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As a self-published author with an MA in English and over two decades of writing experience, including writing fifteen books across a multitude of genres in addition to countless webpages and essays (I write every day), as well as possessing abundant knowledge spanning every segment of the writing, publishing and promotional spectrum, I can be of assistance to anyone that wants to publish their own book. I figure that every thoughtful person has at least one good book in them, and deserves to see that part of their inner world manifested into its outer, physical form WITHOUT being taken advantage of; without having their hopes manipulated and being misled and overcharged, as, sadly (again, from tons of personal experience), a great many companies have arisen in this arena to do just that!
I can help you turn your idea or already-under-development manuscript into print and, if desired, to take the next steps. (If you’re in the idea phase, I recommend starting with an outline – the bones to be filled with the guts of your book!) I’m also open to ‘ghost writing’ your book; to turning your idea into a project myself, even as I never lack for book ideas of my own. Wherever you are in your own creative process, let’s turn your book idea, or your Word manuscript, into a physical book! The feeling of holding your own professionally produced book in your hands is itself worth the effort. And while I possess considerable knowledge in the marketing arena, and can advise you related to my own hard-won wisdom in that overwhelming realm, I cannot guarantee that your book will be read by others.
I am, as you may have already guessed, still trying to get my own publishing label into the public eye. It’s a highly competitive market, with over a million new books published every year in the US alone, and with countless service and sales agencies and publishing houses comprising that cutthroat market, all of whom you either have to successfully sell yourself to or else outcompete for readers directly in order for your book to rise to the level of public awareness. And though I’ve had some good reviews and some promising projects, I’ve yet to have a ‘breakthrough book.’ A lot of that personal struggle is based upon possessing too small of a marketing budget; a lot of it is about producing projects packed with conviction, philosophy and non-religious spirituality that lack broad appeal and don’t neatly fit into established marketing niches. But we can ‘get into the weeds’ of all of that soon enough, if you wish.
What I CAN promise you is to help you become a self-published author at a FAR lower cost than what most companies providing similar services will charge, without sacrificing service quality. As recently alluded to, being targeted by unscrupulous companies connected to the self-publishing arena is something that I’m painfully well-versed in, trust me. As soon as the marketing monster knows you’re a writer, you get bombarded by ads via email and social media etc. offering to help you develop or market your book(s), and most of those services simply pass you through a prefabricated system churning out bland, processed, cookie-cutter results. I made the mistake of paying for one of them myself years ago, and have since concluded that the money I spent on their services would’ve been FAR better spent on paying for select promotions rather than paying for their service fees! If I only knew then what I know now, the money that I could’ve saved, and better spent!
Most of the companies ‘in this game’ are essentially taking advantage of your hopes and ignorance, and far better results can be expected by doing the legwork yourself, if you’re able. And a lot of THAT is simply knowing which avenues to walk, frankly. I’ll point you towards them for free, if you wish; down the promotional pathways that I’d walk with some of my books right now if I could afford to do so. I believe in being of valuable, AFFORDABLE service, and am happy to teach you what I know while we’re working together! Part of the reason I’m doing this is that I genuinely like helping and connecting with people, especially creative types like you. In the process I’m hoping to save the funds necessary to put what I’ve learned into more effective action than ever where it comes to my own literary projects.
So, why can I promise higher quality assistance for far less than most companies will charge? Because it’s just me, not some super-staffed corporate machine selling you slick packages worked on by a dozen employees. My costs are small, and, again, I believe in helping people become writers without it costing them their left arm (their non-writing arm, hopefully). I’m also a rarity in the sense that I possess true conviction, something that any reader of my work can see, and something that carries over to this service offering. I believe in the value of writing FAR beyond what the market tells you that it’s worth.
Even if you and your family are the only ones to read your work, writing is invaluable, as a creative outlet, as a tool for intellectual development and self-education, as a means to explore and develop your ideas and convictions, as a vehicle for sharing yourself, your ideas and beliefs with the world (even if, again, it’s just friends and family), and as a particularly invaluable form of therapeutic release. I call writing my ‘pressure release valve.’ So it is that, for all of these reasons and more, the finished product isn’t the ‘whole story;’ it’s but the material result of a profound process that will enrich and develop you as a human being in ways that are impossible to accurately qualify, and that I recommend to everyone.
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My specific services (all prices negotiable, with a free assessment and cost estimate to start):
– Ghost writing
Though I’ve yet to do this, and have PLENTY of my own ideas to work on, I’m open to the possibility of making a connection with a person who wants me to turn their idea into a book. The process would likely involve multiple sit-downs and collaborating in the production of a detailed outline that I’d then turn into a book. I’m not certain of what I’d charge for this service, or how we’d assign the copyright (the intellectual ownership of the work – likely both being named as contributors), but it’s something that we can discuss.
– Reading and editing your manuscript
($100 – $500 depending upon length of project and extent of editing required)
With decades of experience reading and editing my own work, helping you polish your manuscript is a good first step. There are, of course, various potential levels to this step, including everything from doing a brief once-over read and lending you my impressions to a full series of grammatical reviews, structural edits and re-draftings. Most of my books go through at least 3 drafts before I’m anywhere near to satisfied with them, and even then I’ll often pick up a previously published project and decide that it can be better (the gift-curse of the perfectionist – finding the right balance here is important!).
– Cover design
($100 – $300 depending upon complication of envisioned design and number of required revisions)
I’ve been using Adobe’s Illustrator and Photoshop products for years. I design graphics using downloaded vectors in the generation of printable products with transparent backgrounds (PNG files) for not only my book covers, but for my publishing website (infiniteofone.com) and my T-shirt sales site (activistartproductions.com), both of which I invite you to peruse so you can see samples of my work.
– Professional publishing
($100)
Using either Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) or Barnes & Noble’s Ingram Spark platform, both of which I have vast experience working within (I tend to prefer the latter), we’ll turn your digital manuscript (usually an MS Word document that’s converted into a PDF, then uploaded) into a physical book. Hardcover, paperback and e-book options are all available, though you’re charged per page for converting a PDF into an e-book. I’ll help you set up an account at one or both, and you’re on your way. You let me know how much of this process you want to undertake, and how much you’d like to left to me. After providing me with your personal information, setting up the account is easy. The complications arise in matching your book, cover design and vision with the publishing software.
– Website and graphic design ($100 – $X – what I’d charge you here is entirely contingent upon the level of work desired)
I’ve had knowledge of web and graphic design since high school. I’m now 43 (my God!). Using WordPress, which I used to create infiniteofone.com, I can help you develop a basic website selling you and your work, if you choose to take it to that level. I’d of course refer you to infiniteofone.com so you can see how I’ve digitized myself, so to speak. In addition, and in relation to the Cover Design service listed above, I can use Adobe products and/or Canva to help you design promotional graphics for your books/website. Again, I have plenty of my own work for you to peruse for samples and inspiration, and consistently upload word-based media to my Instagram account.
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Typically the first step in this process involves your consideration of my aforementioned list of services, then emailing me a copy of your manuscript (or manuscript-under-development) and letting me know how you envision its development. I’ll take a look and provide you with a free preliminary assessment and quote on services-to-be-rendered.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out! Correspondence is free!
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I look forward to hearing from you!
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– Nick Jameson