The Dramatic Pen

Manuscript Formatting

 

A book must be correctly formatted prior to uploading to a publishing platform, whether that be a print-on-demand print publisher OR an ebook platform. Formatting for a print book is considerably different from the formatting required for an eBook. We do both, but since not all authors require both services, a print formatting job is a separate service from an eBook formatting job. Please be aware that the prices listed below reflect the charges for one OR the other, not both. There is an extra hourly charge for formatting indecis.

We can do more than adjust your book to the correct trim size and add page numbers. We can also create beautiful and eye-catching interiors by adding text boxes and stylized section breaks or bleed lines to help make reading your book an aesthetic experience. We do not charge extra for the inclusion of images, charts, or tables.

 

Price Chart:

0-5,000 words: $50

5,000 - 20,000 words: $75

20,000 - 40.000 words: $100

40,000 - 60,000 words: $150

60,000 - 90,000 words: $200

90,000 - 125,000 words: $250

125,000 - 175,000 words: $300

175,000 and up: Please contact us for an individualized price quote.

 

Email and brief phone consultations regarding your project are free. Face-to-face meetings or Skype meetings are charged at $15/hour.

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How long does it take for you to complete a formatting job?
Our turn-around time is usually very quick; however, it does depend very much on the length of your project, our current work load, and how quickly you get us the materials we need.

2. What do you need from me?
A book manuscript contains far more than just the chapters. Please view the following list of items required for a finalized, publishable version of your manuscript.

 

• Title & Subtitle

• ISBN-13 & ISBN-10

• Author name(s) as you want it (them) to appear

• The name of your publishing company or imprint, if applicable

• Table of Contents

• Preface, Epigraph, Dedication, Author's Note, Endorsements page, Acknowledgements, and all fore-content, as applicable

• Introduction

• Chapters and Part/Section breaks in the correct order you want them to appear.

• Appendices, if applicable

• Notes, References and/or Works Cited page, as applicable

• Additional Resources Page, if applicable

• Author Bio Page (with or without author image)

• Author Contact Page or Publishing Company Website & Other Books Page (including images of other published books)

• Publishing company logo image, if applicable

• All back matter, as applicable, such as the epilogue and/or index (There is an extra, hourly charge for formatting indecis.)

 

3. How do your rates compare to other professional formatters?
From what we've seen, our rates are pretty standard. However, we are very good at what we do and extremely picky about getting the final product precisely right.

4. Do you edit as you go?
As a general rule, no. However, we often find and correct minor editing errors along the way, for no extra charge. (Though we aren't looking for editing errors at this point, if we notice that you spelled "Portland" as "Porland," we're certainly not going to leave it that way.) If there are a lot of errors, we will alert the author that further editing is needed. Keep in mind that some changes are editing changes, not formatting changes. For example, if you have consistently misused commas or quotation marks, we aren't going to fix those for you, as that is an editor's job. We'll alert you to the problem and give you an opportunity to correct the errors prior to our continuing with formatting. The exception to this, of course, is if you hired us as your editor. Naturally, we will then fix any mistakes we might have missed in the editing phase for no extra charge.