Guest post by Lucy Chandler

Can’t Afford An Editor?
If you’re thinking of self-publishing your novel, ideally you should hire a professional editor to help you polish your work so that it’s ready to be released into the big wide world. Yet not every budding novelist will have the money to do this, and it would be a terrible shame for some writers to be held back from publishing their work simply because they are too poor to use professional services. However, receiving feedback on your novel is vital, and you really shouldn’t contemplate publishing anything that you alone have read.

A Long Process

For a lot of people who don’t write, or for people who are very new to writing, it’s easy to think that writing a book is just a matter of jotting down the story, finding a literary agent, and then leaning back on your recliner sofa, waiting for the cheques to start rolling in. Anyone who is familiar with the writing process will know the reality is very different. Writing a book requires a huge amount of re-writing and editing. It takes a lot of effort to create a book that reads effortlessly.

If you can’t afford an editor you’re going to need critiques on your work, and lots of them. The more critiques you receive, the greater chance you’ll have of catching all the kinks in your story which need ironing out. Numerous pairs of eyes will also help you spot typos and errors, which can be overlooked by even the most skilled professional.

Where to go
The best places to showcase your work are either a real-life writer’s workshop or an online one. Maybe an online workshop offers more objectivity, as it’s sometimes easier to be fully honest about someone’s work when you don’t have to physically face the person.

Critique Circle is an excellent (free) site to join if you’re serious about improving your writing. The site works on a points system. To post a short story or novel chapter requires 3 points, and to earn points you must critique fellow writers’ pieces. It’s a really valuable process on many levels. Not only will you gain critiques (some critters offer very detailed feedback, which is excellent for spotting typos and errors), it’s also incredibly useful to regularly read and critique writing from others. Knowing what to look out for in their writing helps enormously when you come to editing your own.

Quality Check
Not all critiques you receive will be of equal value to you. Whilst it’s true that there will probably be something useful in every piece of feedback, you may only gain the knowledge that a certain type of person isn’t going to like your book. It’s important to take various factors into account when judging which advice to take and which to discard.
Is the person well read? Do they read much from the genre you’re writing? Are they a close friend or family member? Are they generally interested in the subject matter of your book, or do they normally find it boring?
The answers to these questions will determine the quality of that person’s feedback. For example, if you get a critique from a close friend who has never read a fantasy novel before your one, they will 1) perhaps be unlikely to give you totally objective feedback because they are your friend, and 2) be unfamiliar with fantasy writing, so some of their comments may seem irrelevant or unhelpful.
It’s important to try and be as objective about the feedback as you can. Because you will undoubtedly find that whilst a number of people say they love your writing and can’t fault it, there will be just as many who will say the complete opposite. Try to be open to criticism when it feels valid and true, but also be objective about your stories’ strengths so that you can tell the difference between constructive, unbiased criticism, and personal opinion.
It can be hard to judge. And it’s tempting to try and take all feedback on board, but it’s just impossible. You can’t take on every suggestion offered to you, as much of the feedback you receive will be contradicting. Remember, you can’t please all of the people all of the time. This is why you need to exercise your own discernment, without defensively dismissing valuable input.

Take Your Writing Seriously
All writers who want to be published should take their writing seriously, but if you’re planning to self-publish and can’t afford an editor, you especially need to take the time and effort to make sure you’ve improved your work in every way you can. Although self-published authors are gaining a better profile recently, there is still a stigma attached to it, and part of the problem is that some authors just don’t edit their work properly. Remember that people will be paying money for your novel, so honour their custom by not sending your book to print before you know you’ve done your absolute best with it.

Q&A with author and editor Ashley Kay

Today I'm extending a warm welcome to Editor and Author Ashley Kay who is here to answer my questions...

Have you ever read a book that made you think 'wow'? If so, what book was it and why did it have such an effect on you?I would have to say "Becoming the Sheriff's Wife" by Trish Mauldin or "In The Land of Winter" by Margaret Bechtel. The reasoning is because in both stories the main characters had had such a traumatic experience in their life and they had to learn to over come it, to work through it. The traumatic experiences they had faced just made you go "wow" and then when they finally learned to work through it, to get through it, it was great. I think I found these two stories to be so touching because they have real life aspects in them. Things that truly do happen, experiences that people have had. The two stories, though had romance in them, were very dramatic in ways and really have an impact on the reader. They also show that you can over come obstacles and get through bad situations.

Who is your favorite author and why?
I have been asked this one before, and I truthfully cannot just choose one author to be my favorite. I have read so many great books by different writers.

What is your all-time favorite book cover?
Hmmm...can I choose my own? Hehe. Okay..I have many. I am a big cover person. A few would be: Unearthly, Tiger's Curse, Tempest Rising, and there are just so many more.

If you could have a dinner party with any authors from any time in history, who would you choose and why?
I think I would actually choose to go with Poe, Hemingway and Shakespeare. I think that would be a very interesting dinner and I would probably crack up laughing, a lot, making them think I was crazy.

Who, or what, inspires you?
Many different things inspire me. I was recently inspired by rain. That's right. It was raining, lightly, and I was at my laptop next to the window. All of a sudden I started writing something, that I had no clue what it was. It's actually pretty good, if I do say so myself. I have also been inspired by sunsets, the beach, the woods, many different things.

Where is your favorite place to write?
My favorite places of all, are Dunkin' Donuts and a park. I am very comfortable at my DD, and then writing in the park can just be so peaceful.

What is your book about?
Which one? I have many I am currently working on, then I have one that is out. It has actually turned into more of a prologue, the beginning, of a bigger story that I didn't know was there really. The title is (just for the prologue) "Nightmares" by A.L Kay, published by Vamptasy Publishing. It's about a girl named Kristi who starts having Nightmares of something attacking her. Will it come true? Will she survive? You have to read to find out. :)

What is your favorite film that was based on a book?
Currently...I would have to say I Am Number Four. I really enjoyed it.

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the main characters?
I would have to pick people, actors, that are unknown. New talent for sure and I would have to be the one to make the final decisions on who plays my characters.

Tell us a random fact about yourself.
I am a natural blonde, I am six feet tall and I have 3 cats. I want to have many animals on acres of land one day. I love old historic houses (including haunted ones).

Tell us something interesting about the area where you live.
Interesting about where I live? I live in Jacksonville, FL and there are not many interesting things. We have not had a hurricane hit us for a very long time. They seem to go around us. 

Winter or summer? Winter for sure.
Ebook or paperback? Paperback, but prefer hardback.
Favourite food? Italian and Mexican. Dessert? Fried Ice cream or Chocotacos.
Sporty or couch potato? I am more in the middle.
Cook or be cooked for? Definitely to be cooked for. I cannot cook.
Link to your website, blog or both: The following are my Facebook and Author page on Vamptasy Publishing.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=100001611838980
http://www.vamptasypublishing.co.uk/#/ashley/4553073710

Thanks for taking part in the interview, Ashley!  I'm still in shock that you're a natural blonde!!

Guest Editor Ashley Kay

First I want to thank Suzy for having me as a guest. I have never done a guest blog before, so I am a virgin at this. I am not one for talking about myself really, never have been. So, I will start somewhere simple. My name is Ashley Kay, or A.L. Kay. A.L. Kay is my pen name for any and all stories I write. I am twenty-four years old, a mother of two girls, and a wife for five and a half years. I am also a college student, psychology major. I love my life, though at times I wish things would slow down, as I am sure many of you would like also. I love animals, just thought I would throw that in for you all. Oh, did I mention I am also an awesome unintentional flirt? Thought I would also throw that in there, (my recently new client, Margaret, told me to, hehe).
I began writing at the age of twelve. I wrote my first story, a children’s story. Sadly I had written it on my father’s laptop on an airplane, on our way to Germany. Well, my father’s computer ended up crashing months later, and being twelve years old, I didn’t know to back it up. I had shown it to one person, my English teacher. She told me it was really good, and that I actually might have a knack for writing. I never wrote a story again until I was about nineteen years old. I never finished it. I became ill with permanent writer’s block, hehe. Same thing happened with another story I began. Then, at 23 I started a short story called “Nightmares” that has ended up being published by Vamptasy Publishing. “Nightmares” is about a girl, Kristi, and dreams she begins having. What do they mean? Will they come true? Will she survive? Those are questions even she asks, and more. Though the more questions that are answered, the more new questions arise.
I stared working on the second installment of “Nightmares”, but then I realized something. I recently took the story back, because there seemed to be more to the story than I ever knew. I revised “Nightmares” and it is back up! Though, this is just the beginning of the story. The full length book will be titled “Kamela” when it is finished. For those that have bought, and read “Nightmares”, I am happy that it has gotten great reviews so far and people really seemed to enjoy it. I am hoping they, and others, will like the full story when I am finished with it. “Nightmares is available here http://www.vamptasypublishing.co.uk/#/nightmares/4552851092
Since I was young, my father always edited anything I said and wrote. This rubbed off on me, of course. I began doing that to others; to my friends, and even to strangers. I edited my friend’s papers, and even what they said in an instant message to others. I never was upset about editing my friend’s things, I actually enjoyed it. This added to my passion. I love editing, and working with people. I love getting to know my clients and their stories, aka babies. After working for a publishing company, that I did not care for how they were running their business and treating their authors, I started my own editing business; Ashley’s Freelance Editing http://freelance.mcconnell05.com. I love my clients, new and returning. I never get tired of them needing to ask me questions, or contacting me for whatever reason. My editing company is first in line, after my school and kids. My writing is mostly on the back burner. I only write when I get a chance to, or when I am taking a break from other things.
I want to thank Suzy again for having me. I did not know I could actually write five-hundred words about myself, let alone over that. Thank you all for reading, and being interested in little ole me.

Always a pleasure, Ashley!