Indigo: editing, design, and more

02/05/2025

Winter weather? Stuck indoors avoiding the whipping wind and blistering frost? What a perfect excuse for a good read! Browsers Books in Olympia, WA has you covered with plenty of treasures for a warm-up.

Can't make it out into the "winter wonderland?" Feast your eyes on more here: https://buff.ly/3CyvRnV

Follow Browsers here:

[PD: A photo post from Browsers Books inside the bookshop. Two stacks of books is laid on a wooden table, spines facing out.]

02/04/2025

💗 We love a diverse bunch of to warm up the winter months! 💗 Check out what's popping at our sister business BOLD Coffee & Books (1755 SW Jefferson St., Portland) this February:

Follow BOLD for more events...📖 ..and check out more listing info via the site too! https://buff.ly/4gWRahu

💞 BOLD February Events 💞
Every Wednesday, 5:30–7:00 p.m. Sit Down, Shut Up, and Write
Every Friday, 12:00–4:00 p.m. Rose City Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Weekly Write-In
Every Saturday, 10:00-10:30 a.m. Children’s Storytime
Tues., Feb. 4, 5:30–7:00 p.m. BOLD Spoken Word Open Mic
Fri., Feb. 7, 7:00–8:30 p.m. Author Reading: Elizabeth Mehren and Contributors
Sat., Feb. 8, 7:00–8:30 p.m. Author Reading: Kc Gloer, Nothing but Love & Lace
Tues., Feb. 11, 5:30–7:00 p.m. Silent Reading Party
Fri., Feb. 14, Mini Sledgehammer 36-Minute Writing Contest
Sat., Feb. 15, 7:00–8:30 p.m. Author Reading: Judge Kemp, Live. Love. Leo.
Tues., Feb. 18, 5:30–7:00 p.m. Book Publishing Q&A*
Fri., Feb. 21, 7:00–8:30 p.m. Author Reading: Jo Ann Fawcett, The Prince Was Wrong: Leaving the Narcissist Behind
Sat., Feb. 22, 7:00–8:30 p.m. Audiobook Launch: Meg Weber in Conversation with Tyler Haulenbeek, A Year of Mr. Lucky
Sun., Feb. 23, 4:00–7:00 p.m. Crime, Cops, and Convicts: Criminal Justice for Authors^
Tues., Feb. 25, 5:30–7:00 p.m. Writers Happy Hour
Fri., Feb. 28, 7:00–8:00 p.m. Author Reading: Jamison Green, A History of Transgender Medicine in the United States

[^ Ticketed event]

[PD: 5 slides detailing the events listed above. 1. A February 2025 calendar with icons over event dates. Slides 2-5 show the above listed events in chronological order.]

02/03/2025

Congratulations to all the 2025 finalists for the Oregon Book Awards! 🎉 The winners of each category will be announced live at the 2025 Oregon Book Awards Ceremony, hosted by Omar El Akkad, at Portland Center Stage at The Armory on Monday, April 28, 2025.

Learn more about the finalists, announcement, and ceremony via Literary Arts here: https://buff.ly/3EdLEZQ

Literary Arts is thrilled to announce the finalists for the 2025 Oregon Book Awards. The winners of each category will be announced live at the 2025 Oregon Book Awards Ceremony,

01/31/2025

Classic literature spoiler alert! Hmm....I'm picking up on a pattern here. 🤣 Credit/John Atkinson, Wrong Hands

[PD: A three panel comic titled "Dickens Spoilers." Panel descriptions from left to right. 1. "Oliver Twist"; an illustration of a ruffian boy in a cap with a bowl. "Poor kid becomes rich kid. 2. "Great Expectations;" an illustration of a scraggly boy in a cap and vest. "Poor kid becomes rich kid." 3. "David Copperfield;" a mopheaded child in a cap. "Poor kid becomes rich kid."]

01/30/2025

"Every family has a story, lots of stories, in fact—some legends, some simple tales of the lives of ordinary people. Narrative history is a genre that allows us to write creatively about experiences and historical events by focusing on people who share our DNA and who were part of that history. Storytelling is one way we carry history and culture from one generation to the next. As a writer and storyteller, you have an opportunity to give meaning to your own past and discover your family history.

First, tap a skill set other than artist—be researcher and detective. Play Sherlock and find the elements of the story, the facts.

Search and Research:

-Library collections, paper and digital: local, state, university, Library of Congress
-Historical research by other writers
-Historical centers and museums: state, county, city..."

Writer Camille Cole examines the role of lineage and archives in her guest post "Family History as Story" from the Indigo blog archives.

Read the full piece here: https://buff.ly/4h4Mbf3

[PD: A gradient graphic showcases the aforementioned blog post. A snapshot of a family from the 19th century is center. A headshot of the author appears in the bottom lefthand corner next to her byline.]

01/29/2025

Indigo Recommends: Q&A: Tax Tips for Authors 2025 from the Author's Guild Foundation / TODAY (Wed. Jan. 29), 2 p.m. EST; 11 a.m. PST on Zoom / Repost

"Tax season is here, so it’s time for our annual Q&A webinar on filing taxes for authors! We’ll discuss expenses and other deductions, strategies to lower your tax bill, and tips for optimizing your tax liability for the future."

Learn more about the event here: https://buff.ly/4jvZlmR

Register here: https://buff.ly/40Sal70

[PD: A promo graphic for the event and info above with headshots of the presenters (Erin Lowry, moderator on lower left; Robert M Pesce, upper right).]

01/28/2025

New Indigo Client Release: "Closer to Fine" by Carly Sasha Cohen from Raglan Books; published December 2, 2024

"Meet the Heartbrakers: Ollie is sick of being the girl drummer in a Metallica cover band.Alexis is hiding the truth about her summer fling from her best friend.Brooke wants Tyler Lopez, and everyone knows it.

Together, these three girls navigate friendship, heartbreak, and music in the '90s.

When new girl Ollie moves to Opal, Washington, Brooke is devastated to find out that Ollie's in a band with her crush, Tyler. Alexis tries to comfort Brooke, but she's mending her own broken heart and afraid to tell Brooke about it. What would Brooke think..."

Learn more about "Closer to Fine" and purchase it via Bookshop here: https://buff.ly/3CcZX08

[PD: The cover of "Closer to Fine" next to text "New Client Release" and the Indigo Editing logo.]

01/27/2025

Award opportunity: Poetry Northwest's James Welch Prize for Indigenous Poets. Submissions are open through February 15. Repost /

"The James Welch Prize — an annual award for two outstanding poems written by Indigenous poets — is now open for FEE-FREE contest submissions, 12/15-2/15 🌨️

Two first-place finalists will be published in Poetry Northwest, each winning a $1,000 prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to read with the judge."

Learn more about applying here: https://buff.ly/3E6lEPM

Poetry Northwest’s James Welch Prize is awarded for two outstanding poems, each written by an Indigenous U.S. poet. The prize is named for Blackfeet and

01/24/2025

The writerly location dilemma! What scenery is the best for your process? Credit/W.M. Phail

[PD: A two-panel black and white comic. Panel descriptions from left to right. 1. Text: "If you want to be a writer, you have to move out of that small town in the middle of nowhere." A bleary-eyed figure furrows their brow while staring at a laptop, hands on the keyboard. 2. Text: "We should go on a writer's retreat to some small town in the middle of nowhere!" A group of folks on their laptops sit on a couch and armchair chatting and looking wide-eyed, dazed, and joyful.]

01/23/2025

"An Irish Volunteer" by Juliet Cardinal first published in 2015 forms its foundation from true stories of Ireland's history. Ireland's push for freedom in 1916 and long-hewn divisions come to the fore.

"An Irish Volunteer is based on the true stories of Joe Plunkett and Grace Gifford. Joe is an eccentric, mystical poet and the Catholic son of a count. He joins a secret rebel organization of writers, professors, philosophers, and activists in a revolution against the British Empire. Theirs is a desperate bid for Ireland's freedom in 1916, as World War I rages in Europe. After hundreds of years of oppression, starvation, and abuse at the hands of the English, this unlikely group of rebels hopes to create an independent Irish Republic...."

Learn more and purchase the book via Bookshop here: https://buff.ly/3Wrygat

[PD: An indigo graphic with large white quills on either side. In the center is cover of the aforementioned title.]

01/22/2025

The spread over at Powell's Books in our hometown of Portland looks enticing this week! Anything you're looking to add to the ?

Check out more from Powell's here: https://powells.com/

[PD: A photo post from Powell's Books showing a spread of books atop a wooden table with more bookshelves in the background.]

01/21/2025

TONIGHT, 1/21: Join Indigo Executive Editor Ali Shaw for a free, in-person Book Publishing Q&A at BOLD Coffee & Books (1755 SW Jefferson St., Portland) at 5:30 p.m. Bring your questions about your in-progress and/or dream projects!

The event runs until 7:00 p.m. and is a great opportunity to get some feedback on your publishing queries.

Free and open to the public! Looking forward to seeing you there! 🤓

Event cohosted by BOLD Coffee & Books and Indigo: Editing, Design, and More.

Find more info via BOLD's site here: https://buff.ly/42fLvPy
events
[PD: A promo graphic for the event and info listed above with a headshot of Ali Shaw in the middle along with Indigo and BOLD's logo.]

01/20/2025

Fantastic grant opportunity for early-career translators from Words Without Borders. Applications are open through February 28. Repost /

"Submissions to the annual Momentum Grant, judged by Julia Sanches, are due at the end of February.

The grant is intended to facilitate the completion of a sample of a book-length work of prose translation suitable for submission to English-language publishers."

Learn more and apply here: https://buff.ly/3WlAJDy

[PD: A promo graphic for the Momentum Grant with the info detailed above.]

01/17/2025

Which narrator of your personal writing projects is popping up this week? Credit: Grant Snider

[PD: A six-panel comic titled "Types of Narrators." Panel descriptions from top left to bottom right. 1. "First Person," a long gray-haired figure shown in each subsequent panel is seated at a desk while writing with a lamp and a houseplant to the right and a wastebasket to the left. The person is comfortably seated and says "I am writing a novel." 2. "Unreliable," the background has gone orange. The person is seated with their head in hands with the wastebasket full and plant wilting. They say, "It is going extremely well." 3. "Second Person," the wastebasket is cleared and a garbage bag next to it. The plant has a watering can next to it. The figure raises their pen to the sky and says, "You must keep writing!" 4. "Limited," the person is on the floor near the tipped-over plant and says, "I don't think I can do this. 5. "Third Person," the figure is leaning up from the floor with the wastebasket on their head saying, "Suddenly, she was struck by inspiration!" 6. "Omniscient," the person is standing on the desk saying, "I am a god of literature!."]

01/16/2025

Coming up next week on 1/21 at BOLD Coffee & Books: Book Publishing Q&A with Ali Shaw

Join Ali Shaw—co-owner of BOLD Coffee & Books and owner of Indigo: Editing, Design, and More—for an in-person Q&A about the publishing process, the business of writing, and the book world in general. If you have questions about how to start your publishing journey, bring them! If you’ve always wondered about something more obscure, like how to tell if an antique book is a first edition or what librarians do at trade shows, bring those too!

Free and open to the public.

Learn more here:https://buff.ly/42fLvPy

Follow BOLD for more fun literary events:

[PD: A promo graphic for the event and info listed above with Ali's headshot in the lefthand middle section in addition to the Indigo and BOLD logo.]

01/15/2025

Indigo Recommends: Writing with Confidence: Step into Your Identity as a Writer with Haley Jackobson, Sat. Feb. 1, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.PST / Repost /

"In this affirmation-based workshop we’ll chip away at the reasons why you might be struggling to truly own your identity as a writer. [...] In this seminar we’ll do writing prompts together, learn to channel curiosity over criticism, and remind ourselves of the salve that is creative community.⁠"
⁠
Scholarship available! Learn more here: https://buff.ly/4hgIUJa

[PD: A promo graphic for the event and info above with a headshot of the instructor, Haley Jackobson, on the righthand side.]

01/14/2025

Interested in creating ebook versions of your work? For authors and publishing companies who want to cater to ebook readers, Indigo specialists can handle digital conversions to all available ebook formats.

We work with your edited, proofread, designed file to convert it to e-reader formats and quality check them so you can be sure digital readers have the same great reading experience as your physical book readers.

Learn more about ebook conversion here: https://buff.ly/4aiiVPa

[PD: A graphic/"Recommended Service/Ebook Conversion." A small graphic of an e-reader below and a person viewing an e-reader device on right.]

01/13/2025

Congrats to the winners of the I Love My Librarian Awards! 💫 Repost and excerpt /

✨ Celebrating excellence in librarianship! ✨ Librarians are the backbone of their communities: empowering education, fostering connections, and making a difference every day. This year, we’re proud to honor ten incredible individuals who have gone above and beyond to inspire, innovate, and lead.

📚 Congratulations to the 2025 Honorees! Your dedication transforms lives and builds brighter futures. 💛

Check out (get it? 😆) more about the ALA programs here: https://www.ala.org/

[PD: A promo graphic for the I Love My Librarian Awards with the ten winners pictured.]