FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WRITING MENTOR
What is a Writing Mentor?
A WM is a published author and experienced writer who comes along side you to help you develop your book.
Level One WM guides you through
1. a winning outline
2. descriptive table of contents
3. engaging book description
4. the first two chapters of your book and
5. your WM critically reviews it all thoroughly through our Editorial Review process.
With this valuable and helpful kickstart, you can take it from here on your own.
The Level Two WM provides everything above and stays with you until The End.
1. Your WM establishes a timeline with you and provides healthy accountability to your writing goal.
2. Each session with your WM will review your previous writing submission, point out what you did well and what and how can be better, and assign homework for your next session together.
3. You will also have access to your WM for the dreaded writers block.
What is the difference between an Author Coach and a Writing Mentor? Don't they do the same thing?
Glad you asked. Our Author Coach is your guide to getting your manuscript published. They come into the picture once your manuscript is complete. Their role is to orchestrate all the moving parts – editing your final manuscript, cover design, interior design, and off to promotions and publishing. This is so that you have one main person to communicate with who has access to every aspect of your book project. They can help with writing when needed, but that may only be about 20% of their guidance.
The Writing Mentor has one role: To guide you to a finished manuscript.
If I say yes to a WM? What is the next thing that happens?
Step-by-step:
- You’ll received an agreement to sign and an invoice for 25%-50% of the services you choose.
- Once the signed agreement and payment is received, within 24 hours, you’ll receive a welcome email confirming you’re part of the Two Penny Publishing family.
- Within a day or two, we’ll begin onboarding you with an introduction to your writing mentor and calendar link to schedule your first session.
- Your first session is a get to know you meeting and set up a schedule that works for you. This begins your book project!
What do I get when I choose to work with a WM?
The goal of the WM is to guide you to complete either the first two chapters or the full manuscript, depending on which level of service you choose. With Level One service, you’ll finish with
1. a comprehensive outline
2. a creative table of contents
3. lively book description
4. possibly an introduction and the first two chapters
5. In total, about 8,000 words
6. Once that portion is complete, a helpful Editorial Review which is a critical line edit with a detailed findings report and a session to discuss each point ($549 value).
When you choose the Level Two service, you will get everything from the level one pack plus:
1. an achievable writing schedule for you to …
2. submit chapters according to a project timeline you both set
3. sessions to review what you’ve submitted, along with helpful recommendations on where and how your storyline can improve
4. ways to overcome writer’s block
5. accountability
6. a 45,000 word manuscript (higher word count is available)
Does WM services include publishing, too?
Do I actually meet with a real person or do you send me videos to watch on my own?
We’ve found that 87% of authors remain more engaged and inspired to write when human interaction and accountability is involved. We want you to win!
How long will it take if I choose to work with a WM?
That depends on a few factors such as your availability to write and attend sessions. But on an average, Level One takes 3-5 months. Level Two lasts from 6-12 months. Again, it depends on how much there is to write and the time you have.
And I can already guess your next question. The answer is yes. Your question is: What if I want to go quicker? Can my WM adjust? Yep. As long as what you’re producing meets the writing goal, absolutely. We can match your pace.
Then what? What happens after I have a complete manuscript? I need my book published.
Of course! And we’re prepared for all the next steps. Our team of talent provides you with a concierge level of services. Now that your manuscript is finished, Two Penny Publishing is excited to shape it into a book.
First, we’ll send it off to our editors for a full manuscript proof.
Next, you’ll meet with your Author Coach to discuss the book cover. That recorded session goes to our design team to create a winning cover draft for your review. We have illustrators, graphic artists, layout designers, and formatters for the interior.
A complete PDF of your book will be sent to you for your input. And when you’ve approved the designs, we’ll upload the files to get a print proof. As a published author, I can say this is one of the most exhilarating parts of the publishing process. All the work you’ve put in comes to you in the mail for you to hold in your hands!
Expect adjustments in your print proof. That’s the whole purpose; to make final tweaks. And once those are complete, final files are uploaded and we hit the big, green PUBLISH button (actually, it’s not green or big. I just like the visual) and you’re a published author!
NOTE: You have options of paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audiobook!
If I work with a WM, the book is already edited when I'm done. So, I won't need it edited. Is that correct?
Writers write. Editors edit. Yes, your manuscript will be in better shape than if you did not have a Writing Mentor. But, your WM provides basic editing guidance along the way in order to complete the manuscript.
The first task we’ll tackle once your manuscript is done is editing. To be specific, it will be a manuscript proof, which checks for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and over use of basic words.
By the way, Grammarly does great, but cannot replace human intellect, experiences, author intent, tone, and emotions.
And will the mentor own any of my manuscript?
How much does a WM cost?
While structuring our service rates, of course we researched national averages and other publishing companies. What we found was, in our opinion, exorbitant fees. $3,000-$5,000 rates seem pricey.
Yes, a WM provides a time and talent intensive service. Which in turn, the author receives a far better manuscript in a condensed amount of time than what the author can produce on their own.
We found we can provide a better value while providing exactly what our author needs. There is no need to spend a huge fee for the same great service.
Two Penny took a critical look at what we need to accomplish an amazing end product resulted in two reasonable rates inside and outside of our publishing package price.
Level One WM
Without a publishing package = $1,399 (payable in two payments)
With a publishing package = $1,099 (payable with your package over four payments)
Level Two WM
Without a publishing package = $2,499 (payable in two payments)
With a publishing package = $2,199 (payable with your package over four payments)
If your WM service is so great, why is it so much less?
Happy to share the reasoning behind our reduced rates.
First, I’d like to share that our reduced rates never mean reduced services or experience. Our abilities to guide you to a winning manuscript and publish your book with excellence, exceed that of countless other companies I’ve researched.
As for the reason behind our reduced rates, we have eliminated a lot of unnecessary expenses like, advertising, office space, and fake discounts.
Our greatest source of leads is our current and previous authors. They shout our praises better than any paid ad. Have you priced advertising recently? After spending thousands, it’s still not a guarantee we’ll find our true next author. Authors find authors!
Another way our agency saves is because the majority of our United States based team is remote. We don’t waste money on an office lease because less than 25% of our authors are in Tampa Bay. More than 75% of our authors wouldn’t be able to come to our office even if we had one.
And last, but not least, you’ll rarely find us discount rates. Yikes. That’s a hard one to write. But wait. Listen to my reasoning. We don’t charge enough to cut our fees. Have you ever gone to a clothes store and shopped the clearance rack? Those pants were listed at $129! How is it that I’m only spending $20 for them now? Obviously, the original price was inflated from the beginning.
We don’t do that. Our fees are already at the lowest price for the quality of our service.
As incentives, we will add services or products. But it will never be a drastic Black Friday style sale.
And that’s how we keep our prices low!