For those of you using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) service, or if you’re interested in getting your e-books into Smashwords’ premium catalog, I’d like to offer my assistance as far as manuscript formatting, page design, and conversion is concerned. I’ve been formatting my own books for Smashwords and the Kindle since 2009, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve got the hang of both publishing processes. I’d be happy to take your manuscript, format it properly according to Amazon’s KDP guidelines (or those set forth in the Smashwords Style Guide), and produce a spiffy, error-free Word document and / or Mobipocket file for you that meets all premium distribution requirements. I can also create ePub files, if requested (I’m quite familiar with Barnes & Noble’s PubIt service).
My pricing includes:
- Linked table of contents (all internal document links are verified).
- Appropriate front matter, such as a title and copyright page.
- Appropriate end matter (if applicable), such as an “about the author” page, links to your Web site, etc.
- Cleaning / tidying of your Word document, removing odd fonts, random styling inconsistencies, improper indents, tab stops (Smashwords hates tab stops!), tables, text boxes, and various other extraneous bits that tend to disqualify documents from premium catalog inclusion.
- Your choice of block-style or first-line indented paragraph styles.
- Properly formatted chapter headings and page breaks.
Not included in my basic pricing: proofreading, grammar / punctuation, spell-checking, etc. (It should be noted that neither Smashwords nor Amazon will approve a book for premium distribution if it’s got loads of spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors—no matter how awesomely-formatted it may be.) Also, I don’t handle the actual uploading of files to Smashwords or Amazon. That’s your territory.
For fiction (any genre) or non-fiction, pricing is generally between $10.00 – $60.00 for up to 80,000 words. Anything longer than that (or with more than a small handful of images, lists, tables, footnotes / end notes, etc.): query. I can have most format jobs done in 1 – 3 days, and I give a discount if asked to convert to multiple formats (ie, for both Smashwords and the Kindle). Payment due up front, in USD via PayPal.
If necessary, I’ll do three (3) minor revisions for you at no extra charge. Anything after that is $10.00/hr (I’ll confirm with you first, of course). I’ll need your document in Microsoft Word or RTF format.
Here are a few of the e-books I’ve formatted:
- Forever, by Dorothy Davies
- Heroes’ Day, by Jesse Gordon
- The Hidden Crystal, by Daniel Gimness
- The Misunderstood and Other Misfit Horrors, by Jason Brannon
- Women May Be from Venus, But Men are Really from Uranus, by Katherine Black
(Testimonials can be found in the comments section below.)
That’s about it, really. If you’ve got a book you’d like me to format for you, or if you have any other questions, feel free to contact me at jointstereotype@gmail.com.
I was more than content with my service from Jesse, swift, efficient and helpful! I will be back for more when there is more to come back for!
I used Jesse to format What If Your Dog Outlives You for the Smashwords premium catalog. It got approved first time!
This was after I struggled and was rejected three times trying to get premium approval on my own.
Jesse did the work quickly and his rates are reasonable. My highest recommendation.
Jesse did a great job on my horror collection, The Misunderstood and Other Misfit Horrors. His price was reasonable. His work was quick and efficient. Top notch! I would recommend Jesse to anyone who is about to enter the world of ebook formatting and has no clue how to begin. He was able to take all of the guess work out of the process, and I was able to upload my file to Smashwords without a hitch. I’ll definitely be using Jesse’s services in the future.
Jesse Gordon has helped me a tremendous deal by formatting my two debut books for Smashwords in a very professional manner. He is always willing to help and was very friendly right throughout the time he helped me with the formatting, no matter how many times I asked him questions. The formatting services he rendered is also very reasonable and was affordable. Because of his professional and fast formatting of my two books my books were accepted in the Premium Distribution Catalog of Smashwords at the first attempt to publish it. Thank you so much, Jesse – I will definitely approach your formatting services when I write another book.
I’ve used Jesse’s services for five eBooks and counting. There’s a lot of competition in the marketplace for eBook formatters, and the reason I keep coming back to Jesse is because he does it right the first time and he’s able to meet my budget as well. The fact he didn’t scream in horror when I presented him a sixty-four-page manuscript with 142 footnotes that he converted into endnotes is testament to his commitment to the profession.
Jesse Gordan has formatted, edited and proofread two of my short stories and I have to say, I was absolutely delighted with the results. Not only was his rates very reasonable, but he was friendly and definitely skilled at what he does. I will be contacting him again in the future!
I highly recommend his services.
Jesse Gordon is an awesome 5-star eBook formatter. I highly recommend Jesse, he’s an absolute pleasure to work it, and his service, creativity and professionalism are unbeatable.
I hired Jesse to do my formatting and found his service prompt and courteous. I was able to get my book on Kindle, and in the Smashwords premium catalogue on the first attempt because Jesse made certain that the formatting was done correctly.
As a ‘newbie’, I had lots of questions and concerns – Jess responded to my questions promptly, guided me, and was patient and reassuring. Jesse is a genius in eBook formatting and one of the ‘BEST’ in the business. His follow-up service is also amazing, and customer satisfaction is paramount.
I would certainly use his formatting service again, again and again – and his price is RIGHT.
Maxine Williamson
Inside The Burning Tower
maxinewilliamson.com
Jesse Gordon did a great job with my eBook The Hidden Crystal. He was very patient with answering my questions and responsive. I highly recommend him to anyone needing to get their eBook in the Smashwords premium catalog.
Daniel Gimness
author of The Hidden Crystal
http://www.amazon.com/The-Hidden-Crystal-ebook/dp/B005L6BGII/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324083850&sr=8-1
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hidden-Crystal/282076001807296
After reading through the Smashwords Style Guide, I was overwhelmed! I contacted Jesse Gordon to format my manuscript based on the other reviews I read here. BEST DECISION I’ve ever made! Jesse answered all of my questions (usually within minutes of sending them) and provided honest advice on my project. He told me it’d take him 1-2 days to do the work but actually sent it over later that same day! My book was accepted into the Smashwords Premium Catalog on the first try. I could not be more pleased with this transaction! Thanks so much Jesse!