Author Services
Special Services for Self-Published Authors
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Are you self-publishing your own book? Whether it's your first self-published book or one of many, authors these days know that writing is just the beginning. Amalgamated Story is here to help.
"Amalgamate" means "bring it all together" and that's what we can do for authors who want to get their books ready for self-publishing. It's a big advantage to have someone helping you who understands all the elements of your book: the content, the purpose, the audience, the design requirements, and all the little details that go into getting your book in front of your readers. |
[Amalgamated Story] provides solutions |
Do you need some help putting your ideas into words? Amalgamated Story has the creativity and expertise to help you tell your story the way you want it told. When I write for another author, I use your research, your outline, your ideas, and your voice to create a final product that lets you shine through. Or we can start from the very beginning, with an interview and my research, and I can write the book for you, in your voice, and approved by you at every step of the way. Learn more on the Writing & Ghostwriting Services page.
Editing
Editing helps you be sure you’ve said what you meant to say and that your audience will get the message you intend. No matter how good a writer you are, everyone needs an editor. Even professional editors work with other editors when they're writing! Nobody can find all their own mistakes or read their own writing from another point of view. (Think of your editor as the good friend who tells you when you have spinach in your teeth. You might not be glad to hear it, but aren't you glad to know?)
There are several levels of editing. If you're in the planning stages, a developmental edit can help you figure out what to include, what to leave out, and how to organize everything. Line editing helps you write your best sentences and paragraphs. Or you may be far enough along to skip right to copy editing to catch all those pesky grammatical and punctuation errors. Just visit my Editing page to learn more and figure out what kind of editing you need.
There are several levels of editing. If you're in the planning stages, a developmental edit can help you figure out what to include, what to leave out, and how to organize everything. Line editing helps you write your best sentences and paragraphs. Or you may be far enough along to skip right to copy editing to catch all those pesky grammatical and punctuation errors. Just visit my Editing page to learn more and figure out what kind of editing you need.
Meet Publishers Specs
Print-on-demand (POD) and traditional publishers each have their own requirements for the books they print, including standard specifications for sizes, margins, bleeds, fonts, spines, image sizes, etc. etc. If you don't really know what all of that means, don't worry! Amalgamated Story has the publication experience to determine what your formatting requirements will be for the publisher you plan to use. If you change your mind and want to use a different publisher, Amalgamated Story can reformat your book to meet the new specs.
Book Cover
Of course people judge books by their covers! Your book cover needs to catch your reader's attention, but different types of books need very different covers to do that job. Amalgamated Story can design your fiction or nonfiction book cover so it tells the story of what the reader will find inside. Make them want to open the book and discover what you have to share with them! If your cover needs an illustration, we can either create one or find the right illustrator for you.
Click here to learn more about Amalgamated Story's book design options.
Print-on-demand (POD) and traditional publishers each have their own requirements for the books they print, including standard specifications for sizes, margins, bleeds, fonts, spines, image sizes, etc. etc. If you don't really know what all of that means, don't worry! Amalgamated Story has the publication experience to determine what your formatting requirements will be for the publisher you plan to use. If you change your mind and want to use a different publisher, Amalgamated Story can reformat your book to meet the new specs.
Book Cover
Of course people judge books by their covers! Your book cover needs to catch your reader's attention, but different types of books need very different covers to do that job. Amalgamated Story can design your fiction or nonfiction book cover so it tells the story of what the reader will find inside. Make them want to open the book and discover what you have to share with them! If your cover needs an illustration, we can either create one or find the right illustrator for you.
Click here to learn more about Amalgamated Story's book design options.
Are you writing a book of funny anecdotes and want pictures that will keep things light? Do you need figures and tables to convey your business ideas? Are you self-publishing a children's story but need the right illustrator? Excellent illustration helps tell your story visually. Amalgamated Story can make sure your illustrations are helping to tell your story—not distracting from it. We pride ourselves on finding, developing, or creating the right visuals to go with your fiction or nonfiction book. That might be drawings, cartoons, photographs, graphics, diagrams—you name it.
Publishing
When your book is ready to submit to your traditional or print-on-demand publisher, Amalgamated Story can help here, too. Sometimes this is a straightforward process and as long as your files meet all of the publisher's specification requirements, you can take it from there. But if you run into a snag, Amalgamated Story has the experience to get it straightened out for you. We can help you through any bumps in the process, because we've been through it, too.
Take a look at the books we've published!
Take a look at the books we've published!
End with Proofreading
Proofreading is the crucial final step in the self-publishing process. Once your book is ready to publish, any reputable POD publisher will recommend that you order a proofing copy. This may be a physical copy or it may be a PDF. Send that proofing copy to Amalgamated Story, and we will not only proofread the contents to find any remaining text errors, issues with line- and page breaks, dropped words or letters, etc.. For physical books, we will also check that there are no new issues with the book itself, such as problems with the spine, the margins, the color, the paper, and all the other things you can't see in a PDF.
