Welcome, and happy Friday! The long awaited moment has come — it’s time to reveal the winner of my 2014 Holiday Giveaway. First, let’s do a quick refresh of what that particular giveaway was, shall we? 😉

One lucky person is walking away with the following:

• A comprehensive, top-to-bottom, full manuscript edit (structural & line edits)
• A polished, publish-ready eBook cover design (generously donated by Ashley Ruggirello of Cardboard Monet)
• Assistance creating the all-important book blurb
• A final proofread of the type-set, ready-for-print galley (typesetting/formatting itself is not included though)

And, because that’s not enough, I have a last minute, and exceedingly generous, donation to add to that list from REUTS Publications Marketing Director and author of the upcoming debut Link, (Book 1 in The Shadow of Light Trilogy) Summer Wier. That lucky winner will now also receive marketing assistance — including a marketing plan, a book trailer, and teasers. Everything a self-published author needs to help their release day make a splash. Are you floored by the generosity yet? That’s essentially everything you could ever need (except for layout), FOR FREE. Someone’s day is about to get a whole lot better, I think.

So . . . who is this lucky soul everyone is going to hate? Well, ladies and gentlemen, after much consideration (remember, I was looking for the person I felt would most benefit from a package like this, not necessarily the most polished — and let me tell you, you all had some amazing entries, making my job a billion times harder), the winner of my 2014 Holiday Giveaway is:

The Grave Clothes Laundress by Talynn Lynn

 
Let’s all give her a round of applause! Come on, I know you can do it. 😉

BUT, because you all impressed me so much, there’s more! If you ran away in disappointment, you’re likely to regret that choice in a minute, because I’ve decided to give six — yes SIX — people surprise runner-up prizes. It’s not as spectacular as the grand prize, perhaps, but hopefully will provide some value. I’m offering these winners a free Reader Report, which is an analysis of the full story from the point of view of an acquisitions/developmental editor. It doesn’t provide line edits, but I can tell you areas that could possibly improve your work and potentially land that elusive book contract. (And, for those that like to know the dollar amounts, it usually costs $200-500.) That’s not too shabby, right?

The lucky winners of these prizes are:
 

The Portal by Emily Pichardo

Embers by Kiran Oliver

Identity Crisis by Susan Nystoriak

Hello World by Tiffany Rose and Alex Tauber

Beyond the Wild by Kelsey Simon

Between Realities by Crystal Christie

 
And there you have it. I wish I could have given all the entries a prize, but my schedule just wouldn’t allow it. I truly enjoyed reading all of them though, and urge you to continue your paths to publication. You are all talented writers, and you’ll find success. It’s only a matter of time. (In fact, for those of you who also submitted to a certain small press I represent, you may be hearing good news of a different variety in the very near future.) Thank you all for your support of the giveaway! It was a monstrous success, which means I’ll likely do it again at some point. But for now, I’m off to another weekend in the editing cave. If I listed your name, expect to hear from me this next week with more information on your prize.

Until next time! 🙂