Abby L. Vandiver's Blog

Oh yes, this is impressive![image error]

Six full-length novels.

Two complete series.

One boxed set.

All of that by two Amazon #1 bestselling authors.

I got together with Kathryn Dionne and we assembled an amazing boxed set of books. We’ve included her Savannah Swift Psychic Mystery Series – the first book, Six Mile Canyon, was a bestseller in it’s category after its release in 2016. Now she’s written two, never before published books, to complete the series and included them – Pleasure Point, and Cathedral Rock  in our collaboration. Add to that my three Normal Junction Cozy Mystery books, Angel Angst, A Witch’s Wheel, and The Ghostly Gadfly, and you’ve got a lollapalooza! (Now you see why I named this post that).

We’ve got psychics, witches, ghosts, angels, and murder – of the cozy kind! You’ll get a thrill from our tales and you won’t have to wait too long to get your eyes on them – we’ve set June 26 as our release date. But wait! There’s more! The entire set – six full-length novels, two complete series – is only 99 cents! Yes! Unbelievable, I know. And you can pre-order now! GET IT NOW.

Okay, enough exclamation marks.

Our Amazon product page will give you a full description of all the books. Both Kathryn and I are very excited about them. But please, don’t miss out, anything this good doesn’t last long and that’s true with our Paranormal Boxed Set. We’re only offering the books together in this boxed set until July 25. After that, you’ll only be able to purchase the individual books on our respective Amazon pages. So, what are you waiting on? Get to ordering!

Happy Reading!

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Books!

Yes! I have three new books coming out. Angel Angst, A Witch’s Wheel, and The Ghostly Gadfly. Yay!

The three books are part of a series, but it’s not your typical “series.” You see, each book has different characters, each on their own individual journey. The stories are of the cozy kind – an amateur sleuth solving a murder, only solving of the whodunit by my wannabe detectives is aided by a supernatural accomplice. (Take a look at the titles, it won’t be hard to guess what they might be). The only constant is where the stories take place. Normal Junction.

Normal Junction, as you’ll find out in the books, isn’t a place that’s on any map, but it’s a place where we’ve all been. A sort of magical place where you go when there’s trouble afoot, and you need help, because you’ll find it there.

I’m excited about the books coming out. I love stories about witches, ghosts and angels, and always wanted to write one. Now I’ve written about all three! Angel Angst will be out in June, but the other two won’t be released as singles until late July. What do I mean “as singles?” Surprise! You’ll be able to get all three of the books, plus ANOTHER series by my good friend and colleague, Kathryn Dionne, in a Paranormal Cozy Boxed Set to be released June 26 . For more about it, CLICK HERE. Or, BUY IT HERE.

So, check back on my website, www.abbyvandiver.com periodically to stay updated about my new books. Three of them are coming at you real soon!

[image error]Write what you know . . .

That has been an adage for writers for a long time. It’s not write what you like.

And many times, before the advent of the Internet, authors travelled to the places, and did the things they wanted to write about. Today, we have information, and facts right at our finger tips, literally (well it’s only literally there if you’re in front of a keyboard). Still sometimes we take license with facts. Perhaps, some may think it’s just for the fun of it, but to me, it makes the reader have to suspend disbelief more and more with every egregious misuse of a fact. And more importantly, as self-published authors, readers and critics are scrutinizing us even more.

I mix fact with my fiction. I research the truth about a matter, and write my stories around that. I have been called a Fact Czar, because I can see logic gaps that perhaps others wouldn’t. I think I can because of my training as a lawyer.

When I attended law school, we were trained to see, and argue, a point from both sides – to see the entire picture. When reading, that ability is both a “blessing and a curse.” And it brings me to the point of this article – using WRONG LAW in books.

Oh, how that bothers me!

Life isn’t like on TV, and we should know that. But so many writers take what they see on TV and put it into their books. In my opinion, if you are writing about something you are not sure of, then take the time to look it up. It is worth it to research.

Sure, I get things wrong, we all do, but it isn’t because I didn’t take the time to find out. So, here, free of charge, I will give you tips on writing law into your books.

Miranda Rights. Every writer wants the police officer to tell their suspects, “You have the right to remain silent . . .” Only this is incorrect law. A police officer will never read a person he is arresting his Miranda Rights because they are only read if a person has been arrested AND is being interrogated. Click for Quick & Dirty Law Here. So please, unless your character is in custody and being interrogated, don’t have anyone read Miranda Rights to them.

Divorce Papers. When you get married, you have to go in front of an official to make it legal, so guess what? When you undo it, you have to go in front of an official, too! A divorce is a legal proceeding. You cannot just send papers in the mail, sign them, and viola, be divorced. Just think what kind of ramifications that could cause down the line. There is something called a dissolution, whereby both parties agree to the property division and sign a separation agreement that a judge then signs – with them present to make sure it wasn’t forged or signed under duress. But when there is a disagreement (even when one party disagrees on getting the divorce) it is called a contested divorce, and no signing of papers will do anything – no matter how long your character stares at that brown envelope on the kitchen counter . . . Click for Quick & Dirty Here. Let your character have to go to court, it is true in ALL cases, and it will make your story more realistic.

The Legal System is Slow. No one in real life goes to trial in a week or two (or three). It is a very, very long process sometimes taking months or years to bring a criminal to justice. Click for Quick & Dirty Here. There are different phases of the trial process, so certainly you can have your villains get thrown in jail, and processed, but arraignment and pre-trial is probably as far as you can get with the timeline in most books.

There are No Surprises in Court. A prosecutor or defense attorney is not allowed to spring surprise witnesses or information on the other party. That is called a “trial by ambush,” and is grounds for a mistrial. What happens is that each side is allowed discovery where that information is provided beforehand. Sure, information comes up where one side wants to hit home a point made by a witness that has taken the stand, but any new information has to be shown to the other party and approved by the judge before anything or anyone else is allowed into court. Click for Quick & Dirty Here.

And last (for this time), but not least . . .

Lawyers DO NOT Talk to Each Other During Trial. There is a certain decorum and deference that lawyers have to abide by while in court. They are allowed to speak to the witnesses and with the judge, not to each other unless they are at sidebar. So there is no yelling going on between them, no, not even a small conversation. So please, authors, keep your lawyers quiet! Shhh!

Yes, it’s fun to write courtroom scenes, and justice for our characters, but it’s also important to get it right!

I love a good mystery. So when I decided to write a book, of course it was the genre I chose. And no matter what other genres my books fit into, each one still had an element of mystery.

After finding my niche, to my delight, I found that a lot of other people like mysteries too. In fact, they are the second bestselling genre of books, coming in right after romance. I got to write the type of story I loved and maybe sell a book or two. How cool is that?

Books in the category are usually suspenseful, especially near the end when the answer to the mystery is revealed, and many are thrillers as well, filled with lots of action a la Indiana Jones. And as part of the thrill, around practically every corner, the reader will find, lies mortal peril for the hero/heroine. The main character must then use his/her wit and skill to narrowly escape the throes of the evil, wrongdoing villain and in end the end bring him down.

But do all the books in the genre have to be like that? Sometimes, I’ve learned, it’s expected. Some lovers of mystery books, like the ones drawn to the description of my first series, were expecting to get a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat thrill along with the “what-happened.”

[image error] Click for Amazon Description

My first book, In the Beginning, had initially been compared to Indiana Jones and Dan Brown by some. Because, I concluded, it had a biblical tagline to it, an alternative history twist, and a protagonist who had information that could possibly change the world as we knew it. But when true fans of the Da Vinci Code read it, they gasped – What? There’s no action! No killing! No chases through the city! And oh no! No swear words or sex! Egad!

My book, I wanted to scream , was a character-driven, thought-provoking, compelling (with some dry wit) work framed around a “what-if.” But with the subject matter as presented, readers weren’t happy with that answer and they screamed right back – “We need lots of action! Give us some violence! Blood. Guts. Gore.” Readers wanted more. And even though it was a struggle for me, in the next two books in the series (Mars Origin “I” Series) I tried to give them what they wanted. I added a little violence. A cuss word here and there. And some of the ever-craved-for action (still no sex). I wasn’t the master of it, but I think I pulled it off. But as I finished up the last book, it was plain for me to see – it just wasn’t in me to deliver what thriller mystery fans wanted.

The books did well, but the fast-paced, action-packed ride that I’d written was not the stuff that could compete with Borne Identity or Angels and Demons. So I thought, I still want to write mystery, and okay, I could do a murder – nothing violent – but I wasn’t adverse to death being a part of my story. But the car chases, the punch-roll-kick action of the characters, and the descriptive sex scenes . . . Well . . . Not so much.

Then I found cozies . . .

****Sky opens up, sun rays fan out to the horizon, cue the angelic music****

Oh happy day!

Cozy mysteries are the best. Aren’t they? Quirky, fun characters, a keep-you-guessing whodunit, and a little humor to boot. Action and violence are – of all things – not expected! Now that was something I could do. And who knew? There were readers galore that didn’t do the guts and gore, just like me!

Click for Amazon Description

So far the Logan Dickerson Cozy Mystery Series has done well, and readers seem to enjoy, not only the characters, but as they tell me,  the “good clean” read.  It’s made #1 in it’s Amazon categories in the United States, United Kingdom,  Australia and Canada. So that was good, right? I had considered ending the series, but every time I try to someone convinces me to write another book. Anyway, I think I’d miss Miss Vivee.

So be sure to stay tuned . . .

[image error]Release Date: May 2017

 

My friend and soon-to-be author Deagria Level talks about her new book in a guest post.

In this powerful book, No Weapon: My Journey to Win, Deagria Level chronicles her personal life from safe and happy suburbia to the roughest projects in Los Angeles. Growing up she pays a high tax that would have her living her life for those she loves, until she finds herself homeless, rejected and on an emotional rollercoaster for two decades. Go on this journey with her, in this gripping page turner. It will take you to the inner recesses of loss, anger, and sacrifice to unfold from the darkness aware of self-love and empowerment.

Deagria will show that you too can eventually rise high above the drama of abuse, emptiness, and trauma. Read how you can learn to embrace who you are, transform your life (from the power within), wake up a winner, and rewrite you story! No Weapon: My Journey to Win is a must read. You won’t want to put this down.

Release Date: May 2017

About Deagria:

Deagria Level is an author, host, certified coach, leader and survivor. A servant at heart, Deagria life’s goals are to assist others to live out loud, chase their dreams and to love and completely accept themselves. Known on social media for her powerful inspiration videos, she connects to people and women[image error] from all over the world.

Deagria’s career spans over a decade in the beauty industry. She now uses her talents and skills to empower, encourage, and motivate women and girls to live their best lives possible. Whether in front of an arena or a small group she is invaluable and brings excitement.

This highly dedicated and motivated professional uses her many gifts and talents to work as a change agent in her community. As an AmeriCorps Service member she works to support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault across the greater Indianapolis area.

Born in Indianapolis, Deagria considers Los Angeles, California her home. Deagria has three adult children, is a military mom, and has a grandson. She enjoys public speaking, beauty and fashion, writing, and giving back to the community.

Contact Deagria:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deagria.level

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deagriaspeaks

Instagram: https:/ /www.instagram.com/deagria_level

Email: deagria.speaks@gmail.com

 

 

I’m an old lady, and pretty much set in my ways, still I love to learn new things, and share the wisdom that I’ve garnered throughout my years. And while I’m much better with compromise than I was in my youth, some things I’m not so willing to give in to. So every now and then, since this is my blog, I’ll vent or share a pet peeve. Here’s my first installment of a pet peeve.

As my grandchildren grew older, we moved from picture books to chapter books, and for them, that was a big thing. They were very [image error]proud that they could now read books that had chapters. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but soon I realized that chapters were very important to me, too.

The other night, I climbed into bed and clicked on my Kindle. I had a new book that had been given to me so that I could read it and post an honest review, which I enjoy doing. I had thought I’d dread the book though, seeing that it was in a genre that I didn’t really enjoy. It added to my dismay when I  discovered that the total Loc on my device read 8067! Oh geesh, I thought, Not sure if I’ll be able to make it through this book. But I nestled in and started to read, and guess what? It was good. I found myself enjoying it. I smiled, and flipped right through the pages. But of course, before long, I found myself getting drowsy.

“I’ll just get to the next chapter and call it a night,” I said to my sleepy self.

But there wasn’t a “next” chapter! I took my finger and scurried through the next few (dozen?) pages, all the time thinking I’ll never get back to where I’d left off. But no matter how far I went, I couldn’t find where the “chapter” I’d been reading ended.

Oh crap!

In my opinion, chapters are a very important part of a book, and sometimes, I wonder do writers really understand their significance.

According to Wikipedia, my favorite go-to source, a chapter is “one of the main divisions of a piece of writing of relative length.” In that same article, it notes, under the heading, Unusual Numbering Schemes, that At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O’Brien has the first page titled Chapter 1, but there are no other chapters. That, to me, is certainly unusual.

I can’t say that I understand why an author would not section off their book into chapters, but I do believe that there are a variety of reasons to use them, ones that I have employed often.

Pacing. Cliffhangers at the end of chapters is a popular device to keep your reader “turning the page.” Chapter breaks are strategically placed, and I think adds to the readers excitement and enjoyment.

Switching between points of views and time periods. It is a good way to keep the confusion down on who’s thinking and doing what, (no head hopping here) and where the characters are without having to state it directly. Use chapters to show differences in scenes, characters, and timelines.

Ease of navigation. You can just stop reading at the end of the chapter. Simple, right? That makes it easy to remember where you left off and to get back to that point when you’re ready to start reading again. So chapters are good when you don’t have a bookmark (I love bookmarks), or don’t want to dog-ear the page. And it’s a lifesaver on a reading device where there is way to judge how far you were into a book.

And my favorite: To give your reader a breaking point. When we write, we have to think about our readers, and how and when they read. For instance, on the bus during their morning and evening commute to work they may try to get in a chapter or two. Or, maybe during their lunch break, while in the bathroom (in-home library) soaking in the tub, at the doctor’s office, or like me, at night sneaking in a chapter or two before turning off the bedside lamp. People today lead busy lives and there isn’t much time for relaxation. In my opinion? They need chapters.

Keeping all of those reasons in mind, it says to me that chapters are a necessity. You not only should have them, but they shouldn’t be too long. Your reader needs a place to stop, a place marked where he can ponder on what he has read and get back to that point whenever he gets an extra moment. That is why I tend to keep my chapters no longer than 1,000 to 2,000 words. Short, to the point chapters is just right for me. I’m all for giving my reader a break.

What are your reasons for chapter breaks? Or having chapters at all?

 

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You love to write and you’ve decided to translate that love into writing your first novel. You write on weekends, in the middle of the night, maybe even sacrifice a few dinners with friends, just to find the time to do it. And then you edit, beg your friends to look it over, and edit it some more. It seems like an endless process, but you do want it to be perfect. (Is it possible to have a perfect book? Ha! That’s a whole other blog post).

Back to your story.

Your time is so precious. You don’t have much of it with the job, family obligations, and oh yeah, you do need time to sleep. But then, all those stolen moments and carefully crafted reasons to write that you’ve given to everyone have paid off. Your novel is finally finished! “The End,” sits staring back at you from your monitor. You lean back in your chair, cross your arms behind your head, and smile. And with just a few more clicks of that mouse, you’ve uploaded your book to that huge online book retailer. Presto! Your baby – your eBook – has just gone live.

Now what? Oh, yeah, sit back and wait to become that big best-selling author.

Uh-huh. Nope. Wait one minute.  I’m here to tell you, “It doesn’t work like that.” Remember all that time you spent toiling and sweating to get your written work just so? All the friends you lost along the way because they grew tired of hearing about your book, over and over? Well, that wasn’t the half of it. As a matter-of-fact, it has been said that writing is only about ten percent (oh yeah, you heard me right, 10%) of getting your book into the hand of the readers. The other ninety percent (90%) is marketing. So, you’d better go and find all those friends that you lost along your “writing” way, because you’ll need them now to help talk your book up.

Marketing your book is a full-time job itself. And finding success in getting your newly published book is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to be diligent. I’ve heard one estimate that more than 9,000 books are published every month. So, not every book is going to be able to surface [image error] above the rising sea of all the new “literary works of art.” At least not without a lot of help. That means you’re are going to have to work hard at promoting not only when it’s newly released, but long after as well. You were right to call it your “baby,” because it’s going to need a lot of care and nurturing for a long while to come.

There are many theories on the best way to market your book – write another book, find your target audience and market initially only to them.  Or, become “friends” with other on social media and try to turn them into possible readers, or if you can afford it, hire a publicist. But what it comes down to, in my opinion, to get your book out there where readers can find it is you pounding the pavement, whether that pavement is virtual or concrete. Try some of everything and then go with what works.

Moral of the story? All your craftiness in finding time to write the book will come in handy because you are going to need to find a lot more of it to market your book. And don’t forget to allot some of that time to writing the sequel.

What kind of marketing have you found helpful in promoting your book?

[image error]Ahh, I bet you’re correcting the grammar in that title in your head right now. Aren’t you? You’re probably saying, “It should be, ‘How do you speak?’ Shouldn’t it?”

And you’d be right. But in everyday conversation  people speak differently than how they were taught in grammar class. They use colloquialism, short sentences, including sentence fragments, one or two word answers and sometimes, their response is nothing more than a grunt.  And that, Dear Writer, in my opinion is how dialogue should be written, too.

Good dialogue is essential to your story. It’s entertaining, it ups the tempo, and moves your story right along. Yes, it’s true, dialogue should be used to advance the story, the plot, and even to introduce and develop a character.  Let’s face it, without dialogue stories can get wordy and dull.  A writer needs dialogue to break up the monotony of long, descriptive paragraphs. Descriptions of the landscape and people are a good thing, but it can happen in dialogue just as easy as in long-winded prose, and much more quickly and easily.

So, how do you talk?

When I write, I actually have the conversations I plan for my characters with others or with myself. I say it out loud so I can hear how it sounds, and to see if what I’m writing is actually how I’d say it in normal conversation. Or, if someone is around, I ask them what they would say – try to have my characters’ conversations with them. It works.

Every writer spends lots of time deciding who their characters are – what they’re about and what are their motivations. They want their characters to seem real. And dialogue is a good way to do it. It’s easy to do. Picture your character. Think what you need them to say, how they would say it, what ideas you want to convey, and what information you need to give to your reader. Then start writing your dialogue. But beware of some common pitfalls when writing that dialogue.

Letting your dialogue drag on, and on, and on. And on. Get your point across and move on. Don’t make your reader drag through boring, inconsequential dribble. Readers will skip dialogue that isn’t interesting, and/or doesn’t have a point. Consider what you are trying to convey in the conversation – Are you developing the character? Are you trying to draw out emotion? Are you establishing a time, place, or incident? Well, do that, and then get to the next point. Don’t include extraneous information in your dialogue that doesn’t have a purpose and doesn’t move  your story forward. Use dialogue a lot throughout your story, but limit the amount of it used in each instance to what is purposeful.

Speech that is long and stilted. Who talks in long paragraphs? No one. And neither should your characters. Stilted describes dialogue that is unnaturally formal. Characters get out everything they have to say in one long breath. Please, Writer, breathe. And let your characters do the same. Listen in on others’ conversations while you’re out and about, or take notice of your own speaking patterns when talking to your best bud on the phone. You’ll notice that it’s a volley of words – back and forth. That’s how your characters should speak as well. It’s very boring for a reader to have to get through an entire paragraph of one person talking. Let other characters get in on the conversation. Additionally, most people generally use facial expressions, and hand gestures when they speak. Learn to use those same directional cues (dialogue beats) to break up long soliloquies. You ain’t writing Shakespearian plays! (Which brings me to my next point. )

Not speaking the language. No one speaking during a general conversation will rate an “A” for grammar. Just ain’t gonna happen. Uh-huh. No way. And what’s normal conversation for some, isn’t for others. [image error]Colloquialisms are a big part of everyday speaking. So keep in mind who is speaking when you’re writing dialogue, where they come from, their station in life, and to whom they’re speaking. I have had so many people read my bio (showing I have three degrees), and then complain because with all my education, I didn’t use (know to use) proper English in the dialogue of my books. (I once wrote “Me and my sister, Claire. I know proper English would dictate, “Claire and I.”) But, even with all my degrees, I still speak informally (colloquialisms abound) around family and friends and usually save my English Grammar 101 speak-ese for more formal situations. Doesn’t everyone??  Dialogue will flow and read more naturally if you learn to  write the way you hear the people around you speak. Don’t be formal. Remember to use contractions. And speak the language of the land (region).

Don’t be heavy handed in writing dialect. Having your character speak with a Southern drawl, in Cajun English, or a Southie Boston dialect is not only great fun, but it can bring your characters to life and make them more enjoyable. But don’t overdue it. Not only can it confuse and tire out the reader – making getting through the dialogue a chore, it can be difficult and time consuming to write, distracting you from keeping up with the flow, continuity, or plot of your story.  Heavy handed dialogue can actually have the opposite effect – not making your characters seem real.

These are just a few suggestions to help create real-like characters through dialogue.

Happy Reading!

 

[image error]Today is my good friend, and fellow author, Kathryn Dionne’s birthday! And to celebrate, I want to introduce you to her latest novel, Six Mile Canyon.

Six Mile Canyon is the first in the Savannah Swift Psychic Mystery Series. In the months it has been out, it has been well-received (see all the five star reviews), and it’s no wonder, her first series, the Eleventh Hour stayed on Amazon’s Best Seller list as #1 for nearly a year!

In this book, you’ll meet Savannah Swift, a high school senior, daughter of a Baptist preacher, and a budding psychic – a power passed down to her, and one she never knew she had. Of course, “it’s a blessing and a curse” as she struggles with reoccurring nightmares, and the possibility of an unsolved murder. Well, not unsolved for long if Savannah has anything to do with it! She recruits her two best friends, and they take a road trip that will change all of their lives forever.

There are twists and turns in this book that will keep you interested from the first page all the way to the last. Believe me, you won’t want to put it down. Add to that a little of the history of Nevada’s silver mines, and a whole lot of mystery and suspense, and you’ve got another winning book.

I rated this book a 5 Star , and it deserves everyone of them.  Look for the next book in the series, Pleasure Point, coming soon.

And oh yeah, Happy Birthday, Kathryn!

Learn more about Kathryn and her books here: www.kathryndionne.com. And don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter.

And buy her books on Amazon here: Kathryn’s Author Page.

 

 

 

 

Every writer needs an editor.

Traditional publishing houses, as part of their representation, provide each of their authors with the best editors that money can buy. But self-published authors are usually working on a limited, if not non-existent, budget and just don’t have the funds for an editor’s fee.

“What does it cost to hire an editor?” you may ask. Good question.

To get a general idea, you can check out the chart of common editorial rates published by the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA). When you check it out, you’ll see that editors may charge per word, per line, or page (the average page is 250 words). Add up the numbers and it’s easy to adduce that the fee for editing your manuscript could run in the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Thankfully, there are editors that cater to the self-published author and offer reasonable (cheap) rates. I’ve used some that were as low as 60 bucks, but that’s rare and hard to find. Still, sometimes for us Indies, cheap rates are priced way too high. So what is a self-published author to do?

Don’t Try to Edit Your Own Work. No matter how many times you read over your writing, you’ll miss something because you know what it’s supposed to say, and your mind will tell you that the words are there when they’re not. Plus, a fellow author told me that there are little grammar gremlins that go in after you “Save” and twist your words all around. (You know you couldn’t have mixed up “there” for “their”!)

Get a Beta Reader. What’s a beta reader? A beta reader reads and critiques your work before it’s published. They are non-professionals, and of course take no responsibility for any problems that they miss, but they are helpful in finding and improving grammar, spelling, and making suggestions that will help with the logic and flow of your story.  Check your Facebook author “friends” to see if they’ll read your manuscript. Also, Goodreads has beta groups, usually dived by genre, who are willing to help. And the best part is that usually they do it for free!

Online Editing Software. If you write in Microsoft Word, you know that it has a built-in spell/grammar check. DO use it. But it can’t catch everything, and it is always a good idea to double check (and triple check) your writing. One easy way is editing software.  Google the term, and a whole gaggle of them will come up. Some you’ll have to purchase, and it’s a good investment if you’re planning on writing more than one book. Then you’ll find some that are free, www.grammarly.com, for example will check your writing for you. The free version is available to Chrome, Firefox, and Safari users (operating systems that are easily downloaded to your computer).

Let Your Work Get “Cold.” Yes, I know I said don’t edit your own work, but even when you send it out to an editor, it should be the best you can make it. One way to do that is after you’ve finished writing, leave it be for a few days, maybe as long as a week. In a cold reading, you won’t be as “close” to the written word and be able to see the errors. In addition to this, downloading your book to your Kindle (or reader) will also help you to spot your mistakes.

So those are just a few of my suggestions, if you have other cheap editing methods, please share in the comment section below. And, even with my ideas, I encourage each author to try and get an editor. Look for one on Facebook, Goodreads, and other author platforms, as well as on Twitter, or through a Google search, their input is invaluable.

Happy Writing!