FAQs

I only want enough money for wine, coffee, and fresh yogurt, so please submit your payment on PayPal first. My fee will be $100. I’ve thought about this a lot, and I want this to be affordable while compensating me for the time and care I will take with your work.

(If you’d rather send a check, email me using the Contact form)

After payment or a response from me, email me, as a Word attachment (not Google drive or any other web-based service; sorry), the first 15 pages of your work. It must be double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12 point type, with pages numbered at the bottom. Paragraphs indented; no spaces between paragraphs. Each chapter starts on a new page. (I’m not asking all this to be difficult; this is how agents and others need your work formatted, and it just looks better this way.)

The cover page of the Word document should include the following: book title, subtitle, your name, contact information, AND a SINGLE, concise one paragraph summary of the book – no longer – and 1-2 sentences about you, tops. Less is more. The cover page doesn’t count towards the 15 pages, and if a chapter ends on page 16, go ahead and include that.

You don’t need a copyright mark, but if it makes you feel better, do so on the cover page: © your name. I will not share your work with anyone else without your prior permission.

Will you read/edit more of a manuscript than 15 pages for additional cost?

Yes, absolutely! My editing services have now brought me to work on full manuscripts with over a dozen wonderful aspiring writers. I do not post a price list; I discuss every project with each author – length, category, type of editing needed, and what the author can afford or not — and we come up with a reasonable price. But, I want to begin with the first 15 pages at the $100 fee to see both if I can help and if you like my work.

Will you advise on marketing for my book?

Same as above: As I start out, no. But I may down the road. I have strong feelings about author do’s and don’ts marketing-wise, and I’ve poured a lot of my thoughts into the outline for the Denver course, and I don’t think I should be using that material here. As for specific marketing advice of a more limited scope, I may add that to this venture as I see how it goes.