Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie discussion
Getting To Know You!
>
Random chit-chat
R.L. wrote: "So sorry for your loss Sam. Hugs to your family as well. Xoxo"Thank you, R.L. Hugs to your family, too.
Mod
Erica wrote: "That is so hard. I am sorry to hear that, but am glad you were able to be there to give your dog the love and comfort all dogs deserve."Thank you, Erica. We are glad to have had him as long as we did. Hugs
Amy wrote: "Sorry to hear that Sam. So sad."Thank you, Amy. Hugs
Making progress on choosing a cover designer for Book 2. As you know I can't afford $300 for a cover, and as I have discovered none of the pre-made ones suit what I've written. So...There are two types of designers it seems on Fiverr.com. There are the ones who charge per revision after the cover has been delivered. That threw me last time because I wasn't sure how many times I could say "can you just do..."
Then there are the ones who charge a bit more (which works out to be the same as I paid last time) and say unlimited revisions before during and after the creation of your cover.
Hmmm, I wonder which one I'll choose this time lol. I've got a short list of 5 designers. One of them has almost 1000 5 star reviews and 21 jobs in their queue!
Best of luck with your decision, Amy. The cover is a tack I don't look forward to. Hugs
Sam (Rescue Dog Mom, Writer, Hugger) wrote: "We lost one of our dogs to congestive heart failure last night. We rescue abused, old, sick, and unwanted dogs hoping to give them a good life before they pass on. Of course, I never think they've ..."I think it's very awesome what you do. And I'm sorry you lost one, but happy you were able to give it a good few years.
Nat wrote: "I think it's very awesome what you do. And I'm sorry you lost one, but happy you were able to give it a good few years..."Thank you for your understanding, Nat. Hugs
Sam (Rescue Dog Mom, Writer, Hugger) wrote: "We lost one of our dogs to congestive heart failure last night. We rescue abused, old, sick, and unwanted dogs hoping to give them a good life before they pass on. Of course, I never think they've ..." Oh, Sam, I'm so very sorry. I know it's heartbreaking. You are so kind for giving it the love it needed. We lost our lab last August. Still miss her terribly. She used to sit under my desk while I worked. But I swear her spirit is still with me. Big hugs to you!
Jeanne wrote: "Oh, Sam, I'm so very sorry. I know it's heartbreaking. You are so kind for giving it the love it needed. We lost our lab last August. Still miss her terribly. She used to sit under my desk while I worked. But I swear her spirit is still with me. Big hugs to you! ..."Thank you, Jeanne. They may be gone from our lives, but they live on in our hearts. Hugs
What's a person called when they feel like they're in limbo? Limbolic would fit, but it means something else. I've got two covers on the go that don't require my attention at the moment. The kids are home for half term. My morning client has cancelled. I'm fortunate enough to employ a cleaner who is here for her two hours a week-making cleaning noises. I can't settle to anything. That said, I stuck a mobi copy of Nate and Day on my phone yesterday so now I've typed that out loud I should make a coffee and give it another read through and get it ready to go. I believe it's already been through PWA.
Today=bit bleugh.
Naming stuff is only one away from the horror of promoting for me. Hope everything is ok at the hospital today.
I'm taking the kids to the pub for lunch or we won't get out of the house at all today.
Amy, now you've got me trying to find one word to describe hum drum limbo. Enjoy your coffee. Hugs
Alex, sending healing prayers and hugs for your Mom. Enjoy your time with her today as best you can. Hugs
At least they're doing something I suppose.
Comforting Hugs for you both, Alex.
Alex wrote: "Thanks, they're always appreciated, hugs right back at you."Hugs greatly appreciated here, too. Thank you. Hugs
Alexis wrote: "Facebook approved my ad. FINALLY! And I'm actually seeing good results. No sales (boo!) but lots of likes and post engagement. It shows me that my cover is eye-catching. The blurb needs a bit of tw..."I can help ;-)
Personally, I've been on a non-fiction kick of late.
Carole wrote: "Me too!!!"What are you working on?
Mod
I'm working on If You Were Me and Lived in...Cuba, Oh Susannah: Things that go Bump (for Halloween) and another Navigating Indieworld book with Julie, the magazine with RL and Julie, and the two radio shows I do monthly. Plus, my day job. lol
What are you working on??
Carole wrote: "I just finished reading a bio of Marie of Guise, Mary, Queen of Scots mother, I'm reading a book about the wives of all the presidents starting with Jackie Kennedy. Just finished her bio.I'm work..."
Sounds busy. I'm going to write a series of blog posts then put them in a kindle collection and pb. It's going to be aimed at chemistry students. Not AP, not SAT II prep...just translating the jargon for normal, college prep kids.
Mod
UGH, watching the news on the London terror attack from last night. My husband works in London for part of the week, we rarely go in as a family, we're about 25 minutes by train from London Bridge. I was in a BBC building when a bomb went off a few streets away in the 90s. He was in London during the 7/7 attacks. Just go away and leave us alone UGH.
Mod
Amy, I pray for the safety of you and your family. Hugs
Hey Everyone,I've hit a bit of a snag as I have totally stopped commenting in Goodreads and have either done no work at all or have buried myself in marketing e-mails. I want to get out of this off funk I'm in and start better managing my time so as you may have been able to tell I'm commenting in threads again, I will put certain time on marketing and hopefully get back into the swing of things.
Why is this happening? Well when you have push things back and have so much to do you tend to just stop doing things all together. No more, I will be organizing and cracking down on things. :)
Mod
The one common thread I've noticed is we are all compelled to do this. Everyone I meet on these threads is passionate about writing and sharing their thoughts. The payoff is when you meet a like-minded person, and they tell you the about the night they spent reading your work.. They might say that it really meant something to them, or clarified an idea, or gave them joy, or even comfort.
I read with my grandson every night. We were finishing Percy Jackson (book 3). I was afraid it was a little over his head. He reads, then I take over and we read a chapter a night.
Last night, we were reading the last chapter. I looked up at my computer screen. We were on Facetime. He was sitting against his pillows with a faraway look and I stopped reading. He turned to look at me and said, "Don't stop now!" He was so filled with joy, the thought of his expression still brings a smile to my face. That's why we do this.
Something awesome happened to me today that I want to share in hopes of making you smile. A bird walked... yes, walked into my kitchen. I have the door open for our dogs to go out into the fenced in backyard at will. The bird then hopped up and flew onto a chair and sang while I watched in awe. Not one dog barked. After trying unsuccessfully to fly out through the closed window, the cute little sparrow found its way back out the door. It really made my day. Hugs to All.
Hi everyone!It's been a while since I've commented here, sorry! I've been quite busy and a bit overwhelmed with my daytime job, kids, the manuscript... you know. :)
But now I don't know what to do. I've got two editors that have given me offers. One has just started her editing business and appears to be very enthusiastic and as far as I can tell, her sample edit was ok. Then I have another, more experienced one but also more expensive.
And I can't decide.
I'm short of money (like everyone) so the cheaper and less experienced one kind of attracts me, but this is my first book and I can't have poor reviews if I want to sell.
Do you have any thoughts or have you been in the same situation? What did you do?
Yelp! :D
Mod
I went with a cheap but "ok" editor for my second book and it was a disaster. They were awful. I'd pay the extra money and get someone you were really confident in.
Mod
Then choose the editor who will catch the things Grammarly will miss- like plot holes, things that don't make sense. ( make sure you buy the Grammarly program and get all the bells and whistles. We just did it for my son and were horrified what we discovered in his manuscript.) https://www.grammarly.com/?q=brand&am...
Aislinn wrote: "I went with a cheap but "ok" editor for my second book and it was a disaster. They were awful. I'd pay the extra money and get someone you were really confident in."That's horrible and one of my worst fears. I don't want to use my money AND waste the time to someone who can't do proper work. But on the other hand, I think that everyone must start somewhere. Even editors have to do their first edits.
R.L. wrote: "I'd def ask for references from the cheaper person just in case. You only get one first impression."
That's very true! The first impression is critical. :)
Carole wrote: "I have used both expensive, inexpensive and the best kind, free. They all miss stuff- Use the one you feel will give your book the attention where it needs it the most- invest in Grammerly- It caug..."That's a good point too. Even editors are humans. :) I'm a bit doubtful in investing on Grammarly, when I could use that money also to an editor... but maybe I'll buy it someday. :)
Elina wrote: "That's a good point too. Even editors are humans. :) I'm a bit doubtful in investing on Grammarly, when I could use that money also to an editor... but maybe I'll buy it someday. :) "Have you got the free version for a start? I've got the free version of Grammarly and a version of Pro Writing Aid which I did upgrade for money for life and, wait for it, no professional editor (gasp). I simply cannot afford one this side of my inheritance.
I honestly found Grammarly to be more trouble than it's worth. Maybe one in twenty of their suggestions are real mistakes, and all the others are them being weird about commas and such. I think to use those programs, you have to really know what you're doing, and know what to reject. I definitely wouldn't recommend those programs to someone that isn't already super confident with grammar.And they still miss stuff! I go over my manuscript with both Grammarly and Ginger before sending it to me editor, and she always finds stuff that both them and I missed.
So, for me, I'd definitely rather spend the money on an editor. Not sure if that helps with your decision.
I agree about Grammarly, I basically use it for commas! It's good for that. I prefer PWA but that's got some weird stuff going on too. With both of them you need to know what you're doing in order to over rule them when they suggest drivel. And they are both capable of suggesting drivel. However, I've found them both useful for suggesting punctuation I have just missed outright. They have also boosted my confidence. And I have told both of them to take a hike on a number of occasions.Never heard of Ginger, is it any good?
I'm still not sold on hiring an editor. My confidence is building to the point where I now no longer think an editor will get hold of something I've written and tell me it's crap. So I'm now battling the finances. I am already running one business that has fallen into the realms of an expensive hobby, I can't afford this one to at the moment. Maybe later if my inheritance ever comes through.
See, I ignore Grammarly's suggestions about commas. I like my commas just where they are. :pI do like Ginger! I feel like it does better in finding words that are wrong (as opposed to grammatical mistakes). Like, if you say were instead of where or whatever. That's why I like to use the two in combination. I also like that each line in checks pops out on the screen so you see it better. I catch some of my own mistakes that way, just looking at the words differently.
I'm definitely an advocate for editors, but they certainly can get expensive. Maybe you could swap editing services with a similarly struggling author for now?
Oh I agree, some of Grammarly's commas are just weird, but some are ones I've missed. And I'm happy to own up to that. That I'm afraid is what happens when you "read" mostly audio books, take a decade out from writing, suffer a stroke and then think "oh yeah, I was taught that at school" as the song says "It's all coming back to me now."Ginger sounds like a thing I need to look into. Hopefully by the time I go through a MS for the 6th time I've picked up most of the horrendous errors.
I would be terrible at editing for others, I read too slowly to be of much use. If I had the money I'd consider paying someone. I have humongous debts that need to be settled first. (Plus we have to be careful with finances, we've got university to pay for next year and we won't get all of the maintenance loan. Money is going to be tight for a long time)
I have just looked into Instafreebie. I've stuck my first book up there, but not activated a giveaway. It looks like you have to pay per month in order to grab email addresses to make a mailing list. (I'm on mailing lists, I'm afraid I don't read them-sorry.) I haven't yet convinced myself people won't unsubscribe the moment I email them. But I'm thinking about it.
I think I'll stick a pin in that for later. My second book will be out in July, (ebook everywhere and paperback on Amazon) I may release it on 14th, my wedding anniversary. I'm talking myself into a pre-order for that date. I'm away on holiday for a couple of weeks at the end of July and wanted to get it out there before the summer holidays start. As it doesn't have to be a new book for promotion to happen I can do that later.
Personally it's more important for me to have a second book out than to promote it in a big way beforehand. I'd rather promote when I have a back catalogue of at least one other thing just to prove my intent!
Hi all. I've been off Gr/online stuff for a bit and just popping in to Chit Chat the random!I went to a writing conference that was pretty inspiring. I think when I get into a writerly doldrums I need to talk books with people and then I get excited again. I also had an epiphany that I am not a fast writer and I need to accept that and I need large swaths of time to really get into it.
Hope everyone is doing well and progressing nicely.
As for commas. I think there are total rules about commas and misplaced commas can snatch my eyes (not to say I'm perfect) and pull me out of the flow of the narrative. Just saying!
A few of my colleagues have downloaded my first book via the Instafreebie offer. I suspect there will be a few raised eyebrows by about the first sex scene!
Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie
Books mentioned in this topic
If Birds Fly Low (other topics)Life in Shackles (other topics)
Kathputli (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Kay MacLeod (other topics)Kay MacLeod (other topics)
Simi Sunny (other topics)
Thank you, Christine. Hugs to you and your dog.