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

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:

MAILCHIMP

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

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

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