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IP Assess is geared to assist authors to refine promising work for publication.

Our assessors are qualified in-house and freelance professionals who work on projects in their fields of expertise. We pay our freelancers a premium fee for a premium service. Other asssessment services may charge less, but you generally get what you pay for.

You have several options with IP Assess:

A formal assessment

Inside Track Consultations

Mentoring

Assessments. These can be on a complete manuscript, or just a representative sample of your choosing. If you are interested in having us provide an assessment of your complete manuscript, send us a sample of about 10%, plus a synopsis of the work, with a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). Or you can email it to us. We only take on projects that we feel could be publishable following an assessment process. Please refer to our contacts page, for further information.

Assessors and clients work by email on digital copies of the work. Microsoft Word, iWorks Pages, and Adobe Acrobat Reader are recommended packages for ensuring a smooth workflow between the assessor and client.

Assessors provide clients with an overview report of about four pages, identifying big picture issues that need to be addressed. They also provide specific suggestions and examples of how to revise throughout the manuscript. Once the report is sent to the client, the assessor is available by email to clarify points raised in the report.

A proper assessment can take 2-3 days or more to complete, and IP is committed to fairly compensating its assessors for the work they do for their clients.

Fees (GST inclusive) for the assessment depend on the genre of the work, but the following schedule will give you a general idea of what you can expect to pay. Documents should be submitted to us as an atttachment in Microsoft Word, Pages or Adobe Acrobat and emailed to us with IP Assess as your subject:

* short report (all genres): $299
* poetry manuscript < 64 pages: $549
* poetry manuscripts > 64 pages: $549 + $120 for each 20 pages over 64
* fiction or non-fiction < 10,000 words: $495 <fiction or non-fiction > 10,000 words: $495 + $120 per 10,000 words or fraction
* scripts: $495 for one act; $295 for each additional act

We tend to recommend that most authors ask for a Short Report initially. You send us your full manuscript, which our assessors look at selectively. We've found that the concerns our assessors find in those representative samples often extend to the entire work. You receive a 2-4 page report focussing on "big picture" issues – positives as well as areas needing improvement – with some examples to direct your revisions. You can then save yourself money by applying these suggestions to the rest of your project. For more information about Short Reports have a read of Senior Editor Lauren Daniel's advice on them and the testimonials in the right hand column on this page.

If you are a full-time student or are on a pension and can supply proof of your status, we offer a 25% discount on our assessment services.

Inside Track Consultations (ITCs) are another good way to jump the queue and get your manuscript ready for publication. When on tour, our Director Dr David Reiter, offers to meet with prospective authors for 30 minutes or an hour to discuss the best way forward with their manuscript. You'll need a thick skin because he'll call as he sees it. You needn't be intending to send the manuscript to IP, but of course that could be a possibility if he sees it as promising. The cost for ITCs is $75 / 30 minutes or $140 / 1 hour (GST-inclusive).

ITSs are also available via email on request. You'll need to send a synopsis of your work, a covering letter outlining what you're hoping to achieve in the consultation, and a sample of the work (two-three chapters of a prose work, an Act of a play, or 10-12 poems). You can request for the ITC to be handled via email, Skype or by phone (you call us at an appointed time).

Mentoring Services. Sometimes authors welcome feedback on their project over a sustained period of time rather than a single snapshot assessment. This way, you work on an issue at a time. It's possible to begin with an assessment, like a Short Report, to identify the issues that need to be worked on and then sign up for a mentorship with IP. We offer mentoring in blocks of 10 hours, which includes the mentor's reading of the manuscript, provision of feedback and follow-up with you. The cost for the first 10 hours is $995; subsequent blocks of 10 hours cost $795.

Want to go DIGITAL? Check out our new Digital Publishing Centre to see how your book can be economically published on the Kindle Reader, the iPad or the other new eBook Readers out there!

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Updated 20 February 2012

Testimonials

Thanks IP for doing a 'first read' on my early manuscript. It put me
on track to pull together the story that was in there somewhere. I
took a lot of the advice and completed my first novel and I've just
been invited by Dymocks of Carindale to do a launch and signing. Many thanks for the insights once again. Keep up the great work!
– John Beamish, author of The Addiction Concerto

As an author of three works of fiction, a former journalist and editor of some 15
years experience, it is still the professional editorial advice from IP that I have to thank for moulding my ideas, techniques and talents into quality publishable work. In fact, with the experience of having one of my novels put out by a reputable publisher abroad, I would say that, beyond a doubt, it has taken
IP's expert and highly skilled input to make me realise the true worth of fiction writing as a craft. As a creative writer, I cannot thank them enough.
– Barry Levy, author of As If! and Shades of Exodus

Even with many years of teaching experience, I knew I needed help getting my children’s book to a professional standard. IP’s readers’ reports targeted both general and specific problems in my manuscript and, thanks to their positive feedback, my story has now been accepted for publication.  I will definitely be using this service again and would highly recommend it to other writers.
– Janet Reid, author of The Ruby Bottle and Winner, IP Picks 2012 Best Junior Prose Award

IP's reader's reports were a godsend. I was really pulled up short (politely) and shown how to clarify my writing. Directions for improvement were clear and concise. I've enjoyed getting to know my patient editor. We can't be experts at everything. Even those of us who are tolerably intelligent (!) will need assistance if we enter a new field such as creative writing.
– Lois Shepheard, author of The Rag Boiler's Daughter

An earlier draft of my book was long-listed for the FAW Jim Hamilton award
so I knew it was worth further effort. I hired a professional assessor to have a look but it wasn't until I invested in an IP reader's report that the book started to take shape. I had three reports all up before it made publication but the process was crucial in its success.

As a welcome surprise, many of the editorial suggestions have been implemented in subsequent writing projects, further proving the value of assessment. Publishing standards are getting higher as are the quality of submissions seem to be competitive. I feel it's vital to have professional advice.
– Olwyn Conrau, author of The Importance of Being Cool