SERVICES & FEES
If you are interested in any of these services, please send me an email briefly describing the nature of the project -- a paragraph or so is good, or if you have an overview, please attach that -- as well as the kind of work you think is required and your contact information. I will get back to you promptly to schedule a time to discuss the project, timing and pricing. |
BOOK PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
Having worked for seventeen years in three of the five major trade houses, evaluating thousands of proposals and discussing them at editorial meetings, as well as regularly bidding in auctions for them, including seven figure offers, I know what publishers are looking for in a proposal. I work with authors to hone their concepts for their books, to write compelling overviews and annotated tables of content, to make sure their sample chapters are lively and persuasive, and to put together expert descriptions of the market for the book, comparative titles, and the author's experience and promotional platform. Fee: I charge a combination of a negotiable flat fee and percentage of the royalty advance. |
MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE AND DEVELOPMENT
I offer critiques of full and partial manuscripts, as well as full developmental edits of completed manuscripts, and I can tailor jobs any way authors prefer. If getting feedback about a first chapter or two or three is desired, I will read them as a top in-house editor would, assessing them vis a vis the proposal and what has been promised about the book, and I can either write a critique memo or both write a memo and do a developmental edit of the chapters. If another critique or edit is desired when more chapters are written, I'll be here for that too, and I can continue to work with authors all through their writing and revising process. Fee: In determining my fees for developmental editing, I first assess the nature of the work to be done, reading some or all of the manuscript, and then quote a fee and propose a schedule that are commensurate with the work required. |
AUTHOR PLATFORM BUILDING
The mantra in the publishing houses these days when considering book proposals is, "What's the author's platform?" Building up a following on the web and establishing a track record of publication in respected curated periodicals is often the key to an author securing a good deal for a book. I've worked with authors from the earliest days of web publishing and promotion to formulate plans for building their brand and their web and print presence. This is the golden age of author platform building, with so many new tools for making author's websites true magnets of readership as well as for establishing large followings through social media and curated blogs, webzines and reader and writer communities. I know the ins and outs of all of these and work on a contract basis with authors to formulate a plan, develop articles and posts, esingles, promotional free downloads and much more. Fee: I charge an hourly consultation fee. |
CONSULTATION
The business of publishing has been changing so rapidly in recent years that authors are left with many questions. Should you launch a blog? Is there any value in publishing an esingle? What kinds of videos are most effective and how should they be produced and distributed? What should authors be expecting from their agents given all of the changes? And what about self-publishing? What are the pluses and minuses of that? I can offer consultation to answer whatever questions authors have, from a pre-scheduled hour long phone conversation to on-going meetings, whether in person, for those in the city, or by phone or Skype. Fee: I charge an hourly consultation fee. |