I Am So Honored!

Cindy PasqueleneImagine my surprise this morning when I found my name mentioned in a new blog post!

Cindy Pasquelene, who writes at The Writer Backblogger, was one of the winners of last week’s drawing for free editing. Cindy sent the first 1,500 words of her NaNoWriMo novel for my feedback, and . . .

See what Cindy had to say about the experience at The Writer Backblogger.

I spend some time every morning searching Twitter, blogs, and the Internet for interesting things to post on my Facebook page. If you aren’t already a fan, I hope you’ll check it out here.

My Red-Letter Day: Meeting Singer, Speaker, and Author LaDonna Gatlin

LaDonna Gatlin
Invitation to LaDonna Gatlin’s appearance

I had the most fun experience this week: I met LaDonna Gatlin, an author with whom I’ve been working since I first read her book proposal for The Song in You: Finding Your Voice, Redefining Your Life in the summer of 2011. If you had spent as much time on the telephone as LaDonna and I spent over the past eighteen months, you get to be pretty good friends . . . Continue reading “My Red-Letter Day: Meeting Singer, Speaker, and Author LaDonna Gatlin”

A Little Editing Makes a BIG Difference

editingI held two drawings last November for free editing: one winner was randomly selected from my blog followers and one from fans of my Facebook page.

The Facebook winner was author Maureen Francisco, whose first book, It Takes Moxie, was approaching the publication date. Because Maureen is a savvy author and a skilled marketer, she knows how important it is to get the word out about her book; she used her free editing to have me work with her on several articles she hoped would be picked up by major media outlets.

Sure enough, one of Maureen’s articles, “6 Ways to Improve Your Work Ethic, Get Ahead, and Learn the Secrets of Successful Immigrantswas picked up by Huffington Post, and Forbes.com published an article about her and her tips on “Seizing Opportunities.”

I’d like to share a short excerpt from “6 Ways to Improve Your Work Ethic” so you can see how a little tweaking here and there can make a BIG difference without changing the author’s voice. I’ve lined up the original followed by the edited version so you can see the differences:

Continue reading “A Little Editing Makes a BIG Difference”

Beware of Snake-Oil Salesmen in the Editing Biz

In the past week I came across two websites that offer unusual editing services. Unusual isn’t bad, but in these particular cases, unusual is definitely NOT good for authors.editing

One of these companies is a membership site that proposes to save authors money on professional editing by trading editing with other members; in other words, you and another writer edit each other’s books, thereby eliminating the cost of having your manuscript professionally edited.

What’s wrong with that? Nothing, as long as you understand that the chances of having a professional edit your work are slim to none. In reality, this service is a beta-reader service, which is very useful in its own right—but let’s call it what it is. And it is no substitute for professional editing or proofreading.

How to NOT save money on professional editing costs. #writers #editing #amediting Click To Tweet

“Oh, come ON, Candace,” I can hear you say, “I’ll still get editing, plus I can save hundreds of dollars on editing costs.” Continue reading “Beware of Snake-Oil Salesmen in the Editing Biz”

Meet Two Winning Bloggers!

FREE EDITINGAs I mentioned in my post announcing the drawing for FREE EDITING, I love to start each day by reading other bloggers’ posts and anything related to writing and publishing. I usually find at least one gem to post on my Facebook page, and I love sharing with all of you.

I wanted to encourage more people to “like” my Facebook page, and I also wanted to thank those who are already followers, so I decided to give away FREE EDITING to someone from each group.

And now, I’m excited to announce the winners of both drawings! Continue reading “Meet Two Winning Bloggers!”

Reminder: Your Chance to Win FREE EDITING

Who can't use FREE editing?
Who can’t use FREE editing?

In case you were busy testing chocolates earlier this week and missed the announcement, here’s a reminder about the drawing I’m holding tomorrow for FREE EDITINGContinue reading “Reminder: Your Chance to Win FREE EDITING”

Need a Last-Minute Gift for a Special Someone?

printable gift certificate
courtesy of http://gifttemplate.com

Even though my sweetie is still trying to convince me that Valentine’s Day is an every-other-year celebration (guess who hates to shop?), I know he has something special up his sleeve for tonight. I had the perfect gift in mind for him, too, and then I COULDN’T FIND IT locally (guess who procrastinates?). So this morning I was on the hunt for a free, printable gift certificate, and I found one I love here. The templates are super-easy to use and very customizable—a win-win for us last-minute shoppers! 🙂

And while you’re clicking around, don’t forget to check out my Facebook page for a chance at the FREE EDITING I’m giving away to one new Facebook fan! All you have to do is “like” the page for a chance to win.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all, Candace

5 Reasons Why You MUST Hire a Proofreader

5 Reasons Why You MUST Hire a Proofreader There is an ongoing debate in the world of independent publishing about the need (or not) to hire a professional proofreader before approving your book for print. Some authors wouldn’t consider pushing “send” without first hiring at least one set of professional eyes, but it seems like many more still have a difficult time justifying the expense. I’m going to show you five reasons why the second group is wrong.

Continue reading “5 Reasons Why You MUST Hire a Proofreader”

Media Alert: Angela Rose and PAVE

I absolutely LOVE to share good news, especially when it concerns friends and authors—and especially friends who are authors. One of the best parts of my job as a freelance editor is meeting people through my work who then become friends, which tends to happen a lot (lucky me)! So without further ado: Continue reading “Media Alert: Angela Rose and PAVE”

A New Drawing for FREE EDITING

Drawing for FREE EDITING
facebook logo (Photo credit: marcopako )

When I checked my stats this morning (come on, admit it, you check yours, too!), I discovered that I now have fifty Facebook “likes.”

A big thank you to everyone who has already “liked” my Facebook page! In honor of those fifty people (who are enjoying all the great content I share there), I’m offering another drawing for FREE EDITING. All your names will be entered into a drawing, and the winner will receive copyediting at no charge for any 1,500-word document submitted to me on or before August 1, 2013. I’ll announce the winner here on Saturday, February 16. Continue reading “A New Drawing for FREE EDITING”