It’s happening! You’re doing it!

We’re so excited that you’ve decided to give us a test drive. Once you submit this form, we’ll email you within two business days. If you don’t receive an email from someone at ruffdraft.pub (remember to check your spam filter), feel free to check in.

First, we’ll set up a quick consultation to get to know you, using Google Meet or Skype, whichever you prefer.

• What is your vision for this book?
• What is your target audience?
• How and when do you plan to publish?
• What are your concerns about your book or about the editing and publishing process?
• What kinds of dog treats do you think Karou likes best?

After the consultation call, you’ll send us your writing sample as a Microsoft Word attachment. We request approximately five pages that you feel are representative of your book.

• For copyediting or proofreading service, please choose a sample that’s not in the first 10% of the book, because opening pages tend to be the cleanest and therefore don’t accurately exemplify a full manuscript’s grammar, style, and syntax.
• For developmental editing, please send your first five pages, as we can show you how we can help you improve both overarching and deep-dive aspects of your book, and much of that is critical to capture in the opening of a novel, like the reader hook, inciting incident, pacing, world-building, and more.

After RUFF! receives your writing sample, we will edit those pages within five business days. The edit will allow you to get a feel for our style and see if we’re a good fit. We’ll likely include both technical and substantive edits, explaining our reasoning for each. Remember, our role as your editor is to suggest improvements, not to force changes. You’re the boss and always have the freedom to guide us in how you want us to work.

The edit will be completed using Microsoft Word change tracking (see instructions here; if you’re unfamiliar with the process, our editor will walk you through it during your feedback call).

We’ll set up another call with you to deliver our feedback and recommendations based on the sample. You’ll have some time to look over the sample before that call. We want to hear what you like and dislike about the edit, as well as your needs, concerns, and deadlines.

We’ll share our expectations if we decide to work together and let you know when our next calendar openings are available. (We are sometimes booked out three to six months in advance.)

If you’re happy and want to proceed, we’ll agree on the type of editing for your book, the timeline, and the fixed rate for your invoice.

Once you pay 50% of the invoice via PayPal to initiate the project and we both sign our standard contract, we’ll get rolling!

That’s the whole process. Nothing too fancy or complicated, always designed with your satisfaction at the center of it all.

We look forward to being your manuscript’s new best friend!