Assessment: Possible Press assesses mss to help authors develop their work to a publishable standard and to find publishable mss for our list. If you are a developing author and have not been assessed before we are probably not for you.

Even if your ms is of a professional standard we do not assess material we are not likely to be interested in publishing. We do NOT assess poetry, pornography, mass market romantic fiction or westerns. We do NOT assess text books or science books of a specialist or highly technical nature.

Part Assessment

We specialise in Literary Fiction, Humour, Historical Fiction, Mysteries, Thrillers, Action, SF, Fantasy and Horror. Children’s Books including Picture Books is also an area we are keenly interested in. Graphic novels are a speciality. Non-fiction we are interested in includes Health and Fitness, Cooking, Gardening, Philosophy, Psychology, Spirituality, Religion, New Age, True Crime, Popular Science, Biography and Autobiography, Popular Culture, Literature, Film, Art and History

In order to save clients money we have initiated a policy of offering part assessments.  In the past Jan has assessed many complete mss which it was clear were not of a publishable standard after the perusal of a dozen pages or less as far as the prose, presentation and grammar are concerned. Problems with characterisation and plot are often apparent by page 30 or can be detected by an examination of a detailed plot synopsis. It does not make sense, therefore, for an author who is not confident about the quality of their work to send in an entire ms – especially if it is over 200 pages. It is a waste of the assessor’s time and the author’s money. Unless you have been developing your ms with professional tutelage and/or have made an intensive study of the publishing industry and know what standards you are expected to meet you probably should seek another service or start with a part assessment with Possible Press.

If you opt for a part assessment Jan will assess 40 pages of your ms and a detailed synopsis. The selection of the novel could be the first 40 pages or a number of chapters including the first and last (as the dénouement is important this can be a good  move). The synopsis should describe all major plot points of the ms (a synopsis for a complex plot such as some thrillers have could be over a dozen pages). Should we think your ms looks promising we will encourage you to have the rest of the ms assessed and you will receive a discount on the assessment of the full ms.

The cost of partial assessment is $420 dollars.

Full Assessment

If you are confident about the quality of your ms you should have the complete ms assessed. The assessment will judge your ms against the highest professional standards. If it is considered not yet of a professional standard you will be given a detailed description of the shortcomings and suggestions on how to remedy these, either working alone or in some kind of mentorship/tutoring arrangement. If the ms is considered of a publishable standard your assessment will be brief (as there will little criticism and it will focus mainly on advice on how to best move forward with the ms in terms of your career) and will be accompanied by a ‘review’ which can be used as an introduction to large publishers or agents. We want our clients to have the best chances of success and will encourage them to take whatever opportunities will serve their careers best. Among those possibilities is that Possible Press act as the agent for the author or publishes the work. There are good reasons to choose to work with a smaller agent or publisher.

If you decide to work with Possible Press you will not be locked into a contract that prevents you from transferring to a larger publisher at a later stage if the opportunity arises. Possible Press wants you to be a success because our success depends on the success of our clients. Furthermore, if you sign with us as a publisher and we facilitate your book’s move to a larger publisher we will receive an agent commission as any agent would. Possible Press exists to help you in whatever way is best for you, whether it be developing your ms, packaging your book, selling your book for you or publishing it ourselves.

Rates for full assessment are:

Mss up to 20,000 words $420.00

Mss 20000 – 35000 words $460.00

Mss 35000 – 50000 words $520.00

Mss 50000 – 65000 words $570.00

Mss 65000 – 80000 words $620.00

Mss 80000 - 95000 words $670.00

Mss 95000 – 110000 words $720.00

Mss 110000 – 125000 words $770.00

Mss 125000 – 140000 words $820.00

Mss over 140000 words add $50 per 15000 words.

Assessment of Children’s Picture Books:$380

Consultation

Jan is willing to answer brief enquiries via email or telephone. The answer to many issues of concern to writers are available on the website). An assessment will cover most issues to do with writing and the publishing industry that are relevant and the author should include a list of specific questions of concern with a manuscript. However,  if you wish to consult with him at length about writing, publishing, distribution, agent services or any other issues of concern, without an assessment (or pre or post assessment) he is available for face-to-face consultations (or Skype consultations) for $120 an hour (minimum consultation one hour).

Editing

If you have not had your manuscript assessed by Possible Press you can hire Jan to edit your ms for $120 per hour. Payment will be incremental and up front. Work will only commence after a contract has been signed and the first payment has been made. If you have your manuscript assessed by Jan first and he deems it has potential for publication an author may negotiate editing for $60 per hour (usually this would involve Possible Press having the option to agent and/or publish the finished work).

Ghost-writing

Jan is willing to write your book for you. Fees will depend on the nature of the work and the method under which you wish to work. If you are interested in this service you should call Jan. If the resultant book is deemed both publishable and commercial we will negotiate to agent or publish the work for the author if this option interests them.

Proof-reading

Possible Press can organise proof-reading for you at $60 per hour. Jan does not work as a proof reader.

Illustration

If you want to have something illustrated by Jan email him with a description of the work and he will call you to discuss the possibility and a budget. Jan can also organise illustrations from other artists if budgetary or stylistic considerations suggest this is a better option than him handling the assignment personally. (see Illustrations)

Mentoring/tutoring/workshopping

Jan is available to work with developing writers, one-on-one in the development of short stories, screenplays, plays, novels, theses and non-fiction books. Fees start from $120 per hour depending on location.

Workshop -- Making your Children’s Book Come to Life

Possible Press is offering a workshop wherein authors can develop a children’s picture book to completion and includes illustration by Jan or a Possible Press associated artist. On acceptance into the programme, Jan will help you develop your ms to a publishable standard, help you design the characters and see the book through to pre-production stage. Six copies of the printed book will be provided in the fee price. The workshop is extremely good value and is made available to clients at this price with the agreement that Possible Press had the first option to act as agent of the resultant books and to publish them if a larger publisher cannot be found to take the project on for printing and distribution. The copyright will be held jointly between the author who will be due all author royalties (minus standard agent percentages) and Possible Press who will be due all illustrator royalties. Authors who are also illustrators or have their own illustrator can develop their ms text with Jan via assessment or under the mentoring programme rather than through this workshop. Should an author complete the workshop and Possible Press not see sufficient commercial promise in the work to merit agent services or publication through Possible Press, Possible Press will release the author of the work from any obligations to Possible Press. Possible Press will also waive their claim on their half of the copyright. The author will then be free to take the illustrated, developed ms elsewhere, publish and market it themselves or use it in any way they see fit. (If you are interested in the workshop email us for more information.)

Workshop is limited to a maximum of 8 participants and will take place over 4 days between June and August.
Fee $1800

Terms and Conditions

Anyone wishing to use the assessment services of Possible Press must have read and signed the following contract which outlines the obligations of both parties.

The author wishes to have their manuscript assessed by Jan Scherpenhuizen.

The author seeks a critical appraisal of their work and agrees to accept all comments made in an assessment as professional opinions which they may decide to act upon but that they will not take personally should they find them unflattering or indicative of a lesser regard for their work and or talent than they themselves hold.

They understand that Possible Press cannot guarantee to further their career in any way. Any services they pay for with Possible Press are an investment in their career as an author but there is no guarantee that that investment will pay off.

Jan Scherpenhuizen guarantees that all assessment work done on a manuscript will be done by himself personally. He guarantees that the author shall have the full benefit of his experience and skills and to provide thorough, detailed and concrete analysis of the manuscript.

Jan Scherpenhuizen will address, particularly, any areas of concern in regard to the ms, the publishing industry or the author’s career where these are set out in writing accompanying the manuscript submission.

Jan shall work on an electronic version of the first 10 pages of the ms using ‘track changes’ so the author has a clear indication of the extent of editing the ms requires as well as the nature of the changes needed.

Should the author find any areas of the assessment unclear they may write for clarification without any further charge.

Should the author feel in any way unsatisfied with the service Jan Scherpenhuizen undertakes to hear the author’s complaint and work with the author toward a satisfying outcome, in so far as that is possible.

Should Jan Scherpenhuizen deem the ms of a publishable standard he will advise the author on their options - these may include but are not limited to:

That the author use their favourable report to approach a larger literary agent.

That the author use their report to approach a larger publisher.

That Possible Press act as the agent of the work (either immediately or after the author has attempted to find a larger agent or publisher).

Enter into discussion with the author whether they wish to consider publication with Possible Press – either immediately or after having explored a number of other options.

Should Jan Scherpenhuizen think that the ms is not yet publishable but shows the potential to be publishable he will underline the steps need to make the mss publishable. If the author wishes to work on the development of the ms with Jan Scherpenhuizen, Jan Scherpenhuizen will make himself available to mentor the author and/or edit the work for an agreed upon fee within the guidelines of a contract drawn up for that purpose. If the author wishes to work on the ms without Jan Scherpenhuizen’s  guidance the ms will have to be assessed again by Jan Scherpenhuizen before an agent contract can be entered into or publication with Possible Press can be entertained.

Unless agreed upon in writing, using any service with Possible Press at any time does not imply, let alone guarantee, that further services or publication will be offered. Any such progression will be dependent on results and Jan Scherpenhuizen’s desire to work with the author.

The author makes themselves responsible for keeping copies of all work sent to Possible Press.

Possible Press makes itself responsible for keeping copies of any work done for the author.

While Jan Scherpenhuizen agrees to attempt to resolve any conflict that may arise with the author as set out above, no refund of any fees will be considered at any time.

The author and Jan Scherpenhuizen undertake to deal with one another in a professional and affable manner in all dealings.