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Consulting

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.

-- E.L. Doctorow

nce upon a time, the author's task was simple: All she had to do was write a book and hand it over to an acquisitions editor. The publisher did almost everything else. It's a romantic notion, to

be sure: a creative type only wants to create. We know the feeling.

 

But in the immortal words of Bob Dylan, the times, they are a-changin'. With the rise of self-published titles flooding the market, the landscape is now more competitive than ever. The publishing houses no longer employ vast teams of editors and readers, and their huge marketing budgets are a thing of the past. The equation has been flipped, and today almost everything is up to you.

 

For the average writer this means less time writing, more time tending a business,  and a steeper learning curve. For something this important, you might not want to go it alone.

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So, what can we do for you? If you work in the publishing industry (or if you'd like to), it's probably plenty. Our people have been around the block a few times, in almost every capacity imaginable. We've written and edited books, we've organized writers' events, and taught and counseled thousands of authors and would-be's. We know what publishers are looking for, and we can help you get there. Let us know how we can help.  

 

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We are not lawyers, and we're not qualified to offer legal advice. But we know the 

business, and we can help you make a plan to move forward with your writing project.

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Publishing Post-Mortem 

 

$80 per hour, min. one hour

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Has your book been rejected again and again? In the new world of publishing, it's harder than ever to find your way. We can review your writings and discuss what you've done so far. How did you submit your work? What responses did you receive? We'll identify the good, the bad, and the ugly. That is, what you did right, what you did wrong, and what you can do differently in the future.

Critique

 

$149 for three chapters (up to 50 pages)

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This is an overall analysis of a manuscript that looks at your style and general structure. As we read we will ask, What are your strengths and weaknesses? Are your characters genuine and believable? Do your arguments support your thesis? Does the story contain a natural flow, which will retain your reader’s attention? We can offer you practical, actionable advice that will make your work stand out from the crowd. 

 

Be advised, if we critique your work, we cannot represent the book.

Expert Witness

 

$80 per hour, min. one hour

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So you think you got cheated in a publishing deal, and can't be sure if you have a case. Or you need to defend a lawsuit, but don't know how what you might have done wrong. Let us examine your situation, review your contracts, and offer expert testimony. We can tell you if you got a raw deal, or if your opponent has a legitimate case against you.

Contract Analysis

 

$75 per draft

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Good news! You've received an offer from a publisher. Should you accept it? Let us look over that contract with you. Chances are that it can be negotiated to your advantage: Royalty, advance, editing, reserve, marketing plan, on and on. Which rights should you give up, and which should you keep? We've never seen a contract that we couldn't sweeten for the benefit of our author.

Ready?

 

Are you ready to get down to business?  Prepare your manuscript according to the instructions here. (This is the format that almost all agents and publishers require.) Save it as an MS Word (.doc, .docx) file, and send it to us by e-mail attachment. We will then mark our comments with color-coded highlights, and return by e-mail.

 

When we're almost done with your project we will send you an invoice by e-mail, and you can

make your remittance by PayPal. Or if you'd prefer to pay by check, let us know.

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