Tag: proofreading

A good cover

There are discussions, conversations and debates, ad nauseam, about the importance of good editing. It’s a topic expounded by many a cynical member in the world of the traditionally published. Not without reason, sad to say. Many of the books I review are tarnished by that ultimate and vitally necessary quality of good editing.

It’s generally known that lack of attention to editing of books is one of my pet peeves. But equally annoying is the lackadaisical attitude to the standard of, for instance, synopses, review requests, literary contest submissions, etc. It’s not just an affliction of the literary world: it can be found in poorly written job application letters, business emails, CVs, (oh, and the greengrocer’s apostrophe)…the list goes on. Most of the time, a written exchange is the first connection between you and your employer/interviewer/reader/reviewer/publisher, etc. It’s the initial ‘meeting’ and first impressions matter…a lot. It simply has to be as near perfect as possible. Continue reading “A good cover”

Paying it Forward Into the New Year

This time last year I was flailing around, trying everything I could think of to find readers for my newly self-published novel. I did the usual Facebook events and .99 cent sales and joined every online group I could find. I was active in Amazon Author Discussion boards, Kindleboards, Yahoo groups, and anywhere else I thought readers might be. The reviews I was receiving on the book were really positive but I couldn’t reach that next level in terms of finding more readers. My background is sales and marketing and I know my way around the internet, but even with all my efforts I couldn’t hit the big numbers that other Indie authors were achieving. In the first six weeks I sold about two hundred books but I knew many of those were friends and family, and other authors who were kind enough to buy it and support me. I was happy to get my work out there but I wanted to find random readers who didn’t know me, and when I checked the Kindleboard monthly listings and saw there were Indie authors selling thousands of ebooks a month I knew that either I had a book that wasn’t going to sell or I was doing something wrong. So, I contacted Robert Bidinotto, and that’s when I learned about “paying it forward”. Continue reading “Paying it Forward Into the New Year”

Why Proofreading Matters

Last month, the Evil Mastermind had a fun post called Typopotamus, where he discussed typos and some strategies for eradicating them from your writing, including hiring a good editor and proofer. In one of the comments author Jeff Dawson had the following to say:

“Indie readers sometimes spend too much time looking for errors and what nots. This is good and yet bad at the same time. The good part: they are catching errors writers, beta readers and editors are missing. It provides a chance to quickly make the changes and upload a new version. The bad: some readers and reviewers are focusing on miniscule problems and bashing an otherwise good read.” Continue reading “Why Proofreading Matters”

Advice to a First-time Indie Author

Carrot Top Plastic Surgery
How tight does it need to be?

Last week I received an email – a cry for help – from a new Indie Author. He had a number of questions about how he should proceed with his manuscript. I told him he came to the right place – because, as you know – I’ve been doing this for a REALLY long time. Here are his questions, and my responses.

The only person other than me who’s read my very first book is my Mommy. I’m a little uncertain of my skills – should I get someone outside of my family to reassure me that the book is good BEFORE I publish it? Continue reading “Advice to a First-time Indie Author”