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WENDY
RATHBONE'S BLOG
DELLA VAN
HISE'S BLOG
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 No
matter where you are in your writing career - beginner, intermediate
or best-seller - any book can be made better by the services of a
competent and compassionate editor. Our goal is to help you
transform your work into the very best it can be - a process that
not only increases your chances of a professional sale, but also
provides valuable learning experience which will aid you in future
projects. Whether you intend to self-publish your work or submit it
to a professional publisher, why not give yourself every advantage
you possibly can?
Who are we?
We are pleased to offer the
editorial services of
Della
Van Hise and
Wendy
Rathbone - each professionally published with extensive hands-on
editing, writing and publishing experience spanning over 30 years. This is your opportunity to work with some of the most skilled
professionals in the field to transform your manuscript into the very
best it can be.
 Della Van Hise is the
author of the Star Trek novel, Killing Time, as well as the
award-winning
novel, Sons of Neverland.
She has also written dozens of other books and short stories under a
variety of pseudonyms. Della's non-fiction credits include, among
others,
Quantum Shaman. As editor and publisher, Della has produced over
40 novels and anthologies, working with many writers who have
entered into successful professional careers. Her most recent is the
romance novel,
Prince of Umberlight, which represents a return to her roots in
literary erotica.
 Wendy Rathbone is an award-winning poet and a
winner in the prestigious Writers of the Future contest. As an
editor and publisher, her credits include no less than 30
anthologies and collections, including the highly-acclaimed science
fiction novels
Letters To An Android and
Pale Zenith. In
the field of romance, Wendy is well known for her trilogy,
The Foundling.
Wendy was also a former winner in the
prestigious "Writers of the Future" contest. Her most recent sales
include "Turn
Left At November" - a collection of poetry; and several poems to
Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.
Our Mission
In evaluating your manuscript, our goal is to help
you identify your strengths as a writer, while simultaneously
working to correct any weaknesses in the submitted work.
Ultimately, we provide the writer with observations,
commentary and potential alternatives that can turn an ordinary
manuscript into a truly memorable one - and a potentially saleable
one! While we cannot guarantee publication, we can
promise to assist you in creating a manuscript that will get the
attention of potential agents and publishers. Our comments and
suggestions are always constructive, never harsh or mean-spirited.
Our Promise
All of our editors are professional
writers and editors, so your book is in the best possible hands. In
addition, we are not squeamish - so if your book is about an
alternate lifestyle or contains erotic content, we're happy to work
with you. In fact, we'd be honored.
What We Can Do
The types of manuscripts we prefer to work
with are fiction, including but not limited to romance, gay
romance,
paranormal, vampire, metaphysical, erotica (gay or heterosexual),
science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, young adult,
adventure, literary and most generic novels. While we are willing to
evaluate historical novels, we are not historians, so we cannot
provide historically-accurate modifications. Occasionally, we also
work with non-fiction, primarily in the fields of new age,
metaphysical, occult, paranormal and spiritual. Other genres
considered on request - you can always
Email for details
with any questions.
How It Works
We prefer manuscripts to be in
Word.doc format. At the present time, we prefer only digital submissions (no hard-copy
manuscripts, please).
Manuscript evaluation consists of commentary & observation only. We will add detailed comments in the margins of your manuscript, so
you will know exactly where changes may be required. We do not
re-write your manuscript, but give you constructive criticism which
will enable you to make only the changes you deem reasonable.
We are not proofreading your manuscript at this stage (missing
commas, misspellings, line editing, etc.) While we will point
out obvious errors if we see them, proofreading is
available as a separate service after your manuscript has been
evaluated and re-written. (see below)
How long does the process take?
From the time we receive your manuscript and payment, you may expect to wait anywhere from 2-12
weeks, depending on our work load. We will be happy to provide
you with a wait-time estimate at the time of submission. We
also offer a rush service which places your manuscript at the top of
the list (second only to others who have paid for rush service).
Rush service is an additional $100 and will reduce your wait time by
half. If we are seriously over-booked, you will be informed
and your rush service fee will be refunded.
Now What?
After
you have completed your manuscript and edited it to the best of your
own ability,
email us to schedule a thorough evaluation
of your work. If possible, include with your initial email a
brief synopsis.
Also, if possible, include the first 5 pages of the work so we can
1) test it for compatibility with our software; and 2) so that we
may determine if we feel we can be of assistance. In most
cases, we are able to truly assist writers at any stage of their
career - whether beginning or advanced. There are, of course,
rare occasions when a manuscript may simply be irredeemable, and if
that is the case, we don't want to take your money and you will be
(gently) guided toward various books & websites that may assist in
improving your writing skills. No shame, no embarrassment.
We all start somewhere and, if we are willing to learn and grow, we
improve as writers and as storytellers. If you are accepted
for evaluation, you will be notified and an invoice will be sent.
(See below)
Rates
& Payment
We accept payment through Paypal,
or we can process your credit card through our offices if you
prefer.
Manuscript Evaluation & Editing
30,000 words or less: $750
Over 30,000 words: $25. for every additional 1000 words
When we are involved in content editing, the work is very intensive.
We might instruct you to add things that were left out, or re-write
sections of content. This takes copy editing to the next level, and
can include some level of content creation along with making
corrections. You are, of course, under no obligation to accept any
of our suggestions, and the final decision is always in your hands.
Proofreading
$10 per 1000 words (a 30,000 word
manuscript would be $300, for example)
Proofreading is about getting rid of the cosmetic errors. It is
usually the last step in the writing/editing process. It’s not meant
to be comprehensive; when we are proofreading, we aren't re-working
text, or re-arranging content. Proofreading is about doing a last
run-through to catch surface problems with the content.
Line-Editing and Copy-Editing
$14 per 1000 words (a 30,000 word manuscript would be $420, for
example)
Copy editing is about improving style, formatting, and accuracy.
Copy editing is about making sure there aren’t inconsistencies, and
that the style flows well — in addition to being grammatically
correct.
Preparing & Uploading Your Book to
Amazon
Prepare & upload
e-book to Amazon Kindle (e-book only, Amazon Kindle Only)
Up to 100,000 words (you provide a camera-ready cover) - $300
Up to 100,000 words (we create your simple cover) $399**
Over 100,000 words -
Email us with your word count for quote
We prepare your finalized manuscript for upload to Amazon Kindle.
This includes formatting and uploads only. Any additional services
are extra (manuscript evaluation, proofreading, line/copy editing etc). We
offer "bundle" pricing for doing all services combined.
** What is a simple cover? It is a cover
created using a template provided by the publisher (Amazon and/or
Create Space). While you can maintain creative control over what
photos and fonts to use, this is not a one-of-a-kind cover and other
authors may use the same photograph. We can also work with you to
create a more unique cover, using a photo you provide or select from
an online service (such as Shutterstock, for example), but if you want a more complex
cover, we recommend contracting with your own cover artist. We can
still upload it all for you once we receive the cover in an
appropriate size (minimum 300 DPI, parameters of 6.25" x 9.25"
for a 6x9" trade paperback), but
if you want the "cover of your dreams," you will need to find the
artist of your dreams. Google - "Book Cover Artists" and you
should be wonderfully overwhelmed.
We have found that making your book available
on Amazon in e-book and paperback formats is sufficient for the
goals of most writers. Of course, you can always upload your
book to other online sites such as Nook, Kobo, Smashwords or many
others. We provide these services only on request, and for an
additional fee per site.
Prepare & upload book
to Create Space (print-version only)
Up to 100,000 words - $350 (text only, you provide a
camera-ready cover)
Up to 100,000 words - $475 (text and we create a simple cover)**
Over 100,000 words -
Email us with your word count for quote
We prepare your finalized manuscript for upload to Create Space (a
division of Amazon). Create Space produces high quality print books,
which you can purchase at cost directly from Create Space. Also,
once your book is on CS, it is automatically on Amazon.com unless
you specifically request otherwise. We generally prefer to work with
6x9" trade paperbacks - which readers also seem to prefer almost 2
to 1 over other size formats. We will take your finalized
manuscript, create a PDF, and upload to Create Space. If you do not
already have an account with Create Space, you will need to create
one so that you can order proof copies and place orders for your
print-on-demand books. If you do not know how to create an account
with CS, we will walk you through it, or we can do it for you for a
small additional charge.
BUNDLE PRICING
We offer "bundle" pricing for two or more
services. For example, if you would like us to evaluate & edit your
manuscript, proofread and line-edit, create a simple cover**, and
upload your book to Create Space and Amazon.Kindle...
Email us for price quote and be sure to let us know which
services you would like us to provide.
We want your book to be as good as it can
possibly be, and we will work with you to realize your goals.
Not sure where to begin? Just drop us an email
and let us know where you are in your writing process. We're
friendly and we generally respond to all inquiries within 24-48
hours.
 Ready
to get started?
Contact Us
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