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Quick and Dirty - more detailed advice
Why Are You Writing This? - some thoughts from 2010 when I was admin on a writing forum
Literary Services
I occasionally take on
- copy editing
- proof reading
- dialogue checking for period British slang
- formatting
- advising on self-publishing
- producing for digital and print
- setting up a web site
Literary and Publishing services
Since Scratch came out, I have been surprised at the number of people who are sounding me out about publishing their writing - and even more since lockdown during the COVID pandemic. Here's a run-down of what I can and can't do.
Why Are You Writing This? - some thoughts from 2010 when I was admin on a writing forum.
Quick and Dirty - more detailed advice on self-publishing, printing, and more.
What I do
Copy Editing
E.g., does your story make sense? Are your locations and characters and descriptions consistent?
Proof Reading
Is that the right spelling of that word? Should that mark be a comma, a full stop, or a semi colon? Do quotation marks go inside or outside the punctuation? And should they be single or double? Where and when do these choices matter?
British idioms
Do your characters need their conversation checking for period usage?
Formatting
How should you set up your text to send to a publisher, or an agent, for printing or for an e-book?
Publishing
I haven’t so far taken on publishing anyone else’s work, taking all the risks and costs myself; your book might be the one that changes my mind, or it might not.
I won’t put my imprint on work I don’t think fits my personal “stable”, but I will still help you to get your book out there in the best form it can take.
Self-publishing
Do you want copies just for friends and family, or for a local organisation, or to sell to a wider public? Do you want a print run, or to print on demand? How can you tell a genuine publisher or a small press from a vanity press that will disappoint you and cost you a lot of money?
Digital and paper copies
Which setup do you want, and which do you need? Which sells best? How can you find the right cover for it? How do you deal with Amazon? (And do you want to?)
ISBNs
Does your book need an International Standard Book Number, or not? Where and when do these choices matter?
Setting up a web site
Do you need one? What are the pros and cons of buying a domain name? Should you maintain it yourself, or give someone else the job?
What I don't do
Typing-up your handwritten manuscript.
Advertising - even major publishers will make you do most of your own.
Distributing paper copies - you can do that to some extent by choosing a printer who will catalogue your work and take orders from booksellers.
Books about faith, religion, spirituality or politics.
Rates
Now I hate talking money, but you'd better know that I charge £20 an hour for my expertise.
Whether I'm building web sites or editing, I work flat out for most of the day. However, I usually end up estimating the time rather generously in favour of the client (i.e. I charge you for less time rather than more!)
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