IT'S WEBSITE DAY!

The new www.murdockediting.com website is LIVE! Let the celebration and games begin!

WEBSITE DAY Prizes: (1) A free full manuscript evaluation valued up to $1,200 (closed to past or current clients) or (2) A brand new Kindle (open to everyone!)

How to enter! (Updated hourly from 3pm to midnight EST)


(5) The fifth way to win! If you could have written any book that's already been published by another author, what book would it be? My latest is Maine, by J. Courtney Sullivan - I swear a member of my family must have written this book - now I just have to figure out who!

Maine

Sullivan, J. Courtney

(4) Tell me in the comments, by e-mail, on Facebook, or by Twitter: How many rejection letters have you received from literary agents?


(3) I've buried 3 errors in the website. Find them! For each error you find and report here or to editor@murdockediting.com, you get an entry into the Kindle raffle!

(2) Never worked with me before and want to win that free Manuscript Evaluation? Send me your query letter before midnight EST to enter!

(1) Share this post on your Facebook News Feed or Twitter and e-mail me the link!

editor@murdockediting.com

New Website Launch Party This Friday!

At long last, the new Murdock Editing website is set to go live this Friday!

The new website will include:

• Up-to-date information on Murdock Editing services
• New bio information for yours truly (including a REAL LIVE PHOTO!)
• A Frequently Asked Questions page for easy reference
• A pricing page offering estimated costs
• Brand new testimonials from my lovely authors

To celebrate, I'll be running contests with prizes including free books, a Kindle, and a COMPLETELY FREE MANUSCRIPT EVALUATION for one lucky writer (valued at up to $1,200). Make sure to stop by and follow me on Twitter (@murdockediting) and Facebook. 

Happy as can be...

Another rainy work day here in Boston, but another review from one of my clients that has me beaming.

Lindsay,

I have been eagerly pouring over the edited manuscript and report.  Thank you! Your services are worth every penny. 

I have  laughed at myself a lot as I discover the overused verbs and watch phrases you pointed out. I do have my favorites. Thanks to your keen eye and word find, I have begun to retrain myself to avoid those traps.

I am excited to work on your suggestions of additional scenes and sub plots. I, of course, have read the manuscript dozens of times and was never able to see these golden opportunities to strengthen and deepen the story. I am brainstorming and working on these ideas, anxious to see the desired tension building results culminating through the story. The story will be infinitely stronger from your edit.

My lists of thanks is endless. But one last gratitude I have to offer is for your straightforward advice. As I have been reworking different chapters I cannot reist the urge to compare. When I do I find a much smoother and more professional read, something I was unable to achieve before your edit. At the risk of using an overused word, THANK YOU!

Thank you (again),

Jodie

THIS is why I do what I do.

This image pretty much represents how I felt reading the recommendation letter below from one of my dear clients, Chad (whose book, I'm quite sure, will be huge success).

"Making the decision to hire Lindsay was by far the best decision I've made in my writing career. I had spent almost five months editing my first draft on my own, utilizing feedback from friends and family, and thought I had it as close to perfect as I could make it. It makes me laugh just saying that now.

With Lindsay's help and guidance I've woven in sub-plots and additional scenes that have completely transformed my book. I didn't even realize how weak the overall storyline was before. There was no central conflict that was being advanced from chapter to chapter, and very little build up of tension toward the ending. She pointed out several inconsistencies that I had missed where things were either confusing or outright contradicted something that had happened earlier in the book as well.

Lindsay also helped me overcome technical flaws in my writing, such as the overuse of adverbs, repetitive sentence structure, grammatical / formatting issues, etc. and forced me to confront things that I knew were shortcomings going in (the beginning was too rushed, things were far too easy for the main character).

She offers candid, constructive advice with improvement suggestions that go far beyond just marking up a manuscript and is a meticulous fact checker. She will challenge you to make your own writing better, and sometimes that can be frustrating, but if you're open to her suggestions and push yourself the end result will blow you away. She is quick to offer words of encouragement and point out things you are doing well, and unlike a lot of freelance editors, she will continue to work with you long after she has sent across her evaluation.

I truly view her as a partner in the development of my novel and will work with her on all of my future projects, even after I'm published. When I go back and re-read passages now sometimes I have a hard time even believing I actually wrote it. I now have a commercially viable novel and a very strong chance of being published, none of which would have been possible without her.”

Follow the Rules!

Fab agent Jessica from Bookends Agency writes about an author refusing to follow the rules - and losing a valuable contact.

"...after explaining that LinkedIn is a professional networking site and not Facebook and that I use it to solely seek to benefit from others the author said, "While I realize you cannot instill decency into people, it disturbs me to have Marquette's name to continue to be represented in such a poor manner." 

And there you have it. I am nothing but a money-grubbing, self-absorbed, indecent human misusing my alma mater. Dang, I'm a jerk." 

Great agents and editors want to find great talent, but refusing to use their guidelines is cutting of your nose to spite your face. 


Edit: Also, head over to Bookends' blog and take notes on their Workshop Wednesday - a wonderful tool for those of you who are querying!

Good News in the Publishing Industry

A glimmer of hope from the New York Times:


"The publishing industry has expanded in the past three years as Americans increasingly turned to e-books and juvenile and adult fiction, according to a new survey of thousands of publishers, retailers and distributors that challenges the doom and gloom that tends to dominate discussions of the industry’s health."


Read the full article here: Publishing Gives Hints of Revival, Data Show

A blast of a summer

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful summer! I know there are a few weeks left in August, but the last of the summer manuscript evaluation slots are spoken for, so we're on to the Autumn schedule!

Available slots for Fall:

September 15: one slot still available.

October 15: two slots still available.

November 15: four slots still available.



Other news from Murdock Editing!

I'm updating the website! Poor www.murdockediting.com's current design and info is four years old, which I believe is approximately 165 in internet years.

The fiverr charity drive continues! We've raised enough to buy 125 books to put a stack of books on every desk in a classroom, but we're still aiming for the big prize: $1,000 for 500 books to start home libraries for a neighborhood of low-income families. Check it out here: http://fiverr.com/gigs/read-your-query-letter-and-tell-you-if-id-request-your-manuscript-or-not-and-why and here: http://fiverr.com/gigs/read-your-first-five-pages-and-tell-you-if-id-request-your-manuscript-or-not-and-why.