Today’s stop on my blog is SPOTLIGHT Author Karen Black! She will be highlighting her new story. Welcome to the Adventure, Karen. Take it away!

If someone asked me for advice about self-publishing, I would say, “slow down.”

It is exciting to have a story finished and ready to present to the literary world, but when you’re finally ready to publish that book, unless you have been able to afford a professional editor, don’t do it. Before you publish, proofread your work one more time and pay particular attention to those ‘sound-alike’ words that spell check doesn’t fix: its, it’s, there, their, where wear, confident, confidant, here, hear, and the list goes on. You’ll almost invariably find a few needed tweaks.

I’ve found it helpful to set a finished piece aside for a week, or more, and then go back to re-read it before final publication. Since I am the worst at proofreading my work, I understand errors in grammar, punctuation, missing words, etc. Even with help, it’s easy for mistakes to slip through, but for some readers, those minor mishaps can ruin your story for them. The distance between the finished product and the final proofing can make a difference in the quality of the published work.

AUTHOR BIO:

Karen Black lives in the eastern United States, with her husband and a variety of critters, wild and domestic. Hobbies include herb gardening, wildlife watching and wine making, though all are put on hold when she’s caught up in a story. With a lifelong affection for animals, a fascination with the supernatural and a background in criminal justice, the author draws on experience, as well as imagination to create stories that are believable, unique and entertaining. Expect the unexpected.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Twitter:  @KarensStories – https://twitter.com/KarensStories

Facebook:  Stories by Karen – https://www.facebook.com/StoriesbyKaren/

Website:  Stories by Karen – https://storiesbykaren.org/

To follow along with the rest of her tour, please visit the “SPOTLIGHT” Author forum on the RRBC site!

If you’re an author and interested in receiving this kind of support for you and your work, please join us at RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB! We look forward to adding your name to our roster and your books to our catalog!

That’s excellent advice, Karen. I must reread each story half a dozen times before my editor gets her hands on it, and another four or more times afterward. Readers may or may not judge you by your grammar, but each of us must do our best to present a quality story so as not to enable the “haters” out there. All the best!