The Basics
We provide basic editorial services, such as grammar and punctuation checks. We format documents using styles for the Crosstimbers imprint. We prepare documents for Kindle Direct Publishing. Sometimes we design covers. We make suggestions. Sometimes we try to teach authors stuff.
What you do
We expect the manuscripts to be relatively free of typographical and grammatical errors. We also expect that they will be in either DOC, DOCX, or Rich Text format, and will have used standard formatting.
In particular, they should be single spaced and, if you are using MS Word, with a paragraph ¶ at the end of each paragraph and not a line feed. Please do not use hard spaces for formatting things like paragraph indents, centering, or other effects. Please do not use tabs for paragraph indents or other aspects of formatting. Some of these are easy to fix with global substitutions, for example paragraphs replacing linefeeds. However, when linefeeds, tabs, and hard spaces are mixed, this can result in complex and time-consuming editorial changes that can’t be automated. In those cases, we may and likely will decline to edit the manuscript.
How we work
Since the manuscripts we see are either under serious considertation by Crosstimbers Publications or have been accepted for publication, they already show a solid grasp of the craft of writing effective fiction. Nonetheless, we may occassionally remark on elements of craft that may have escaped the author’s revision process. We will never re-write the author’s manuscript, although we may make suggestions.
In particular: