FAQ

How do your rates compare to other proofreading services?

According to The Writer's Market (writersmarket.com), the average cost of proofreading is $3 per page. We recently edited a non-fiction book with 563 pages containing 122,524 words. The prevailing market cost would have been $1689, whereas our cost was $330 ($25 + 2.5 x 122).

Bookbaby (bookbaby.com) offers copy-editing services at $1197 for a 60,000 word novel. Our cost would be $105 ($15 + 1.5 x 60).

What file types do you support?

Our preferred file type is a Word Document so that comments can be added to your manuscript that you can then review and change as you feel appropriate. We can also use PDFs and .MOBI files but you should expect the turnaround time to be much longer for these file types. If necessary, we can proofread a printed manuscript so long as you cover all shipping costs.

What is your average turnaround time?

Usually two to three weeks, but this depends on a number of considerations. At the time that you send your inquiry e-mail we will provide you a reasonable estimate based upon several factors including what our current workload is, whether your manuscript is fiction or non-fiction, and what its length is. Another major consideration in the amount of time we need with your book is what state the manuscript is in when we receive it. If you've already seriously proofed it yourself, you can expect a much shorter turnaround time versus a first-draft novel filled with grammatical errors.

At what point in the writing process should I send you my manuscript?

The proper time for copy-editing is at the very end of the writing process. There is no point in thoroughly proofing the first draft of a book that is subject to major revisions because those revisions will then have to be edited as well.

Will you catch every single error?

Simply put: no. We will make every effort to achieve perfection but even novels written by Pulitzer Prize-winning authors whose books are bought by major publishing houses still have minor errors that can be detected by an astute editor.

What do you mean by "limited line-editing"?

Our primary interest is copy-editing and proofreading. A line-editor's job is to read for content and make certain that the flow and structure of the text is smooth for the reader. During our process, if at any time we find issues related to paragraph construction we will comment on them, but that is not our primary focus. We always provide as much feedback as possible regarding consistency, repetitiveness and factual accuracy.

Who will be editing my manuscript?

Multiple people will be involved in the process but all work on every submitted manuscript is fully reviewed by T. A. Peters, an award-winning novelist, paid literary reviewer and official judge of the Florida Writers' Association's Royal Palm Literary Award Competition.

To what standard is my manuscript edited?

We are well versed in requirements for both American and British publications and very knowledgeable about the prevailing standards in experimental fiction. The default editorial basis for every manuscript is The Chicago Manual of Style unless you, the author, indicate otherwise.

If I avail myself of your formatting services do I lose control of the copyright on my work?

Absolutely not. If we format a book for you, we retain ownership of the PDFs we create for both the print and digital versions of the book but presume no ownership of the content. In fact, just because we format the book for publication does not preclude you taking the manuscript we edited for you and sending it to an agent or offering it to a major publishing house at any time (actually, we would be thrilled by this). Regardless of which of our services you use, the copyrights on all manuscripts and all completed books remains one-hundred percent with you, the author.

Do you offer any discounts?

Yes. The initial assessment fee is waived for all active members of the Florida Writers' Association and the #RRBC. Members of the Florida Writers' Association also receive a 50% discount on formatting services. Members of these organizations should state as much in their inquiry e-mails and we will not expect the up-front assessment fee to be paid, but the rest of the process remains the same.

Must I have my book edited by you in order to use your formatting services?

Generally speaking, yes. When we format your book, a line in the front matter notates that Greenefisher has provided the layout and gives a link to our website. To ensure that this in no way reflects poorly on us, we require that your manuscript be properly proofed prior to publication. If you believe that your manuscript is perfect and you only want to use our formatting service, feel free to e-mail us an inquiry with your manuscript attached stating as much and we will make a quick assessment of the situation free of charge.

What kind of cover do you provide for my book is I use your formatting service?

We provide two covers, one for the print edition and one for the digital edition both using the same public domain image (we'll ask for your input and approval of the image). If you wish to use a high-quality pre-fabricated book cover we will be happy to obtain one from thecovercollection.com at a discounted rate.

Are you willing to provide editorial reviews of the books you edit?

To avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest we do not provide reviews on books we edit. Anyone interested in an independent editorial review of their work can e-mail: TAPeters@Greenefisherpublications.com

All other inquiries should be directed to: Support@Greenefisherpublications.com