eBook Formatting, Research and Editing for the Rest of Us

Formatting your document for fast, easy eBook publishing.

Fast, professional eBook formatting, priced with the indie author in mind. I can format your manuscript for:

• Kindle,
• SmashWords,
• Nook,
• PDF
• Kobo and or
• CreateSpace, Book Baby and Espresso

I will provide you a .doc, a .prc, a .mobi an .epub or a .pdf, along with the correctly sized .jpg for the cover. Turn around time depends upon the number of books I am doing that day. Yes, that day. Most are back to you in less than 24 hours. I live where the sailing season is short, so, the quickest turn around will be September through June, but If I am not out on Mystery, I will work in the summer as well. It is just that July and August might not be a one day turn around time. :)

Here is what I do with your work.

All work guaranteed!
You pay nothing until you are satisfied.
The finished price for formatting most books is less than $75.00!

I accept:

• Novels
• Short stories
• Others with consultation
• No porn please.

Formatting:

• I accept MS Word files in either .doc or .docx (Other formats "possible" - just ask (.pdf .rtf and others)
• I can produce a Kindle ready .prc file and a Kobo ready .epub or a Nook (B&N) ready .mobi for you to submit.
• I can produce a SmashWords ready .doc file for you to submit.
• This downloadable pdf "Formating your manuscript" can be helpful. If you have alrady done things that the pdf warns against - don't worry, I can fix most things. Use the list for your next work.

Hints

These will help if you are just starting to write your masterpiece. If you have it finished already - don't try to change it! I can remove the "offending" things quicker than you can. :)

• The hardest thing for most new eBook authors to understand is that an eBook is not a print paper book. There are no page numbers, fonts and font sizes are fluid and depend upon the reader, not upon you, the author, nor me, the formatter.
• Don't use tabs. They don't format. (If you are past this stage - don't waste your time taking them out. I will.)
• Keep font changes to a minimum and stick with the "normal" fonts - remember - it will be ground up by the publisher (Kindle, Nook etc.) when it is submitted and you can't use the cool fonts like "Brush Script" etc.
• I find the safest fonts for the web include:

  Arial, Arial Black, Comic Sans MS, Courier New, Georgia, Impact, Tahoma, Trebuchet MS, and Verdana - sorry, no Wingdings. My preference is Arial 11 - remember - eReaders can make it bigger or smaller at the owner's request. Also - Kindle displays it all as a courier type of font no matter what you do. They seem to use a sort of specialized proportional serif font.

• Don't insert forced page breaks - they are much easier for me to put in for Kindle than they are to take out for SmashWords. (Again - if you are past this stage - don't waste your time taking them out.)

Pricing:

• Work done is $35.00 an hour. I will give a free estimate on the number of hours when you submit the files to me.
• Most books for pure formatting (no editing, no spell checking etc.) take two hours or less. You pay only for the time it takes me.
• Prices are in US dollars.

Compare pricing here: http://www.52novels.com/pricing/

Covers: I will, of course, check your cover to ensure it is formatted for SmashWords, Kindle, Kobo and Nook. They are now require 1600 pixels wide x 2400 pixels tall. - (the old 500 pixels wide and 800 pixels tall, 72 dpi is no longer valid)

What to send me :

• Your edited book in MSWord format. (.doc or .docx).
• Your cover (.jpg 1600 pixels wide x 2400 pixels tall or larger).
• Your front stuff (see below).
• Your end stuff (see below) .
• Any dedications and or acknowledgements.
• Any special requests.

Payment:

• PayPal works best - talk to me about other formats.
• The money comes to me after you are happy. Not before.

Check list:

This is just a little check list to make sure you have sent me everything I need - as soon as I get it all I can start.

• The text of your book
• Your cover picture (.jpg - ideally 1600 pixels wide x 2400 pixels tall - if not I will reformat it for you if I can)
• Your "Front Stuff" - the stuff that comes before the story starts - it can be all part of one document - that is OK.
• Copyright Page (if you have anything out of the ordinary) - Example
• Dedication: - Example
• Your "End Stuff" - the stuff that comes after the story ends.
• About the Author - Example
• Other works by the author - Example
• Where to connect with the author - Example
• Maybe a chapter from the next book.

Downloadable Check List - this is important!

To see some of the books I have formatted, please look here: eBook Formatting by Rik

Research, Editing and Consulting

Research, editing and consulting are done at the same rates. And yes, I only bill actual hours spent.

Contact me

Rik's Personal Pages