IP Assess is geared to assist authors to refine promising work for publication.
Our assessors are qualified freelance professionals who work on projects in their fields of expertise. We pay them a premium fee for a premium service. Other asssessment services may charge less, but you generally get what you pay for.
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 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, effective 1 February 2007, 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 or Adobe Acrobat and emailed to us with IP Assess as your subject:
* synopsis + sample (3 chapters, stories, script scenes or features; 15-20 poems): $275
* poetry manuscript < 64 pages: $440
* poetry manuscripts > 64 pages: $440 + $110 for each 20 pages over 64
* fiction or non-fiction < 10,000 words: $330
* fiction or non-fiction > 10,000 words: $330 + $110 per 10,000 words or fraction
* scripts: $330 for one act; $275 for each additional act
If you are on a tight budget, we recommend that you ask us to for a snap assessment of the sample you send us initially, since the concerns our assessors raise about sample work often extend to the entire work, although the assessor's comments will be general rather than specific suggestions for revision. You can then save yourself money by applying these suggestions to the rest of your project. A Snap Assessment costs $195.
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.
For followup assessments, a 20% discount applies unless the author requests a different assessor.
Interested in Self-Publishing? Check out our services!
Lauren Daniels
Prose Editor, IP