Services and Fees
I am a writer. As a writer, I don’t want to charge another writer a penny more than I have to. I want you to feel free to look at the services I offer as a menu. Just take what you need.
No Fee Services
A Limited Reading & Brief Critique
An editorial reading of 15 pages and a brief critique of your project.
A File Assessment
To determine any computer formatting problems that might complicate preparation of your files for use in our desktop publishing program. Once I’ve analyzed a sample of your files I can make suggestions on how to best prepare the rest of your manuscript files.
An Image Assessment
Send me a few images to determine the quality of reproduction you can expect from the your images. I can help you with guidelines on scanning and image reproduction.
Editing Services
A Full Reading & In-Depth Editorial Analysis
$.0029 per word
A complete, candid analysis of your project assessing the following:
Is this manuscript fully ready for publication?
Is the writing clear and compelling?
Does the book deliver what it promises?
Suggestions for improvements.
Is there a market for this book?
What will it take for this book to reach its target market?
Proofreading Your Manuscript
$.0125 - $.025 per word
Your manuscript will receive a thorough editing, including all necessary changes to punctuation, grammar, spelling and usage. This is not to be confused with a service that simply provides you with a computer-generated, annotated version of your manuscript from which you then make all the changes. I make all changes, corrections, additions and deletions for you, highlighted for you to find easily. You, of course, retain final say on any point on which you prefer to differ.
Proofreading and Text Editing Your Manuscript
$.019 - $.029 per word
Complete copy and text editing, with attention given to every word of your manuscript. This degree of editing addresses not only issues of grammar and usage, but of continuity and style as well, with an emphasis on helping you make your thoughts ring with clarity, accuracy and interesting detail.
Author Additions/Corrections (Author A/Cs)
$50/hour
This only applies to changes requested as author revisions, corrections to the printer’s proof, or for future reprints.
Marketing Materials
$50/hour
I can prepare files for you to submit to either a local printer or an on-line printer for business cards, book marks, postcards, flyers, banners, etc.
Basic Publishing Package
File Preparation
$50/hour
For manuscripts submitted to us with problems and needing correction before formatting. Estimated charges will be provided upon submission of a sample chapter. Many simple errors will be corrected on a no-charge basis.
Image Preparation
$5.00/image
Book Layout & Design, Fiction/Non-Fiction
Text layout, $570 to $950, depending on the complexity and length of your book.
This includes as appropriate: title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents, list of illustrations, acknowledgments, preface, introduction, body text, bibliography, index, and author’s biography.
Cover Development & Design
$50/hour
Your cover design and copy will be developed with your input and approval every step of the way. See Cover Design for more information.
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
$35/ISBN (see below)
How many ISBNs you will need depends on how many ways you intend to publish your work - hard cover books, trade paperbacks, mass market paperbacks and ebooks all require individual ISBNs. You have two options when it comes to these important little numbers from Bowker, the inventors of the ISBN and the publisher of Books in Print. Your can purchase your own with no fee on this end ― but let me forewarn you, they are expensive when you buy them direct. Buying them in bulk, I can provide ISBNs for you at $35 each.
Barcode
$20/ISBN
Point to consider: neither an ISBN nor a barcode are required if your book is only intended for family and friends, or if you will be selling it directly, at lectures for example. Both, however, are required if your plans include marketing through stores or on-line outlets.
Library of Congress Control Number (LLCN)
No fee
I handle the paperwork. As soon as it comes in from the Library of Congress, it goes on the copyright page of your book.
Copyrights
According to the U.S. Copyright Office, copyright protection for your original work automatically exists “from the moment the work is created.” Registering for a copyright is voluntary, but you cannot sue another entity for copyright infringement without having registered your work within three months of publication. Should you wish to copyright your book yourself, go to the U.S. Government Copyright web page.
Cover Design
All fees below
The Front Cover
Front covers evolve. Whether you hire a cover designer or assign me the job, the front cover really needs to be a collaboration in which you, the author, takes an active role. In preparation, this is when you want to spend time in a bookstore, looking at the most current cover designs in your genre.
The Back Cover – Your Billboard
What’s the first thing you do when you pick up a book? If you’re like most shoppers, you give the front cover the briefest of glances, then turn the book over and speed-read down the back cover. The back cover is the author’s only opportunity to make a quick and compelling case for why you should buy this book today. In a limited amount of space, it makes its pitch. A book has to sell itself. You aren’t there to make your pitch to your prospective buyer.
The Basics
A compelling quote from the book that sets a theme, or a headline that promises a benefit from reading this book.
Testimonials, if available.
A friendly, engaging photo and/or a few sentences about the author.
A website address, if you have one.
Bar code and ISBN number. Price is optional, but many designers suspect that potential buyers are put off by the lack of a printed price.
All this, and you want to leave plenty of open, breathing space, to boot!
For Fiction, also Provide the Following:
A 100-word synopsis of the plot, including a few adjectives for each key character.
For Non-Fiction, also Provide the Following:
Genre, both global and specific (rather than simply “history,” use descriptors such as “early history of northern New England”).
A list of the key topics covered.
A few sentences on the importance of the subject matter of the book.
Cover Design Fees
Full cover design
$250
Author-written front and back text, I design the cover
$175
Author-written front and back text, author designs the cover, cover assembly
$50/hour
Printing Options
The possibilities for printing your self-published book are expanding daily. Digital print on demand has changed the face of publishing forever, and the contest between online vs. the old brick and mortar bookstore rages on. And the ebook option ― don’t even start me.
Galley Proofs
$50/hour + fees
You will be provided by a completely formatted galley proof, printed on 8.5” x 11” paper with crop marks indicating the actual size of the book. This is your least expensive opportunity to find and make changes and corrections. Changes to the formatted book itself from your corrections on the galley are charged at $50/hr. As soon as the changes have been made, you will receive a corrected pdf file for your approval. If you prefer a new corrected paper galley proof, there is a minimum charge of $7.50, varying with the size and length of the book, plus FedEx charges to get it to you.
Advance Review Copies (ARCs)
$50/hour
The review of books takes place before the actual publication date. If you want to have professional prepublication reviews, you need to allow five to six months for the process. Print runs for ARCs run typically 10-25 copies and can be bound in either a finished cover with the words:
“UNCORRECTED PROOF • NOT FOR SALE”
prominently displayed, or they can be bound in a plain paper cover with information concerning publication dates, etc. The special preparation for ARCs is also charged at $50/hr.