Polish and Publish Services

• How does Polish & Publish Work?

  Polish and Publish is a service for aspiring authors who have had a first stab at their manuscript and either need some help to get it into shape, or to finish the book with the required number of words. This is not to say you can't write, but writing an entire book is a fine art and sometimes it helps to bring in a fresh pair of eyes.

  In Polish and Publish, trained writers will professionally edit your work, add material where required and generally get the manuscript into the best possible structure for your market.

  This service can work for aspiring authors on many levels, such as when you have:

  Started and got stuck. Many of us begin a book with enthusiasm, but lose steam along the way, or write ourselves into a corner. You may have a change of heart, or feel that the message doesn't seem to be coming across very well. Professional Ghost will kick-start the manuscript and help you get back on track.

  Finished, but are not happy. You've made great progress and have up to 80,000 words of copy, but it just doesn't seem to flow quite as you'd hoped. Professional Ghost's writers will be able to give you an opinion on what has been written to date and some options to get things into shape.

  Been told it is 'not quite there'. Perhaps you're in the envious position of having some interest from a publisher, yet when you've presented some work have been told it is 'not quite there'. Professional Ghost will review the publisher's requirements and re-align your work, so everyone is happy.

  The best way to get started is for Professional Ghost to review your manuscript so its trained writers can give you advice on how to improve the copy and get it into the very best shape. Generally, this will entail creating a detailed chapter-by-chapter plan of how a revised book would look, which may include a new structure entirely. This doesn't mean your material will be dispensed with altogether, sometimes it is simply a case of changing things around a little.

  Professional Ghost can then either coach you through your own re-writing of the final stages of the book, or can provide bespoke writing services to finish it off to the best effect.

• How Much does it Cost?

  No two ghost writing projects are the same. The topic, its complexity, the amount of research required and the length of the book all contribute to the cost.

  To make things easier in the first instance, fees for the Polish and Publish service are broken down into several stages. The first stage is the detailed chapter-by-chapter plan, upon which the book will be restructured. This is charged at a flat fee of £2,000.

  The new structure will be used as a basis to quote for the additional fees required for the ghost to either write the book into the new shape, or coach the writer to write it themselves with a final edit and polish by the ghost.

  The final outlay to consider is publishing. If you have already secured a publishing contract, for example, a proportion of the ghosting fees will be paid for out of the advance. So providing you have a good book contract, the majority of the money for Polish and Publish will come from your publisher and not you.

  If there is not a publisher on board, the chapter by chapter plan produced during this process can be used as part of a book proposal to approach publishers. Professional Ghost will charge a fee to develop it into a full proposal and if a publisher is secured, this fee could again be deducted from the subsequent advance.

  The alternative is to consider a self publishing option. Again, Professional Ghost can help through its PG Press publishing subsidiary and further information on this service can be gained from the publishing section of the website.

  The best way to get an estimate for a specific project is to contact Professional Ghost and ask for a quote.

• How do I get published?

  You may have been lucky enough to be approached by a commercial publisher with a view to telling your story, but this is highly unusual. The alternative, if you wish to see your book in print, is to either develop a proposal to the stage where it will be considered by a publisher, or to self publish.

  If you wish to go down the traditional route, you will need a book proposal with a detailed chapter breakdown and at least three sample chapters. Professional Ghost is able to provide advice and guidance on publishers to approach and subsequent negotiations. Further more, Professional Ghost principal Teena Lyons is represented by the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency, one of the UK's leading non-fiction literary agencies, who will provide valuable guidance and experience to help get suitable projects off the ground.

  Alternatively, you may be considering self-publishing your story which is increasingly being seen as a fast and cost effective route to market and may even secure greater returns. Professional Ghost can assist with self publishing through its subsidiary PG Press.

  PG Press offers a range of pay-as-you-go services to get your book through the editing stage, through design and production, into printing and to its eventual launch. It can also offer the services of specialist illustrators, graphic designers and photographers, as required. Ebook versions of your manuscript can also be created and submitted to the major eBook retailers.

  For more detailed information please see the PG Press section of this website.