come back for that.

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

Jo