Services
Cara offers a variety of services catering especially to indie authors and aspiring indie authors.
As a self-published author of seven novels, as of Sept 2024 her books have 330+ ratings on Goodreads with a 4.52 star average. She has been writing since grade school and studied creative writing at university. She designs her own book covers and formats all of her own books, including special editions. She feels confident in being able to offer you good value in the services listed below!
Paid Beta Reading
Having a beta reader or two look over your manuscript is a key step in the process of writing a book. So, what is a beta reader? This is someone who will read your finished draft and give you feedback on the plot, pacing, characters, etc., which will help you decide on revisions for your next draft.
Oftentimes beta readers are friends and family who volunteer, which can work out well! However, it can also be incredibly helpful to have an unbiased stranger take a look at your work and give you thorough feedback in a timely manner... which doesn't always happen with volunteers from your inner circle. This is where paid beta reading comes in!
Cara has beta read for many fellow authors and makes sure to give positive feedback along with any critique to help your story along, so you know what is working and what might not be. She is open to most genres of fiction, with the exception of horror. Non-fiction will be considered on a case by case basis.
Formatting
This is an important element of self publishing that many new indie authors aren't familiar with. Do you need your book formatted as an ebook and/or for print, but you don't want to buy the expensive software or spend hours of time figuring out how to do it manually? This is one potential solution! Cara can use Atticus (formatting software) to format your manuscript for both ebook and print. She will work with you to ensure your book is cleanly formatted and matches the style or tone of your story and author aesthetic.
Self Publishing Consultation
Are you completely overwhelmed by the entire process of self publishing? If so, you're not alone! ISBNs, types of editing, formatting, wide distribution, alpha readers, beta readers, ARC readers... You can certainly research and glean this information for free all across the internet, but if you want a personalized, one-on-one, step-by-step cohesive walk through, Cara offers this consultation as an option. This is especially helpful because often times you don't know what you don't know, which makes it more difficult to do your own research!
This package includes two, one-hour Zoom sessions with Cara, to be scheduled within three months of each other. This allows you to learn all of the basics in the first session before you start your publishing process, and then another session down the line to answer any additional questions that have cropped up or problems you have run into and need help finding a solution for. You will also receive a 30 page guide covering all of the basics for your reference.
Rates
(Take advantage of the low introductory pricing!)
Paid Beta Reading:
Cara will beta read a 5000 word sample for free to ensure it is a good fit for both parties. If you decide to move forward with the service, the rate is:
$3 per 1000 words $2 per 1000 words
Formatting:
$40 to $200 $25 to $150 depending on various factors; fill out this form to receive a quote.
Self Publishing Consultation:
$100 $75
Testimonials
If you are even considering Cara as a Beta Reader? Just do it. You will not be disappointed. For my first novel I knew I wanted as many eyes as possible on it before taking the next steps, and the better the drafts are the less I will be spending on editorial. So I hired three Beta Readers and critique swapped with two more authors. Cara's feedback really stood out among everyone else. While she did give me some good advice on the mechanics of writing, she also answered the really important questions for me.
Reading her commentary in order was like watching a reader discover your story in real-time. Exactly the experience I wanted. Especially important for a new author.
"Did you like my imaginary friends?" "Did you enjoy the story?"
If all great fiction is just a dramatic retelling of troubled times, it only works if you really care about what happens to the characters and enjoy finding out how these troubles resolve. Cara answered that for me and led me to some great ideas to make the story even better.
"Sir, I am letting you know now that if _________ dies, I will be SO MAD" Might be the greatest compliment I have ever been paid on my writing.
Thank you Cara, for making the terrifying experience of turning your work over to a complete stranger such a positive opportunity for growth and validation.
If anyone has more questions, feel free to contact me over any SM and I will be happy to gush about Cara's work, over DM, Google Meet, Teams, smoke signals, or carrier pigeon.
-DO Scissom