Our industry experience tells us that an author cannot succeed without a clear vision for success. But just as important as "the dream" is "the presentation." We specialize in helping authors put their best foot forward in the publishing -- and self-publishing -- marketplace.

If you have written a book-length manuscript and wish to self-publish, your raw book must be converted to a finished book suitable for sale as an ebook or printed book. Our services range from OCR (optical character recognition) and digital document creation/conversion services, to editing, to book layout and final printing.

DPC is also experienced in the production of specialty publications such as cookbooks, posters, maps, and manuals.

We hope you will contact us for more information about Doyle Publishing's services.

DIGITAL SOLUTIONS

Many authors have existing manuscripts tucked away in file drawers and closet shelves for which no digital version exists. With today's boon in eBooks and self-publishing, those literary works represent lost opportunity in the digital marketplace.

Gone are the days when literary agents waded through a large slush-pile of paper manuscripts. Today's author either presents his work in digital format, or it does not receive serious consideration for publication.

DPC's services provide affordable solutions for authors seeking to market their literary works.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition)

OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition, a process by which the pages of a document are scanned, and computer software interprets the image to convert it into a text file.

Doyle Publishing Company offers high accuracy OCR services to authors and publishing companies. We specialize in small to mid-sized projects, and can handle any size manuscript, from 10 to 10,000 pages.

OCR is the first step in creating an accurate, professional manuscript that is ready for eBook or print production.

OCR cost: $1.58 per letter-size page.

FILE CLEAN-UP

File clean-up is the next step in the digital document creation process. The OCR process inherently introduces errors and unwanted characters into the resulting digital text file. DPC uses the finest commercially available OCR software, which produces on average an error rate of less than 0.5%.

Depending on the quality and nature of the printed manuscript being scanned, the clean-up process can be fairly simple or it can be more involved. Footnotes, tables, and technical data can result in more extensive clean-up being necessary.

Clean-up cost: $1.00-$4.00 per page (average $2.50) (Based on a rate of $50.00 per hour)

EDITING

Doyle Publishing Company also offers editing services that are designed to take your manuscript to the level of professionalism expected by agents, publishers and editors.

While the OCR and file clean-up services are designed to faithfully reproduce the text of an author's manuscript, our editing services can eliminate punctuation, spelling, and common grammatical errors that might negatively influence a publishing professional's opinion of your work.

All editing services are based on an hourly rate of $50.00.

Red Pen Editing: Paper copy editing only. We return your manuscript to you with proofreaders' marks indicated in red ink. Average cost: $2.00 per page.

Electronic Editing: Similar to Red Pen Editing, except the changes are implemented directly to the document. Average cost: $4.00 per page.

Combination Editing: Combined Red Pen and Electronic Editing, to provide a cleanly edited document along with a printed paper manuscript that shows the editor's changes in red ink. Average cost: $5.00 per page.

Structural Editing: Sometimes an author may have the "killer idea," but in the process of writing a full-length manuscript the trees obscure the forest, and structural problems may exist that interrupt the storytelling aspect of the work. (Any experienced author knows the feeling of being two-thirds through the first draft and wondering, "Where am I?")

Structural editing is a more involved process, often costing $2,000 or more to re-work a manuscript, but the resulting improvements can mean the difference between a published manuscript and one that never sees the light of day.

FILE CONVERSION

We can convert documents from -- and to -- most popular digital formats. File conversion rates are based on a $50.00 per hour charge. The price will vary according to format, and whether significant formatting issues must be addressed.

Popular file formats include:

Portable Document Format (PDF/Adobe Acrobat) (.pdf)
Word (Microsoft) (.doc)
Word Perfect (.wpd)
Quark Xpress (.qxd)
ASCII Text File (.txt)
Rich Text Format (.rtf)
Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) (.htm)
Open eBook format (.oeb)

The file format chosen will depend on the intended use of the digital document. Many editors and agents prefer Word and PDF manuscripts, while print publishers will often specify Quark Xpress files, and electronic publishers will commonly specify HTML or eBook formats.

BOOK LAYOUT

For the self-publishing author, print and electronic publishing endeavors require a highly professional presentation. Attractive cover designs, page headers, graphic motifs, illustrations and page layouts are not only desirable but expected by buyers of both consumer-level and trade/technical books. DPC's years of graphic design experience ensure that the quality of your written work will be matched by its visual presentation.

During the layout process, we will facilitate creation of the publisherŐs page, the assignment of an ISBN Number, and creation of custom bar codes for retail sales.

We can also assist you in the purchase of stock photography or graphics, or even the creation of original illustrative materials, to enhance the presentation of your book.

Estimates for these services will be provided upon review of your document and discussion of your expectations.

BOOK PRINTING

DPC is a sister company to Momentum Printing & Graphics, where we have been producing top quality books, manuals and other publications since 1988. We can manufacture your book in soft-bound, hard-bound, or DocuTech "print-on-demand" versions.

Book prices vary according to each individual project's specifications. As an example, a 200-page 6"x9" trade paperback with a full color cover could run as low as $5.00 per book for a quantity of 2,000. Trade paperbacks of this type commonly sell for between $12.95 and $17.95 at the retail level.

TERMS

All projects will be evaluated and a price estimate given free of charge. DPC charges the actual cost of packing and shipping in cases where a manuscript must be returned.

A 50% deposit is required prior to commencement of work in digital document services. Final payment is due prior to delivery of completed work. For your convenience, DPC accepts payment by check, PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.

There is a minimum $50.00 charge on all orders.

Authors should NEVER send us the only existing copy of their manuscript! Although we treat your work with care, the postal service, UPS, Federal Express and other delivery services are all known to lose a package now and then.

For OCR projects, manuscripts that are GBC bound or 3-hole punched may be subject to a small additional charge in order to photocopy the document so that it will load reliably into our automatic document feeder.

You are encouraged to contact us for more information about Doyle Publishing Company's services.