mPowr Consultancy: Publisher's review of an advanced manuscript

Aim:

To give the author a robust picture of the practicalities of publishing to the English-speaking world
To review the ready-to-publish state of a complete manuscript (mss) which is either previously published or has been prepared by an experienced author and editor
To highlight any major areas that need refinement for the English-speaking market
To describe the publication options mPowr Limited can offer with pricing, etc.

What is covered?

A rapid readthrough of the mss as an initial review (looking at overall structure and flow while popping in to look at the quality of individual sections)*
If any refinements would be useful to enhance impact in the English-speaking market these will be noted
A description of the practicalities of publishing (including options for e-book, audiobook or other formats where appropriate) together with pricing information based on the size and complexity of the project

How is the process structured?

The requested four-hour review slot will be confirmed by the publisher (or if no longer available an alternative will be arranged)—The author provides the full mss in an MS Word document (or other agreed format)
This mss should be laid out clearly: suitably sectioned in 1.5 or 2.0 line spacing throughout, pages numbered, etc.*
The author confirms they have the right to authorise publication of the text (that they are the copyright holder and are not excluded from publishing in English by any other agreements)—written evidence may be required
The author confirms that they have the right to use any imagery or illustrations that are integral to the manuscript or cover, etc. (again, documentary evidence may be required)
The author completes the book project page online—this details background information about the title that allows the publisher to get a clear sense of the intent, audience and content of the book, together with related publication information
The reviewer spends three hours reviewing the background information, completing an initial rapid review of the manuscript, looking at relevant English-speaking refinement areas
Then the reviewer spends an hour drawing up practical recommendations to the author, together with detailed pricing and process options
The publisher’s review is then sent to the author via email

What happens after the process?

The author chooses whether to pursue further publication with mPowr or to opt for an alternative publishing route
Should the author wish to take up one of the publishing options a Zoom will be arranged to get things underway

Investment: £499 (+VAT) payable in advance

Availability:

There are usually two review slots per month, reserve your place today.

NOTES:

* If the reviewer needs to spend time adapting the mss to make it easily readable this will incur an additional charge of £50+VAT per hour, this may also delay completion of the review as slots are carefully timed

General information about the author agreement should the author wish to get the title published by mPowr:

Whereas traditional publishing arrangements see the author getting around 10% of the official sales price of a printed book as a royalty payment, when mPowr publishes as a service the author receives 80% of all income received from sales of the printed book, mPowr retains the remaining 20% of income
Whereas traditional publishing typically has a similar 10% royalty rate for ebooks or audiobooks, when mPowr publishes as a service the author receives 80% of all income received from ebooks or audiobooks
The royalty rates described above apply to all sales that are made via global retail distribution channels mPowr distribution networks deliver to (online and bricks-and-mortar retailers in the English-speaking world)
Accumulated royalties are paid to the author when the minimum payment amount of £150 is reached (royalty accounts are updated on a rolling monthly basis—it takes three months from the notification of sales for income to be added to this royalty account)
Print orders of the title made by the author are charged at 50% of the published sales price (plus shipping and handling). When fewer than 50 copies are ordered to a single address an admin fee of £20 is added. When 100-249 copies are ordered to a single address an increased discount to 52.5% is made, for 250-499 copies a 55% discount is made. Higher discounts may be available for orders over 500 copies. No royalties are paid on direct author orders
It is possible to create custom editions of the print title for specific events (this includes simple changes to the front and rear cover and possibly the first and final pages of the book). These are particularly powerful to use when speaking at a large meeting or conference or for bulk sales to an organisation or company. Costs on application when details of complexity and numbers are available
mPowr will make the title available through its book printing and distribution channels globally (using the world’s biggest book distributor as well as other distributors for ebooks and audiobooks when required)
If the title sells fewer than 100 units per calendar year, an administrative fee to maintain the title is charged to the author, currently £50 plus VAT where applicable (increases in this admin fee are limited to inflation). This number combines sales of print, ebook and audiobook sales of a single title (and includes author order numbers)
The author agrees to make mPowr the exclusive global publisher in the English language in print and electronic versions and not to create or promote titles that are substantially the same or which compete directly with the title in the future
The initial agreement to publish is made for ten years from the date of publication, this automatically renews for additional five-year terms unless the author makes known in writing to mPowr that they wish to withdraw from the agreement not more than twelve months and at least six months before the ten-year anniversary of first publication or twelve to six months before the end of subsequent five-year terms
mPowr does not permit returns of books from retail channels or author orders (both for environmental and economic reasons)—should an author wish us to allow this an advance deposit to cover return costs would be needed, this would be arranged on an individual basis
It is possible to update, to a new edition or to make minor changes to the title once it is first published. Charges for this would be made and agreed depending on the complexity and number of amendments made at the time
Pricing for the title Iin each format will be made to ensure that the author receives income of at least 20% of the list price per unit sold (usually more than this)
All pricing for titles and administrative fees will be kept under review to adapt to increases in print or digital distribution costs or general inflation
The author affirms that all content in the book is original material and they have the right to get this published (or have confirmed usage rights for anything quoted from others, etc.) and that they will assume liability for any legal challenges to the work (claims for damages from copyright holders, libel and slander, etc.)
Should there be sustained problems making contact with the author or fees are unpaid or there are other difficulties in the author / publisher relationship, the publisher reserves the right to place all formats (physical or digital) out of print. At this point any outstanding payments due to the author will be made (after any outstanding charges to the author are deducted). The publishing rights would then revert to the author