Hi Gabriella! Start by telling us about Edit For Indies.

Edit for Indies (http://editforindies.com) is my freelance editing business, launched last year, and aimed especially at indie authors who intend to put their books on Smashwords and Kindle. (I’m a self-pubbed indie author myself!)

What services do you offer?

I offer polished, thorough copyediting/proofreading services with a fast turnaround (within 10 days).

What can an author expect when they get their manuscript back from you?

They can expect to see my corrections in Microsoft Word’s Track Changes, and there will probably be many more corrections per page than they think! I will be fixing grammatical errors, issues with dialogue, and typographical errors. I want authors to feel they’re in good hands when they send their manuscripts to me, so I try to maintain consistency in the ms.

How should an author format their manuscript before sending it to you?

Just formatted as a Microsoft Word doc with double-spaced Times Roman 12 font is fine.

Is there any type of manuscript or any genre that you will not edit?

I’ve never had to turn one down yet, but an excessively violent serial-killer mystery would be a turn-off, or a pseudo-Incest book. I’m very open to erotica and fantasy, as well as books by queer/women authors.

I don’t content-edit, though, so if someone needs help with major plot changes or character development, I’m not the person to pick.

What kind of payment methods do you accept and does the author need to pay the whole balance up front?

I actually invoice by PayPal when I complete the manuscript, so the author can wait to see what I’ve done before sending payment.

What are your qualifications?

I have a BA in English and an MA in Creative Writing. I’ve been a freelance editor in Northern California for almost 10 years now; I’ve proofread copy at alternative weeklies like S.F. Weekly, the Pacific Sun, and Metro Newspapers and I’ve worked on books for publishers like New World Library and No Starch Press.

What are some common mistakes you see over and over again in indie manuscripts?

Sometimes a character’s name is wrong in the text, and I’m happy when I catch those. It’s very common to find errors in formatting titles, like not italicizing names of movies, books, or newspapers. I find quoted speech can be tricky for writers, too–double quotes, single quotes, when to capitalize parts of speech. That kind of thing And of course there are the homophones like bear/bare, waist/waste, etc. Or serial commas, whether to use them or not. It’s not that indie authors are any sloppier than “traditional” authors, I hasten to add. In fact, I really enjoy the diversity of material in indie authors’ manuscripts.

Any advice for authors seeking editorial services?

I’d advise any author to go with someone who will not charge him/her an arm and a leg, but who is not cut-rate, either. It can seem tempting to pay someone $100, but that really isn’t worth it. Keep in mind that most manuscripts take at least 15 hours to edit. I personally don’t think it should cost over $500 per ms., though, unless there is some really serious content editing going on. Bottom line: I’m lucky to have found clients so far who don’t view my editorial changes in a defensive way and seem pleased with my work and pricing, and grateful when I return the ms to them.

Contact Gabriella or visit Edit for Indies at their website, or follow them on Twitter!

2009 was a great year for LLBR.  We started off by adding Dan Marvin to our review team.  We celebrated our one year anniversary. We changed the look and name of our blog. We broadened our short list to include a handful of other POD companies outside of Lulu.  Then, we threw the short list out the window and opened ourselves up to all POD books!  Oh yeah, and we reviewed 77 titles this year too, not counting Julie’s Quick Picks.

So what’s next?  How could we possibly top 2009?   Well, we’ll definitely keep the reviews coming as long as authors out there need us.  So, keep the queries coming on the Pick Me! Page.

I’m also launching a new monthly post of my own which I’m calling “Book Synthesis.”  Synthesis is defined as “the combining of the constituent elements of separate material or abstract entities into a single or unified entity.”  No matter how much the reviewer in me preaches about proper formatting of manuscripts and appealing book covers, I still see manuscripts each month where the author has obviously not sought out information or assistance in formatting their book for publication. It’s those little “elements” that often get overlooked when we are working on publication.

So, from the title page to the copyright page, to page numbering and margins, I’ll dissect a book for you page by page and give you the steps you should consider when it comes to formatting your manuscript properly. Front matter, back matter, chapter titles, page numbers, title pages, dedication pages, table of contents, and more!  Each of these separate “elements” make up your book as a whole, and for one author who is juggling the hats of writer, editor, publisher, and marketer, we all know it can get very overwhelming.  “Book Synthesis” is here to help!  Look for the first post in early January.

Besides these tips, we’re looking forward to providing you more information about the industry in general.  Book raffles, marketing tips, interviews, and more!  2010 is going to be a great year for us!  And if you have something you’d like to see on the blog, tell us about it.

Happy Writing and Happy Reading!  See you next year!

View a video demonstration of the studio here.

• Punctuation, spelling, and typos – none of us are perfect and every book has flaws, but your Lulu storefront/book page can not afford to contain these as people will take one look and decide that if you can’t put together a short blurb without errors, your book is too flawed to read. Editing has always been a dark cloud over the POD world, which is why accomplishing complete accuracy on your Lulu book page is an absolute must!  Have someone review your work prior to releasing for distribution.  If there are major errors, then it is too late to pull it back without paying for another distribution.  Plus, you don’t want a reputation for releasing material that is not ready for prime time.
• Know your characters and where they are!  If his big blue eyes are so important to point out on page ten, they better not be brown eyes on page twenty.  If she’s drinking a beer on page seven, she better not be finishing scotch on page eight.  While these mistakes should really fall under rule #1 as typos, I bring attention to them only because I’ve seen this happen quite a bit.  If you have a lot of characters to keep up with, I suggest buying a notebook and writing out character sketches or outlines of everything about them you need to know.
• Formatting, formatting, formatting – Books are not emails or business letters.  They have an expected format. If you know nothing about formatting a book, pull about 10 traditionally published books off your shelf and study their layout. Or go to a library or bookstore and just thumb through some popular books. Pay close attention to the number of blank pages between title pages, copyright pages, dedication pages, and Chapter 1. Also pay attention to page numbering (something my very own book fell victim to earlier this year). Are the numbers at the top or bottom, centered or flushed to the right? What page does the first chapter start on?
• It is necessary to have distinction between the header and footers and the text.  Either by ensuring that there is a line space between information in the header/footer and the manuscript text or at the very least a line that indicates separation.  It is not only confusing, but becomes quite annoying to read someone’s work and at the bottom of every page, looking like it is part of the text of the book is the author’s name or a page number.  Visually, these things must be separated.
• Speaking of those blank pages, format your Lulu book preview so that those blank pages are eliminated. Your book preview should be just that – a preview of the story itself. Too many times LK and I go to look at a Lulu book preview and its 15 pages consisting of a title page, blank pages, a copyright page, a dedication page, more blank pages, 6 pages of preface, 2 pages of an introduction, and then maybe 1 page of actual story. Even if I’m possibly considering a book for review based on the Pick Me query alone, if the Lulu preview lacks at least a good 4 pages of the story, I usually reject it. Since Lulu allows limited number of pages for preview, create a custom review by removing all of the blank pages and acknowledgment, etc. pages from the preview so that the reader gets the most value content from the preview possible.
• No preview at all is a No-No! It’s like putting your book in a glass box in an actual bookstore and expecting someone to buy it based on the cover alone. Even Amazon.com allows browsers to peek inside the book on line before purchasing it.
• In the synopsis on your Lulu book page, don’t be personal. Don’t tell how all of your friends/family loved the book and think that you are the greatest author.  These people might think your book is crap, but they’d still tell you it was gold just because you are related. This definitely tells the reader that you are a rookie and have not had an objective assessment done.  Maybe one of your relatives who read it and thought it was great was Uncle Joe in Butte, MT.  So what?  If Uncle Joe turns out to be a freelance writer/editor, or working for a major publishing firm, or anything involved in the writing game, then refer to him in that guise and not as Uncle Joe – it carries more weight.
• Justify the alignment of your manuscript. Too many times I see that jagged right edge in PDF files, and it drives me crazy. This is a quick fix in Word documents with just one click of the mouse. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Here’s a sample of work not justified. Check out the right margin…

A severe headache woke me from my dreams. I dabbed at my tongue with my fingers, thinking I tasted copper. Maybe it was just the wine we’d had with supper—but wait— Lorraine and I had not shared a bottle of wine in years. I sat up in bed and for several seconds I did not know where I was. I did not recognize the aging beautiful woman sleeping soundly beside me. She was nuzzled into my arm like she knew me. I pulled myself from her grasp, threw back the sheets, and put my feet on the floor. My sudden movement woke her.

Now here’s the same text, but with a justified right edge…

A severe headache woke me from my dreams. I dabbed at my tongue with my fingers, thinking I tasted copper. Maybe it was just the wine we’d had with supper—but wait— Lorraine and I had not shared a bottle of wine in years. I sat up in bed and for several seconds I did not know where I was. I did not recognize the aging beautiful woman sleeping soundly beside me. She was nuzzled into my arm like she knew me. I pulled myself from her grasp, threw back the sheets, and put my feet on the floor. My sudden movement woke her.

• Invest in a decent book cover, whether that be time or money…or both. Pulling up a “kewl” photo of yourself or a friend in Paint and typing red letters across the face is not enough. Also, too many times I’ve seen plain book covers that are just solid colors with words centered across them – BORING! If you have a computer and you are using Lulu to publish your book, then you also have unlimited access to art, photography, and online programs, a lot of which are free, right at your fingertips on the internet. Lulu does offer cover art and will generate your title and name on the cover for you, but if you are investing in a global package chances are some other book on the market has the same cover art as you. If you aren’t creative or don’t have artistic friends who can help, check the Lulu forums. There are lots of people out there who can help, myself included. I’ve designed over a dozen affordable covers for authors this year.
• Make the most of your Lulu storefront.  It’s not just a place to list your available work.  This is a free webpage where you get to promote yourself and your work, so use it to do that.  This is the area where you can put anything that you had to leave out of the description section of the book page due to length limitations.  If there is something that you feel you want to share with the book buying public such as the acknowledgments we recommend leaving out of the preview, this is the place for it.  If you have a blog, use the RSS block to add your feed.  Use the text and html blocks to add additional information.  Use it to advertise your author website or book website should you have those.  The sky is really the limit – take full advantage!

While attention to the above 10 common boo boos does not guarantee an increase in sales, and still won’t guarantee a review, it will definitely increase your potential for sales and ultimately provide you with a better product to offer. It also strengthens your validity as a serious author.

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