SITE MENU
Give Your Manuscript Tom's Professional Touch*
THREE APPROACHES**
> 1- Simple Editing: I will fix grammar, spelling, vocabulary errors (there/their), minor sentence structure errors as well as
occasional subject/verb agreement problems. When structural problems loom large, the third approach (below) will
be necessary. 1 cent per finished word
> 2- Extensive Do-Over: I will complete a substantial rewrite of a an existing manuscript with modified grammar, word
choice, sentences, paragraphs, etc, while maintaining the original intent and message. It will look and feel somewhat
different from the original piece. 2 to 3 cents per finished word
> 3- Ghostwriting: I will take your well laid out idea (story-line, characters, setting, etc.) and write a story or book from
that, or (and this is perhaps best) I will completely rewrite and enlarge an abbreviated manuscript which tells the story
but which you don't pretend is really a finished product. $15.00 per finished page
> 4- OR: Tell me what you need and your budget and I'll let you know if and how I can help.
* * * * * * * * * *
> In order to help you make your decision about the Do-Over, I will re-work a half dozen sample pages to show you how
I would help you with your piece.
> The author (you) retains all rights, copyright, and acknowledgments, my name does not appear, and I
agree to not disclose that I worked on the piece.
> The author (you) will be responsible for making any subsequent changes to the manuscript once you receive it
from me.
> Submission Format: Submit your manuscript in MSword or a compatible format on a disk or as a virus-free, email
attachment. (I will work with you on format and font if necessary.)
> Payment: The industry standard: one half up front and one half before finished manuscript is released to you.
PayPal is acceptable or Check or MO to: Tom Gnagey. (Address will be furnished.)
> Initial Contact: email only, please. tom.gnagey@att.net Put 'WRITING SERVICE' on subject line. (I will provide
mailing address and phone number when needed.)
*I have rewritten dozens of books for others, upgrading beginner's manuscripts into professional products. I cannot, of course read the minds of editors and guarantee that a piece will be accepted for publication. Perhaps your best way to judge our compatibility is to read a number of my stories or books and see if the 'feel' fits [STORIES]. Once I agree to help, rest assured that I will complete your manuscript in a timely fashion.
** If your needs are different from these, email me the details and I can tell you if I will be able to help you and will give you some idea of the cost involved.
SO NOW WHAT?
Send me the first ten or so pages via email attachment. I will examine it, tell you what level of service I believe it needs, and 'fix' a few pages the way I would handle them for you.
THEN
you can decide how you want to proceed.
(Feel free to email me after receiving the sample 'fix' if you have questions. We can also talk by phone.)
HI! -
As you can see I've been around awhile! As such, I've had many years in which to write and during that time have published dozens of books and novels, and many hundreds of short stories. I have also edited and rewritten dozens and dozens of manuscripts for others. Since I love to write and have no need anymore to make lots of money I believe you will find my fees to be among the lowest in the field and the quality among the highest. I 'self-published' my first book - a ten page tome - when I was nine. I was hooked, and have been writing every day since.
Combining my passion for writing and years of experience I believe you will find my work up to most any task.
Suggestion: Always familiarize yourself with the published, original work, of any editor/re-writer you may engage to help with your manuscript. Examine mine by using the navigation menu above, right (Stories and Books links).
Thanks for stopping by. I wish you the very best in your journey to produce a wonderful manuscript.
-- Tom Gnagey
>
WRITING SERVICES
EDITING
PROOFREADING
REWRITING
GHOSTWRITING
BOOK EDITING
SUGGESTIONS
CONSULTATION
RECOMMENDATIONS
Bernie McClousky - "I received great individual attention and a very fast turn around time. He did everything I asked and more. It was like sometimes he read my mind before I knew what I was thinking." (Ireland)
Min Cho - "Tom remake a book manuscript for me. I am not good in English but need it written in English. He made it sing for me." (Hong Kong)
M Malhotra - "English is my first language but I'm not great with the particulars. Tom did a wonderful job for me. He not only cleaned it up but rewrote entire sections so they said what I really wanted them to say." (India)
P Gayle - "He did a complete rewrite for me - most every sentence. I have not much schooling and I have sold book to publisher. It read great. I am so thankful for him." (Jamaica)
B Johnson -" He took a very poor manuscript and smoothed it out, corrected grammatical and structural problems and deleted lots of repetition. There was a lot of actual rewriting that had to be done. And all for such a low fee." (Texas, USA)
Kay Rutherford - "He put the ideas I had down on paper into a form and fashion that made sense and read smoothly. It came out just like I wanted it. I'm going to be sending him my second novel in a few months. (Ontario, Canada)
Sally F - "He ghostwrote my novel from my outline and detailed notes. It is going to be published in the Fall. I couldn't have asked for more than I got from Tom Gnagey." (Iowa, USA)
Jay Smith - "I'm a retired railroad guy and Tom took my completely disorganized book and put it into proper form and English. I'm delighted with it. I'm recommending Tom to all my 'old' friends who have a story to tell." (Illinois, USA)
RESUME
Tom Gnagey [Various Pen Names.*]
tom.gnagey@att.net
1 N. School Ave, #306, Fayetteville, AR, 72701
BACKGROUND
In and around a wide variety of endeavors, I have always been a writer, self publishing my first 10 page tome at age nine. (It was something about how to be happy, forever. It seemed pretty simple to me back then – still does, actually.) I spent the first 30 years of my professional life as a Clinical Psychologist working with children, teens, and families. During that period I wrote several self-help and parenting books (see attached) and published several dozen, widely used, psychological and educational tests.
In recent years I have devoted myself primarily to writing novels and short stories and teaching others to do the same. I also rewrite manuscripts for for those with great stories but less than great writing skills. Writing has always been my passion, second only to saving the world one book at a time. My background in psychology and education has been a natural springboard to bringing believable characters to life.
In order to get to know the day to day joys and struggles of the average Joe, I spent a number of years working at more mundane jobs: soda jerk at Dairy Queen, wallpaper salesman, data input operator, office manager, and kitchen manager in an Italian restaurant (my lasagna is to die for!).
Not long ago a 'student' said she had found over six hundred places on the internet that came up when she Googled my name and pen names. My! My!
EDUCATIONAL STUFF
BS in education and psychology.
MA in clinical psychology
MS in clinical psychology and education
EDS in Clinical Psychology and education
WRITING
I make it a policy to pre-circulate what I write to a sample from the target audience and receive feedback for tweaking if not outright revision before it arrives for scrutiny from the editor's eyes. I have often printed copies of books and stories and given them away in small numbers to youngsters and seniors who can't afford to buy books. In that sense, I suppose, some of my pieces have been 'self published' though virtually never sold in that format. My publisher was The Family of Man Press until it went out of business a few years ago when its owner/editor died. (I like to think that was not my fault!)
In all, I have written something over 75 books and novels and more than 250 stories. (A partial list is attached.) There are several series of novels, The Raymond Masters Mysteries featuring a loveable, easy going, octogenarian detective, is the largest. There are 14 books in that series and numerous short stories. Marc Miller, ghost writer, is also a detective of sorts who seeks out supernatural goings on and writes about them (first person format). There are four books and several shorter stories in that series. In a series of four, short books about The Little People of the Ozarks, I use a humorous, though often pointed, fantasy format to showcase the effects positive social values can have on life and society. (The Little People are about as tall as grape hyacinths and use their magic to help the mortals who live nearby.) There is a four book action series featuring Tommy Powers, a non-violent, teenage, superhero. The rest fall into the typical, general categories. There are lots of books for children and teens. I often juxtapose an older adult and a youngster, contrasting their takes on life while they learn to treasure the common ground they discover.
I would write everyday, even if nobody ever read it, because I love to write. Putting the pencil to the yellow pad has always been far more important to me than getting published. I write from the viewpoint of positive social values. [That is not to be confused with any religious predisposition.] There is no graphic violence, obscenity, or even words that would have led my mother to apply the bar of soap to my young, all the while protesting, mouth.
As I approach the three quarter century mark, I am moved to have my pieces and the philosophy they espouse circulated to those who may be able to enjoy and benefit from them.
PEN NAMES
Garrison Flint (Mysteries)
Mark Miller (Ghostly goings on)
David Drake (Children and adolescents)
Grampa Gray (Fun for senior citizens)
Gary Hutchison (General fiction, psychology, social issues)
Bonnie Brewster (Family Romance)
[It's hard to explain my beard at Brewster book signings!]
Tom Gnagey (My own name. I have used it for most everything during the past few years.)