Editorial & PR Services

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Clan Destine Writers’ Consultancy Service

The founding members of the Clan Destine Book & Author Portal have decided it’s time to share what we know with other authors and writers.

From mentoring to manuscript assessment and editing to publicity, we have the skills to encourage, guide, edit and proof your book into life; as well as the expertise and connections to shout the news about your published version from the rooftops.

The one thing we don’t do – yet – is publish or distribute, but we can help you with everything that happens before and after.

Your Consultants include: best-selling Australian authors, writers of both fact and fiction, who are experienced in mentoring and teaching; editors who have years of experience in the Australian publishing industry, both in-house and as freelancers; and publicity people who are experts in their field.

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Do you want to write, but aren’t quite sure how to go about it? Have you written a story or started a novel but aren’t sure where to go from there.

Our Consulting Authors can mentor you through the writing process. As you progress through your manuscript, your mentor will read what you’ve written, and offer constructive feedback and suggestions for further drafting. The meetings, where possible, are face-to-face; but phone and email services can be arranged. 

Initial Consultation

*   A meeting with your mentor to discuss you story or book – the one you haven’t even started yet – to find out just how to get going and/or the best way to tell your story.

*   A consultation with your mentor to discuss the story or book you have started, but for which need advice or encouragement. Maybe you have lost your way, or your plot, or your initial enthusiasm.

Time:  2 hours
Cost:  $250

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Subsequent Consultations

Everyone approaches their writing differently, from the actual process itself to the amount of time you can spend on your book.  And, as your writing progresses, you may find your own needs change.  You may want to consult with your mentor on a regular basis, or only when you have a problem or would like encouragement or direction.  You might need feedback, or to learn strategies to further your story.

Your mentoring can be monthly, or every two or three months; or you can simply book appointments when you need them.

The consultations include emailing a segment of your story prior to the session, in order to make the most of the face-to-face consultation.

Time:  2 hours
Cost:  $200

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All manuscripts – and therefore writers – benefit greatly from an independent, objective and fresh perspective.

A manuscript assessment is one way of knocking your book into shape.

One of our assessors will read your manuscript and provide a written and constructive analysis; along with practical suggestions for any improvements.

Depending on the type of manuscript – fiction or non-fiction – the analysis will look at: the overall structure; writing style, including tone and voice;  plot, place and pace; point of view, character development and dialogue; and the best use of facts and research.

The assessment can obviously concentrate on anything in particular aspect you prefer.

This is not a mentoring or editorial service but an assessment of your manuscript ‘as it stands’.

Our assessors are all published authors and professional editors. We have been where you and your manuscript are now. Our aim is to help you achieve its full potential.

Sample chapters or short stories
Up to 8,000 words
Cost: $120

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Novella-length manuscripts
Up to 40,000 words
Cost: $350

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Longer manuscripts
Up to 80,000 words:
Cost: $480

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Manuscripts over 80k    
cost $10 for each additional 10k (or reasonable part thereof)

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The editorial stage of bringing your manuscript to proposal, publisher or publishing-ready stage is vital.

No manuscript is ever simply ‘ready for publication’ if the only person who’s worked on it is the author – and it matters not who that author is.

You cannot edit your own work.

There are simply too many things you will not see, will not notice, will not know about – because you’re too close to it.

There are also things that you will not recognise as good or bad or indifferent – because it’s your book and you love every bit of it.

Yes, of course you ‘edit’ the various drafts, working to cut here and prune there, moving this para or page or chapter somewhere else, correcting that clue or fact, fixing that bit of punctuation or squiffy grammar.

But that is not ‘editing’ editing – with a capital Editor – it is simply part of the ‘writing’ process.

When you hand Your Beloved over to your publisher they will give it to an Editor.

If you don’t have a publisher yet (or even an agent) then the best way to secure one is to give your manuscript the best possible chance of succeeding in an industry that is capricious, competitive and cut throat.

If you’re going the self-publishing route, then a professional editor and proofreader may be the only thing between success and wasting your investment. It may also make the difference between being simply published and being a real contender for awards.

Editing

Structural / Substantive Editing

We look at your manuscript as a whole and ask: does it flow and fit together; does it do what the author wants it to, or thinks it does.

A structural edit may – in consultation with the author – require re-writing and re-organising. It is, in effect, a hands-on version of a manuscript assessment; performed on the final draft of your manuscript.

Cost: $65 per hour

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Copy Editing

Copy editing looks after the nuts and bolts, the rules and regs, of writing. While always taking into consideration an author’s own style, the genre and/or target audience, the copy edit looks at grammar, spelling, punctuation – and fixes any problems. It also pays attention to the manuscript’s internal logic and consistency.

Cost: $55 per hour

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Proofreading

The last chance to catch: irritating typos; glaring errors when the wrong word is used by you're spellchecker; misplaced or missing apostrophes; repeated words that that you don’t notice because the eye doesn’t always see them.

Cost: $45 per hour

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Published authors have experience in creating proposals that have been successful with publishers.

This service will help you create a clear and succinct proposal to give your manuscript the best chance of catching the attention of a  publisher.

You will be given guidelines for a proposal and the final draft will be polished during the consultation.

Time: 2 hours
Cost: $200
 

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Speech Writing

Imagine having your retirement or birthday speech written by a professional writer.

Imagine having a professional help you write a eulogy that speaks eloquently of a loved one.

Imagine having a published author write a short story of your life to give to your family.

If you need a speech written for a workplace presentation, to present your idea, expertise or the lowdown on your hobby to an audience of friends, colleagues, fellow enthusiasts, or (gulp) strangers – then it may help to work with a professional writer to create exactly what you need to say. 

Consultations can be done in person or over the telephone.

Cost:  Will depend on the length of the project you want completed.  An average-length speech will usually be completed within a 2 hour consultation and would cost around $200.

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Shute the Messenger, PR gun for hire, can get you and your book in the media and talked about.

Its founder, Carmel Shute, will read your book, ask you about your life, and come up with a strategy to get you the exposure you want. This may involve:

• Developing an angle to promote your work. For example: you may be a woman pilot and your novel also features a woman pilot; you may be the only person in your town to have ever published a book; you didn’t start writing until you were 60; you were inspired to write your crime novel because you found a body on the beach; your book is the first to ever…
• Writing and disseminating media releases, your photo and other info to a wide range of media, including literary columns, magazines and websites, radio programs (both literary and general, television (including talk and life-style programs), social media and other sites
• Organising media coverage, interviews and/or events (Shute he Messenger has excellent contacts in the literary media and world)
• Giving advice on how to improve your website and things you can do to promote yourself and your books – like talks to local libraries, Probus groups, literary festivals; utilising local media and community radio

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Design & Desktop Publishing

Some of our consultants have also been known to do a little book and magazine design and dtp.

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Web Design

Some of our consultants have also been known to do some website design and building, including online bookshops, ways to interact with your readers and attract new readers, sites as simple or as extensive as you require.

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Why would we want to do this?

Authors are always being asked: where do you get your ideas, how did you get published, where do you write. These questions, usually asked by readers and sometimes by other writers, are easy enough to answer. What’s more, we’re always happy to share our stories from the writing and publishing garrets and trenches over dinner, on writers’ panels, at book launches and in our blogs.
 
But, authors are also always being asked for help: –

• from people who don’t write, but who have a story to tell;
• from people who want to write, but don’t know how to start;
• from writers – and even other authors – seeking advice on their non-fiction projects;
• from writers – and other authors – who need help knocking their novels into shape;
• from writers and authors who need an editor or proofreader for their last draft;
• and from published authors who need a publicist.

While this kind of help is something we’d like to just share, the truth is we can’t afford to.

This type of help requires time; and, as you no doubt know, time is – well, yes it is money –  but more importantly for writers, time is precious.  

Mentoring and editing and telling the world about you, takes time away from our own writing; and whatever other jobs we do in order to support our writing life. Unless, of course, the mentoring, editing and publicity is the thing we do to support our own writing.

So here we are at the Clan Destine Writers’ Consultancy Service.