Answers, organised so you can find yours

Yes: most of the people we speak to are publishing for the first time. We explain the process in plain language and will not push you toward services you do not need.

Send a sample of your manuscript, roughly 5,000 to 10,000 words, along with your total word count and a short description of the book. That starts the editorial assessment.

Talk to us anyway. Depending on where you are up to, that might mean a manuscript assessment, developmental editing, or ghostwriting support to help you finish the draft.

No. If a manuscript needs more work than the author wants to invest, or a project sits outside what we can do well, we say so at assessment rather than take the work regardless.

Editing happens before design and can involve substantial change: structure, pacing, sentence-level rewriting. Proofreading happens after typesetting and is a light final check for errors that survived everything before. See our full comparison on the professional editing page.

That is what the assessment determines. We read a sample and recommend developmental, structural, line or copy editing based on what the draft actually needs, including when that is less than expected.

Yes, by default, using the Macquarie Dictionary as our reference. We can work to a different standard if your project specifically requires it.

It should not. Editing is delivered in tracked changes with comments, and you accept, reject or query each one. A competent edit clarifies your voice rather than replacing it.

Yes: genre research, concepts shown at thumbnail and full size, two included revision rounds, and full print and ebook files delivered at the end.

Yes, as two separate builds from the same edited manuscript. A print interior is fixed-page; an ebook reflows to the reader's screen. See the book formatting page for the detail.

You own the finished cover and receive all production files. Any licensed stock elements remain under their original licence, which we document for you.

Yes. We are a services company, not a rights-acquiring publisher. You keep copyright throughout, and the specific terms are set out in your service agreement.

No. Agents matter for pitching traditional publishers who do not take unagented submissions. Independent publishing has no such gatekeeping.

Typically three to six months from assessment to a live listing for a standard-length manuscript in reasonable shape. Developmental editing or illustrated books extend that. Your quote includes a schedule.

Yes. Many authors register their own imprint and ISBN block so they are listed as publisher of record. We can set the project up either way.

Yes: paperback as standard, hardcover where the specification supports it, through print-on-demand or a short offset run depending on the quantities you need.

Print-on-demand produces one copy per order with no upfront cost or stock holding, at a higher per-unit price. A short run costs more upfront but has a lower per-copy cost, better suited to events, speaking or direct sales.

Yes, always. A physical proof is the only reliable way to check cover colour, spine alignment, margins and paper feel before the book goes on sale.

Yes. Amazon KDP handles Kindle and print-on-demand paperbacks, and titles appear on the Amazon Australia storefront as well as internationally. We can set this up in your name so royalties come to you directly.

Yes: account setup, metadata, categories, keywords, pricing and the technical upload are all part of our publishing and marketing services.

We cannot guarantee that, and no publisher honestly can: retailers make their own stocking decisions. What we ensure is that your book is properly listed and orderable through the trade via IngramSpark.

Yes: positioning, listing optimisation, launch planning and author brand assets. We will not promise sales figures, rankings or bestseller status, because nobody can honestly guarantee those.

We do not arrange, purchase or encourage paid reviews or review swaps: they breach retailer terms and put your account at risk. We can help you approach reviewers and outlets appropriately.

You do, throughout and afterwards. We provide services on your manuscript; we do not acquire rights, take a royalty percentage, or hold your title in a catalogue.

Yes. Work is invoiced by stage, so you keep and can take elsewhere anything already completed and paid for.

It depends on word count, the level of editing required, design complexity and which services you choose. We quote per project after reading a sample rather than publishing a fixed price list.

Not fixed tiers: every quote is itemised and built on your manuscript. See the packages page for how quoting actually works.

Three to six months is typical for a standard manuscript, from assessment to a live listing. Your quote carries a schedule specific to your book.

Tell us upfront (a launch date, an event, a personal deadline) and we will tell you honestly whether it is achievable and what would need to happen to meet it.

Through the manuscript submission page, with a sample, your word count, genre and a short description. You can upload a file directly.

Yes. Submitted material is treated as confidential and used only to assess and quote your project.

An editor reads your sample and we come back with a written assessment and an itemised quote, typically within five to ten business days.