Why did you create the NovelMaker.com web site?

 

For fun. Your fun, and an enriching experience, whether you are a writer, editor, agent, or simply love to read what's new and provide your suggestions, guidance, or opinions. We created NovelMaker.com to become a community of people who want to write, want to see worthy books be published, and want to collaborate in the creative process. Read more

How can I get a professional looking cover for my book?

 

You can create a cover and convert it to PDF format, or you can ask us to do that for you, for a fee. The fee is $100 for a basic cover, or $500 for a custom-designed cover. Read more

How much will it cost me to self publish my book if I use NovelMaker.com as my publisher and what sort of distribution will you provide?

 

NovelMaker.com will charge you at rates better than the rates charged by other so-called print-on-demand services. Calculate your pricing in the Publish section of the site.

What format must my manuscript be in to upload it to NovelMaker.com?

 

Word or OpenOffice Writer if you are uploading the manuscript to seek feedback; PDF file format if you have a finished work you want to expose to our community of readers, agents, and publishers. Word files should be in the 1997-2003 file format (.doc), and PDF files can be created using Word or a shareware program called PDFCreator. We expect to accept other file formats in the future, such as .txt, .rtf, and Word 2007 file format (.docx), but don't currently do so.

How many people will read my book if I put it on NovelMaker.com?

 

Probably a lot. We expect our user community of active participants to exceed 1 million people by August, 2010, and the number of people perusing material on the site to equal that number.

Am I paying a higher price for software I purchase from NovelMaker.com?

 

No. As a reseller, we receive a discount from the price to the public, but pass along to you only the manufacturer's suggested price, often with a discount to you.

When I have revised my manuscript can I upload it to replace the existing manuscript?

 

Absolutely. Go to your MyPlace page, and click on the Update button to replace the current version with the new one.

What prevents someone from stealing my idea or plagiarizing my manuscript?

 

On the inside cover page of your book, with title, author, etc., you should include the © Copyright symbol. Whether or not you do so, you have a "common law" copyright to the work. For additional protection, you should file a copyright application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. If you go to our "Tools" section, you will find a link to the USPTO.

When I download free software is it fully licensed and legal for me to use it? Are their any restrictions on how often I use it?

 

Yes, it is licensed for your use. No, there are no use restrictions, subject to the terms of the software license.

How long will my manuscript stay up on NovelMaker.com?

 

If we receive recurrent complaints about content (e.g., pornographic material deemed offensive), we will remove the manuscript from the site. We believe in free expression, but we believe equally that people perusing our authors' books should not be offended. Having said that, we would remove a manuscript for this reason only in the most egregious circumstances, after numerous complaints. A few isolated objections will not cause this to happen.

How do I find someone to give me professional assistance?

 

NovelMaker.com under "Site Map - Useful Tools and Links," has links to numerous other sites, as well as tools for writers, that you should find useful in seeking such professional assistance.

What are the chances of a publisher contracting for a book on NovelMaker.com?

 

We believe publishers will continue to rely mostly on literary agents to screen and recommend works for their consideration. But literary agents and publishers scout for new talent on NovelMaker.com, and that is one of the many compelling reasons to upload your works to our site.

I want to receive comments and suggestions from members of the NovelMaker.com community but I would like them to be private. How do I get privacy?

 

Only YOU, the writer, have access to comments and suggestions about your work if you checked "private" on your upload page. The integrity of your artistic process is paramount to us. Of course, you may elect to have the entire NovelMaker.com community view comments, suggestions and correctionsby selecting "public" on the upload page. We highly recommend this, as it will give our community, and you, more useful access to one another's input.

Is the NovelMaker.com website frequently used by people in other countries and can any other language be used for a book?

 

At this time we publish only in English. This would include works from England, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and from any author who chooses to submit the manuscript in English.

Of course, the website is available worldwide.

If I have suggestions to improve your site, who do I send them to and will I be paid?

 

Suggestions are always welcome, but your reward will consist entirely of making our community of writers, agents, publishers, and readers a better experience for all! Submit a suggestion.

 

Return to Top