Work with Carissa
I’m married to my own personal book boyfriend and we have 2 awesome kids. I've always loved reading, but started seriously reading romance books at the end of 2020. I quickly became addicted and signed up for many as many ARCs as I could find. In 2021 I started my bookstagram to share my addiction with others, but wanted to be more hands on in helping indie authors. My goal now is to help authors succeed in their business by providing necessary back-end support and making their books as polished as possible.
What I do.
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Proofreading
Ensure your romance novel is publication-ready with meticulous proofreading services designed specifically for indie and self-published authors. At Hawthorn and Aster, we catch the small mistakes that can distract readers, ensuring your book is polished and professional. From spelling and grammar to punctuation and formatting, we provide the final touch your manuscript needs before hitting the shelves.
Whether you’re publishing a slow-burn romance, a steamy enemies-to-lovers story, or a captivating fantasy love saga, we understand the importance of presenting a flawless book that leaves readers hooked and ready for more.
Services include:
- Correcting typos, grammar, and punctuation errors.
- Verifying consistency in formatting and style.
- Addressing overlooked errors in dialogue, dates, and details.
- Final review to ensure your book is ready for publication.
- Elevate your novel to professional standards and impress your readers.
- 3-5 Teasers pulled.004/word
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Newsletters
Newsletters are a fantastic way to connect with your readership, but boy, are they hard to keep up with. With Hawthorn & Aster’s newsletter service, you won’t have to! All you have to do is send your ideas to us and we’ll design a template, write, schedule, and send your newsletters to your eagerly awaiting readers! Biweekly and monthly packages available!
Services include:
- Consultation with you about style and design.
- Draft of newsletter sent to your inbox before it goes out to your readers.
- Working with you to determine what goes in your newsletter. You can write your own and we can input, or we can write it for you based off your ideas.
- Bi-weekly and monthly options available.$40/Monthly or $80/Biweekly
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PA Services
As an author, there is so much work that goes on behind the scenes. We want to help ease that burden for you. We all know how important social media and ARC/Street team members are for indie authors, but what if you didn't have to handle them on your own? We would be honored to help you come up with a content schedule that fits your vibes and needs. This way you can spend more time focusing on what really matters: writing.
Services include:
- ARC team creation/management.
- Street team creation/management.
- Content scheduling.
- Setting up/hosting virtual parties.
- Locating swaps/hops/promotional opportunities
- Creation of Google forms/sheets
- Simple graphics$150-$200/month depending on scope
Client Testimonials
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![Natalie Arthur, Romance Author, Branding]()
If you’re looking for a professional that treats you like family, look no further than Carissa.
She’s been my PA for 3 years and I wouldn’t trade her for anyone, literally never letting her go.
Carissa is a dream to work with. She communicates quickly and helps keep me motivated and on track. When reading my books, she not only catches proofreading errors, she also points out plot holes that sometimes get missed.
She helps me brainstorm, and always helps me put my best foot forward. She helped me put together a newsletter that is on brand and is filled with things that are relevant to me.
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![Elizabella Baker, Romance and Romantic Suspense Author, Headshot]()
Carissa has become an invaluable part of what I do.
Carissa was recommended to me by a friend. I was looking for a PA that was familiar with the genre that I write in. I really wanted to make some stronger connections and Carissa jumped right in to help with that.
She has become an invaluable part of what I do. She is my brain when I can’t remember things. She’s my calendar to keep me on track. She’s my sounding board, graphic designer, review finder. She really does do it all and I’m grateful to have her.
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![Sara McClaflin, Author of The Huntington Brothers Series, Dark Romance, Headshot]()
Detail-oriented and reliable
Carissa was professional, efficient, and great to work with. She put together well-structured, visually clean newsletters and worked alongside proofreading to help ensure everything was polished and ready to go. Detail-oriented and reliable, she made the process smooth and straightforward. A solid choice for anyone looking for support in these areas.
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I read mostly romance books, closed and open door is fine. I read everything from contemporary to fantasy/omegaverse to dark romance. I have not found any triggers that will make me stop reading a book, but graphic abuse will take me a bit to get through. I also enjoy Women's Lit and mystery novels. It is all special. I will not read non-fiction.
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Proofreading:
- Send document to me in Word document.
- Using the review feature, I will mark grammatical/spelling errors and use comments for inconsistencies/notes.
- Will also use comments for teaser quotes.
- Turn around time is 2 weeks.
- Will reread as ARC to make sure all mistakes have been identified and corrected.Newsletters:
- Set up consultation about design (colors, format, etc.)
- Discussion about who will be writing the newsletter pieces.
- Draft of first newsletter.
- Consultation 3-5 days before next newsletter to get pieces ready -
Hawthorn & Aster will issue a contract and an invoice for a $50 downpayment to hold your date (to be applied to your total). The remainder of the amount will be requested upon confirmation of word count. Document will be emailed to you upon completion of proofread.
Newsletter clients will receive and invoice from Hawthorn & Aster on the 1st of the month. If payment is not made before the first newsletter of the month is scheduled (without contact) the newsletter(s) will not be sent.