Resources
Here some of the resources I find valuable as a writer and reader. Many are resources I’ve used personally, but I don’t warrant any of the services offered.
For Writers
Get the book written
Write Away – One Novelist’s Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life, by Elizabeth George. New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George shares her approach to plotting and pre-writing a novel. I found the book an interesting read and her approach useful in writing my work in progress. By doing (most of) the up front work she suggests, my writing was richer and more on point from the beginning.
17 Proofreading Techniques for Business Communication, by Mary Cullen. Proofreading is crucial to delivering a professional finished written work. While Cullen’s techniques are directed to business writers, I found them to be equally useful to creative writers. My take as both an editor and a writer? You can and you must proofread your own work. But you can’t and you shouldn’t be the only one to proofread your writing. New eyes – professional proofreading eyes – give you the best chance of producing a letter-perfect work.
Get the book produced
Self Publishing dot Com – If you’re taking your first steps into indie publishing, you won’t find a better resource than selfpublishing.com. These folks take an easy-to-understand, step-by-step approach to book publishing. They’re true believers that you don’t need to pay someone else a lot of money to publish your book. From getting ISBN numbers and barcodes to layout and cover design to marketing. They freely share everything you need to know. If you do need help with any step (as I did with layout on one of my books), they provide those services in a timely manner, at a reasonable cost. They get a ‘highly recommend’ from me.
Historical Fiction Book Covers – Jenny Q is a talented historical fiction book cover designer. She’s done fabulous work for many authors, including me. I credit the terrific design she created for my debut novel Go Away Home as one reason the book attracted the attention of, and was eventually acquired by, Lake Union Publishing. I highly recommend Jenny Q. She’s also an excellent editor. P.S. When Lake Union acquired Go Away Home, they re-designed the cover, so the one you see now is not Jenny’s design. She also designed the cover of my contemporary novel Simple Truth proving she is not restricted to historical novel cover design.
Canva – An online design tool that allows people to create their own designs – from social media banners to stationery to book clovers and much more – using ready-made, customizable templates. I’m not a designer, but I found this service easy to use when I needed a social media banner. Many Canva services are free. You can pay to upgrade for more services.
99 Designs – A resource for quality, reasonably-priced book cover designs. I’ve not used this resource myself, but an author/reader used this for her book and was well satisfied with the product.
Money-Saving Guide for Authors and Writers – This site offers a list of resources from writing to publishing that are free or low cost.
Get the word out
Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour – Virtual book tours are a great way to get the buzz going without the time and expense of a physical tour. Amy Bruno at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour is an expert. I used her services to launch Go Away Home and can’t speak highly enough of her professionalism and the quality of her blog contacts.
Best Book Review Blogs of 2019 – Reedsy, a resource for book publishing services, maintains a database of book review blogs. I’ll be keeping this site close at hand as I move toward launching my next book.
Independent Author Network – If you’re an independently published author, you’ll find valuable resources and a ton of support at the Independent Author Network.
Ask David — is a site that posts books and reviews by readers. The service is free for authors. Here’s a link to the Ask David free book promotion page.
For Readers
Find your favorite indie authors and discover new authors at the The Independent Author Network. Here’s the link to my IAN page and here’s the link to the Independent Author Network homepage.
Ask David lets readers leave their comments about books they read. And if you like a book, a review is a great help to the author. Feel free to add your review of Growing Up Country – Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl, Go Away Home and Simple Truth on AskDavid.com
Do you or someone you know have low vision?
Talking Books – Growing Up Country: Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl is available as a Talking Book through the Iowa Department for the Blind Library. Contact the Iowa Department for the Blind or call 515-281-1333 if you or someone you know has low vision.
Growing Up Country: Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl is also available as an audio book via Audible on Amazon.