SERVICES.

Also referred to as structural editing, a developmental edit is a thorough and in-depth look at your entire manuscript. It’s a “big picture” evaluation of all elements of your writing, from single words and phrases to overall structure and style. It can address plot holes or gaps, problematic characterization, and other organizational issues.

After a round of developmental editing, your book can change substantially; for inexperienced writers, accepting direct and honest feedback can be a difficult experience. Much of what you have spent many weeks, months, or even years writing can be cut, shaped, moved, or heavily criticized, but bear in mind at the end of the day, it’s your book and vision, and the edits are merely professional suggestions.

After this stage, your book will be ready for copy editing.

After you’re generally happy with your book’s overall organization and story, it’s time for the copy-editing process. A copy edit is a line-by-line, word-by-word look at the grammatical, structural, and syntax of your book. Repetition, tense issues, subject-verb agreement, clarity, and other issues are scrutinized by our team of editors. This highly technical process ensures your book is void of error and makes for a smooth and enjoyable experience for your readers. Keep in mind, that during this phase, you can expect 90-98% of errors to be found and addressed.

With Albatross, you can expect to receive a manuscript that has been tediously combed through like a “Karen” reading HOA rules.

After this stage, your book will be formatted and then ready for proofreading.

Contrary to popular belief, copy editing and proofreading are not the same thing. Typically, proofreading is done after a book is formatted or even post printing. Usually, the publisher will print only a handful of books (aptly named “proofs”) to be edited once more before mass printing to check for quality, last-minute mistakes, missing pages or images, etc.

Even if you’re not planning on mass production of your book, it’s always a good idea to have it re-read once more before uploading it for final publishing. Sometimes, errors don’t catch your eye until you have a physical book in hand. This phase can find the last 5-10% of errors missed in the other editing phases.

After this stage, your book will most likely be ready for publishing!

Arguably the most important aspect of your book project. Everyone says don’t judge a book by its cover. But let’s be real… most people do. Covers are the first impression of your work. Make them stand out against the competition! Fully customized, high-end book covers for paperback or hardback books according to your vision and preferences that are ready for print. Fully customized front/back cover typesetting and spine included. We can accommodate any specialized design for your cover such as dust jackets, spot-UV coating, leatherbound, etc… Sky’s the limit!

A popular addition to your print cover, an eBook or audiobook cover will be specially sized and formatted for various platforms and ready for uploading. Expand your reach by offering multiple ways to engage with your book.

Not just for children’s books, custom illustrations can encompass editorial, covers, chapter headings, branding, and more and can give your book a polished and professional look. Don’t get us wrong, we also LOVE doing children’s books!

The book has been made, so what now? And how can you spread the news about your masterpiece?

We can provide live uploading assistance, book launch websites, 3D book mock-ups, a pack of post-ready social media graphics, and more to ensure you have all the tools you need to get the word out about your book to the masses.

Could you technically just left justify your manuscript in Microsoft Word and call it a day… yes… but should you? Probably not.

Having your book professionally formatted takes into account the audience, genre, and tone of your work. The spacing, font choice, chapter headings, table of contents, and even page numbers can be customized to match your cover, vision, and preferences. Interior formatting accounts for industry-standard margins, gutters, and file type/size and assures your interior will not only be professional quality, but darn good-looking and ready to be uploaded to any printer you choose!

Ebooks need to be specially formatted to ensure they are readable and look pretty on any device. Approximately 52% of Americans use an e-reader of some kind, whether that be a mobile, tablet, or other devices. If you’re going to self-publish, it might be a good idea to have your book available both in print and eBook to reach the most readers.

Ebooks will not look the same as their print counterparts in that both the fonts, sizing, and image placement among other things, need to be accounted for to ensure maximum readability and to allow users to change and adjust to their needs as they read.

ARC’s, or Advanced Reader Copies, are frequently used by authors to be sent to beta readers, endorsers, editors, reviewers, friends, publishers, and/or small independent bookstores to secure presales, advertise your book or get feedback before your book goes live.

The book will be formatted as an interactive PDF that includes the front and back cover, and all front matter and can include a watermark or other label to keep your book from being misprinted. You will also have a clickable table of contents for ease of reading and all hyperlinks included within your manuscript will be valid.

You’re book is done, you have the files… now what? We can provide live uploading assistance, via Zoom or phone call to help guide you through the uploading process at any printer of your choosing. Sites like Amazon’s KDP, Lulu, 48hr Books, and IngramSpark can be confusing and require a bit of a learning curve, especially for first-time authors. Let us take the guesswork out for you and walk you through it while offering on-the-spot troubleshooting should something unexpected pop up along the way. In some instances, we can even upload for you.

It’s one thing to see your book’s cover flat on a screen, but seeing it as a 3D, upright book takes it to a whole new dimension! Having a set of social media posts tailored to your book’s branding will help you promote your book and build hype around your launch. Great for pre-sales, announcements, and posting book reviews.

We also offer a promotional package that will get your book posted to some great review sites such as NetGalley and Goodreads.

If you’re not using a free ISBN assigning service such as Amazon’s KDP or Ingramspark, we can show you other options to maximize your publishing rights/freedom/ability to sell with your own ISBN. If you need assistance creating barcodes, you guessed it, we can do that too.