LoneTree Publishing Agency P. O. Box 566 Logan, OH 43138-0566 www.LoneTreePubAgency.com e-mail: prione@lonetreepubagency.com

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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Why do I need an Agent?

What do you charge to agent my book?

How much are Reading Fees?

Do I need a copyright?

What are the costs beyond the Basic Start-up Fee?

What if I've written a short story, screenplay, or something else?

What length should my story be?

Do I need an Editor?

What is "Agented 'Big House' Publishing"?

What is Short Run (POD) Publishing?

What will additional copies of my book cost?

What if my manuscript is handwritten or on audio tape?

What is "FictionAnalyzer"

Why do I need an Agent?

Many “Big House” publishers today no longer accept unagented works. In the past, these publishers hired “interns,” summer help from local colleges and universities, to read the incoming manuscripts, picking from what might be hundreds in a “slush pile.” Rising costs and decreasing book sales have caused publishers to quit this practice, instead they rely most often on agents to provide the first reading and subsequent publishing recommendations. They depend on agents, too, to return unsuitable manuscripts to the author.

Our agents present your MS to as many publishers as possible. Like us, publishers usually expect to see at least the first 30 pages and a synopsis.

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What do you charge to agent my book?

Agent costs are variable. These are negotiated once an agent agrees to handle an MS. Generally, when you are accepted as a client, your contract will specify that, when your book is sold to a “Big House” publisher, we will charge 10% of the first $10,000 you, the author, receive for any product sold, and 5% for all above that. For foreign sales we collect 15% of all sales. We also charge for all incidental costs (mailings, copying, and so on). For this we ask a fee of $250 up front. If your book is successful in the marketplace, this cost will be returned to you from our percentage of the royalties.

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How much are Reading Fees?

We do not charge for our initial reading and evaluation. Review our Submission Guidelines before sending us your manuscript (MS). If our evaluation is favorable, we will request to see the remaining pages (if you haven't already sent them). Otherwise, the MS will be returned with a critique covering what is believed necessary to make the MS publishable. This critique will usually be limited to general observations, although detailed suggestions may be included.

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Do I need a copyright?

When you write your work on paper or into an electronic media (computer disc, etc.), your work is legally copyrighted on that date. When you sign a contract with us, this becomes another official document dating your work. When your work is printed, this provides yet another dateline for your copyright. We believe in letting the major publishing house provide the funds for copyrighting your work officially. Until such a house accepts your work for publication, the data we provide will suffice for proof of creation date and, thus, copyright validity. We will be happy to have your work copyrighted, but, as noted before, this is an additional expense. We do NOT currently recommend spending the extra money until your book is accepted for major publication. (The Copyright Office is testing electronic submissions. This will reduce the cost to the cost they charge, doing away with copy and mailing charges. Unfortunately, this is not yet available to the large majority.)

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What are the costs beyond the basic fees?

Possible additional charges:

1. Incidental costs. Noted in "What do you charge to agent my book" above, these costs cover postage, paper, and ink costs, as well as telephone calls to publishers, printers, and so on. Reminder: you also pay for all book shipping except that incurred in the first shipping!

2. Costs for custom work. If you wish a custom cover using a particular scene, this will add cost, even if you provide the photographic material. Reminder: photos from books, magazines, calendars, newspapers, and even the Internet are copyrighted and cannot legally be used without permission from the copyright holder!

3. Revision costs. Our printer charges us each time we give them a revision to either a cover or the internal print block of a book. If you cause the revision, we pass these charges on to you. You will receive a copy of your work, printer-ready, prior to printing. You may make minor corrections to this document without cost.

4. Transcription fees. Refer to "What if my manuscript is handwritten or on audio tape?" below for costs. Documents that do not come by e-mail, are typewritten (double-spaced, one side of paper only), or are hand-written will require transcription into something more readable prior to acceptance. We DO accept electronic media, such as CD-ROM discs, with your files in Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect, without charge.

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What if I've written a short story, screenplay, or something else?

We accept all genres and formats; we will read (or listen to) anything you send us. We can give you an evaluation of your work, no matter what. However, it is usually not cost effective for us to act as agents for short stories or magazine articles, which is why we tend to favor books and screenplays. A collection of short stories, though, would be worth consideration, as might be a series of articles on a single subject or a series of sermons by a clergyman. For short stories and magazine articles, we prefer that you have a market in mind when you submit your work. Please include at least the broad market description with your work or, in the least, name a magazine or two or other productions where you feel your work will fit. We will not turn anything away, unless we are flatly unable to give time to your work due to other circumstances.

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What length should my story be?

The following table provides a listing of common submission types and their size limits. Your word processor should have a function that counts the words in your document. Please don't tell us you have a book when it's only eight pages long. (8 pages at an average of 250 words per page is only 2,000 words!)

We generally look for documents in the area of 60,000 to 90,000 words. These classify as "novels" and will produce a book near 300 pages in length. Juvenile books, for the most part, fall at the 25,000 to 40,000 word level. Final length is up to you, the author. If it takes 200,000 words to tell your story, then so be it. Look at the wide range of words for various book styles above; even the limits given there are not absolute, but they are good guidelines for starting writers!

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Do I need an Editor?

“Big House” publishers today want to receive manuscripts (MSS) that have been skillfully edited. Many books are available to help authors edit their own works (see "FictionAnalyzer" below), but publishers and agents will often return MSS that don’t “make the grade” without providing comment or recommendations. Another pair of eyes is needed; every author, intimate with his own work, gets to the point where he can no longer see errors. As the "first reader" of your work, we provide that extra pair of eyes. If editing beyond simple punctuation and spelling is needed, you will find an outside editor is a necessity. Often writers employ friends or teachers to "edit" their works. Such "editing" is usually limited to "copy-editing" (correcting spelling and punctuation, i.e. proof-reading) and NOT to the correction and enhancement of the word pictures the author needs to paint for the reader. Story elements such as consistency of time, place, or characterization are quite often missed by such "editors."

We have an editing service available to us. You may, of course, choose your own editor, although, again, we suggest a "real" editor, not a family member or friend, as these people will usually tell you just what they think you want to hear. Our editing service provides the following:

A. Figures given are per page, based on double-spaced pages of about 250 words each. Your submission to any editor should include your full manuscript, including all title pages, and your synopsis.

B. Charges:

1. Minimal editing: Punctuation/spelling/minor verb-subject matching/placing MS in proper format . . . . . $ .50/page

2. Basic editing (above plus sentence/word organization) . . . . . $1.00/page

3. Detailed line editing/rewriting/extensive reorganization . . . . . $2.00/page

4. Critiques (beyond initial MS submission), letters to author or editors/publishers, etc. . . . . . $2.00/page

5. “Ghost writing” (complete rewrite) . . . . . Determined by extent; negotiated in advance for each work . . . . . up to $4.00/page

6. Synopsis: (Most writers hate to write a synopsis, yet writing one forces the writer to do a detailed evaluation of his/her own work.) Up to 6 pages, flat fee . . . . . $20.00

C. The charges above apply equally to all rewrites and reedits of the same MS when you make additional changes, additions, etc.

An editing invoice will be prepared and sent to you each month for balances greater than $10, otherwise the invoice will be sent when your balance due exceeds $10 or the end of each quarter, whichever is sooner. The invoice is due in full upon receipt. Invoices will include all fees and expenses incurred during the covered time period.

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What is "Agented 'Big House' Publishing"?

The preferred method of publication is through a “Big House” publisher. They take the risks for you, putting up the money and providing distribution to bookstores. You receive an advance against sales (see below) when the book is ready. But most “Big House” publishers won’t accept your manuscript (MS) today unless it’s sent to them by an agent.

When we act as your agents, we provide the first reading of your MS. As with the “Big House” publishers, your MS may be returned if deemed unsuitable, poorly written/organized, in the improper format, or for a variety of other reasons. Unlike most other agents and publishing house editors, however, we will provide a critique and let you know where we stand regarding your MS. If editing is warranted, we will offer the services of our editing group or you may choose to go elsewhere. (See "Do you need an editor?" above.) NOTE: Transcriptions of handwritten or taped works, with placement on paper/disk in the proper format, are available for a fee. This is needed prior to editing. (See the section on "What if my manuscript is handwritten or on audio tape?" below.

With a suitably finished MS, and a signed contract, we make copies and send them to publishers with our recommendations.

IMPORTANT NOTE: An “advance” is generally given when a book is published by a “Big House” publisher. This is an advance against royalties from sales. If your book does not sell enough copies to provide the royalties given in your advance, you may be required to pay back the loss. Do not spend your advance until you are assured of having the money free and clear! This is true no matter who publishes your book!

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What is Short Run (POD) Publishing?

It is extremely difficult today to break into the “Big House” publishing system. It often seems that only famous names get published, even though many would-be authors produce works that might otherwise be salable. Other manuscripts are intended for small audiences and, as such, are not suitable for “Big House” publication. Some authors successfully self-publish, but this requires expertise in all the various aspects of publishing, from formatting the printed page to providing all the elements required in a cover. The solution for these other authors is Short Run (or POD) Publishing. (NOTE: The main difference between Short Run and POD publishing is that Short Run usually requires a set run of 100 books while POD publishing prints 50 or fewer books at first, then will print just the number of copies you need after that initial printing. One POD company will print just one (1) copy, if that is all you want! We provide this service automatically, producing ten copies of your book for you and other copies for us to use as needed to present to "Big House" publishers.)

We will gladly act as your Short Run/POD publisher (or you can submit your MS to another company). Unlike many other Short Run and POD publishers, however, we provide basic editing (commonly called copy-editing) prior to printing. As noted, you will be given a chance to approve this editing. Even so, you'll find we can produce your MS at a cost lower than most Short Run/POD publishers, including the editing, cover design, printing and binding.

In Short Run publishing, you are not only the author, but you are also the distributor for your books. (If copyright is desired, it will be in your name; therefore you also keep the copyright.) There are some distribution networks available but these are an additional cost (we include the INGRAM-Baker distribution option for free). We are also experimenting with other types of author-oriented distribution, including e-books, CD-ROMs with MP3 or MP4 format, etc.; you, as the author, will be offered the various methods we find useful.

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What will additional copies of my book cost?

Book costs, excluding shipping, to customer beyond the basic fees are listed below:

To find your estimated cost per book, use the number of pages in your finished manuscript, including all title pages. Final page count will be determined by line spacing, font, and font size, and will usually be less than your manuscript count, but this number will give you a figure with which to work. REMEMBER: This is ONLY an estimate!

Quantity discounts are available starting with an order of 101 books. Contact us for your specific needs.

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What if my manuscript is handwritten or on audio tape?

Prior to an agent, editor or publisher reading or editing your manuscript, it must be placed in a proper format. In the very least, it needs to be typed, double-spaced, on 8 1/2" by 11" paper (copy paper works fine) on only one side of the paper. It will then need to be converted into an electronic file that can be presented to our printer.

We have successfully transcribed works from handwritten tablet paper and from taped dictation. The standard fee for this effort is $1.50 per typed page. The page count is taken from the finished manuscript. Many factors can be involved in this effort; as such, each project will need to be negotiated individually, with the price being adjusted up or down to fit the situation. The price given is simply for the transcription (typing or keyboarding) service. It does not include any other service, except the basic editing (correcting spelling and punctuation) we do as we transcribe and reformat your work. Unless you contract with our editor service to do so, we will not rewrite your work to make it marketable; that is up to you as the author. We may make suggestions for changes as we review the manuscript, but it remains your choice to act on them.

Our desire is for you to present the best possible product. We can provide the services needed to ready your work for publication. Your manuscript will be returned following transcription so you can check it for correctness. Prior to all this, of course, your work will have been read (or listened to) by an agent or editor and an evaluation provided to you. This first reading and evaluation are free.

Your manuscript documents need to be as clear and clean as possible, particularly if they are handwritten. Though we have experience as high school and college instructors, we still occasionally find some handwriting beyond our ability to decipher.

If you send taped (oral) documents, please use either the small, Olympus-style tapes or regular cassette tapes. We also accept computer files such as MP3. Insert punctuation verbally, such as "period," "question mark," "quote," and "end quote." (We will handle paragraphing and other punctuation.)

We will type your manuscript, save it on a disk (generally in Adobe [pdf] format, unless you desire otherwise) and print a hard (paper) copy. We will include the proper cover sheets, headers and footers. Possible projects include all writing types, such as fiction novels, short stories, and poetry, and non-fiction materials such as lectures, class presentations, and so on. (See the list at "What length should my story be?" above. If your project isn't listed, please query us regarding your needs.)

We can also resize, convert, and add the required headers to computer-prepared manuscripts that are to be presented as self-published books, making them ready-to-print. (Such manuscripts could also start as either handwritten or taped documents.)

Whether submitting either through "snail mail" or e-mail, please include the following information in a cover letter:

Your name

Your street address

Your city, state, zip

Your e-mail address

Type of manuscript (see below)

Number of pages (estimate, if taped)

Number of pictures or drawings included

Submission format (tape, handwritten, etc.)

The first three above (name, address, etc.) are necessary even if you are submitting by e-mail as they need to appear on the first page page of your finished document. Drawings and pictures need to be on separate sheets that can be scanned into a computer (unless they're already on disk or sent via e-mail); the manuscript should indicate where they should be inserted. Manuscript pages should be numbered consecutively using the page numbering function of your word processor!

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What is "FictionAnalyzer"?

"FictionAnalyzer" is a computer program currently under development. Similar programs address only business applications and are not truly pertinent to fiction writing. When completed, LoneTree Publishing Agency will use this program as part of its diagnostic tool kit to determine problems with manuscripts. The program is designed to provide grade level assessment of words in your document (useful if you're trying to write children's books), as well as checking for improper use of possessives, passive verbs, cliches, and numerous other writer errors. This program will soon be ready for Beta testing. Watch for future news!

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FINAL NOTES

We want to see new writers published. We also want to treat writers and published authors as we want to be treated. These activities do not provide our livelihood, so we can afford to be somewhat altruistic. We will try to make our help as painless and positive as possible.

If we cannot support your project at this time, due to time constraints or because we already have a backlog of projects, we will let you know as soon as possible so you may find another solution. Otherwise we will let you know our acceptance when we return your evaluation.

No matter what, we wish you Good Luck in your endeavors!

Click on prione@LoneTreePubAgency.com to e-mail us and let us know your needs.

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