(excerpt) Laymon’s Rules of Writing © 2000 by Richard Laymon
If your story should somehow end up on the desk of a good editor, he isn’t likely to fix the writing for you. The rare, good editor would be so disgusted by your crappy writing that all you’d get is a rejection slip. Chances are, however, that your manuscript will be read by a lousy editor. Such an editor might accept badly written material simply because he doesn’t know any better. If that happens, you can be certain that nobody will end up correcting it. The mistakes will be over the heads of the publishers, just as they were over yours. Your book will be published in all its pathetic glory. Full of mistakes that would win you a flunking grade from any good high school English teacher.
Let the editors and contractors of Sinister Grin Press help you tell the best story you can tell. Use our talent and expertise and we will provide all the feedback of a publishing press.
Submitted manuscripts should be in a MS Word document, in a font of either Courier or Times New Roman and font size of 12. Provide your name, address, contact information and title on a separate title page. Word count will be determined by MS Word “Word Count” feature, excluding contact page. Page count will be determined by the standard of 250 words per page, regardless of the actual page count of the submitted manuscript. The editor will review your manuscript using the MS Word “Track Changes” feature.
All submissions should be attached to an email and sent to [email protected]
After receiving submitted manuscript we will determine the proper page count and you will be invoiced via PayPal. No work will commence until payment is received in full unless otherwise negotiated.
Manuscript Assessment – A Beta Reader will review your manuscript and provide feedback on elements of plot flow, tone and marketability. No corrections will be made. The reader will provide a letter of review explaining thoughts and suggested changes in the manuscript. $0.50 per page one reading
Proofreading - Provide an edit that corrects typos and simple errors. $1.00 per page one read through
Copy Edit - Provide proofreading and the editor will review for consistency in grammar, spelling, syntax and punctuation. In addition, an editor will provide an Editorial Letter explaining the suggested changes made in the manuscript. $2.50 per page and two readings
Line Edit - Provide copy edit and an edit that corrects sentence structure, dialogue, point of view, and word usage. In addition, an editor will provide an Editorial Letter explaining the suggested changes made in the manuscript. $3.25 per page and up to three readings
Developmental Edit - Provide recommendations on elements of the overall content of the story, such as: structure, plot flow, characterization, and tone. This is an edit that will typically require major rewrites and does NOT include error correction. The editor will provide an Editorial Letter explaining the suggested changes to the manuscript. The Manuscript Assessment may be credited to this total and count as the first reading. $5.00 per page and up to three readings
Print/eBook Formatting - Transforms your manuscript into print ready formatted PDF (Portable Document Format) and MS Word document; includes font, margin and paging. $250.00 total
Cover Artwork – Original cover artwork based on the writer’s ideas or story. This is not stock photographs or recycled graphics, but original art by the artist. This does not include formatting or adding title graphics. Provided in a high resolution format. $200.00 total allows for 2 minor changes after agreed upon sketch.
Illustration – Original illustrations for your manuscript. Pricing will vary on color, content and quantity.
Submitting and using Sinister Grin Press Manuscript Consultancies does not constitute a contract to publish nor does Sinister Grin Press in any way promise to publish any manuscript submitted. We will give you honest and professional consultation for use in self-publishing or submission to other publishers. However, if the manuscript meets our criteria, we may choose to offer a contract to publish and refund all fees paid if signed.
