What Makes Us Different at Two Birds, and How that Benefits Our Authors
When it comes to self-publishing your book, many authors—especially those who are new to the exciting process—have a lot of questions. How do you manage your self-publishing budget? Who should you hire to help you? What kinds of author services do you actually need for your book?
And while every situation is unique, there are a few things that all indie books have in common that can help you figure out the best approach to polishing your manuscript and getting your book up for sale. Here at Two Birds Author Services, we like to look at these in terms of values we hold—promises you can count on us to provide when you work with us.
Values Your Editors Should Deliver
We’re not mincing words here. There are certain things every author should be able to count on when they’re working with an editor…or for that matter, a designer or a publicist too. We’d want to be treated this way as clients, which is why we treat our authors this way.
1. Expert Guidance
While it’s true that your friend who is an English teacher can help you figure out where to put your commas, a lot more goes into fiction editing than that. So, in addition to calling on friends and family to read your book, you’ll find it helpful to work with professional fiction editors who know the ins and outs of issues that are important for creating a top-notch book:
- How your copyright language should read
- How to handle it if you quote another author’s work in your book
- What to do (and not do) if you want to quote song lyrics (that gets tricky!)
- How to approach revisions when storytelling elements like point of view, setting, handling backstory, etc., need improvement
- How to make sentences smooth and easy to read, while also keeping true to your storytelling style
- And lots more!
At Two Birds Author Services, we provide guidance and insights that help you solve all these issues and more, so you can publish the very best version of your book—which helps it sell.
2. Fast Communications
Isn’t it frustrating when you reach out to someone for work, and they never get back to you? Isn’t it even worse when they accept a down payment—and then never get back to you?
We hate that. In fact, we think that kind of behavior is flat-out wrong, and we refuse to treat our clients that way. When you reach out to us, we will get back to you in 1-2 business days. But honestly, it’s usually faster than that. It’s usually the same day. And sometimes, it’s the same hour.
There’s no point in making anyone wait, especially when answering helps solve problems. We believe you have a right to swift, practical communication from your editing team. So when you have questions during the process—and you will—we’re here to give you the answers you deserve, as soon as we can.
3. Education and Helpful Information
If you have questions about the process of writing, editing, or publishing, you’re not alone. Whether you’re a total newbie working on your very first book, or an old pro with several published books under your belt, the reality is that questions come up for everyone.
There’s always something you’re tackling for the first time that you could use a friendly opinion on. And that’s why we’re here! You will never offend us or inconvenience us by asking questions or seeing if you can brainstorm with us. It’s the opposite—we like doing that for and with you.
Why? Well, it’s simple. We believe firmly that it benefits authors (and us!) to understand, learn more and grow in your writing, editing and publishing skills. So, feel free to let us know what you need to learn about. If we don’t know, we’ll find out for you!
4. Creative Solutions
Beyond the usual questions—like, how do I get my indie book on Amazon?—sometimes you’ll find yourself in a unique situation that demands a unique solution. You should look for editors that don’t mind getting their hands dirty to figure out how to help you figure things out.
At Two Birds Author Services, you can count on us to deliver more than the bare bones of editing and proofing. If we see that you need something, we’ll point it out and make suggestions. If you ask us to do something specific that’s within our wheelhouse, we’ll do it.
So, if you’re trying to figure out how to turn a book with three viewpoint characters into a book with just one viewpoint, or you have a manuscript that’s 300K words that you know is too long to publish as one book, or anything else that’s “out of the norm”, rest assured you can ask us to help you get creative to make your book its best.
5. Budget-Friendly Services
Being an indie author can be a great opportunity, but it has its challenges to address too. Just like any other business, the process of making money from your publishing requires you to maximize your budget. You want to put the right amounts in the right places, and you don’t want to overspend.
We get that—and we embrace it. You can count on us to provide:
- Different options so you can find the best fit for your needs
- Suggestions to maximize all your resources (such as alpha and beta readers)
- Referrals to outside services (such as designers) that we find to be affordable and reliable
- Package pricing options if you book more than one service at the same time
Editors You Can Trust to Bring Your Book into the World
Your book deserves its best chance to shine for readers, and you deserve to have editorial partners who take the pressure off you and make your life easier, not harder. At Two Birds Author Services, our aim is to make your experience a delightful way to ensure your books are as good as they can be.
Let us know if we can answer any questions about our services, and feel free to browse our Author Spotlight segments, where our clients talk about their books (including what it was like to work with us).
