Author Services and Guidelines

Inside Track Consultations (ITCs) are good way to jump the queue. You email us a synopsis of your revised work, a covering letter outlining what market you’re targeting, and a sample (two-three chapters of a prose work, or 10-12 poems). Your work is then reviewed by an editor, who will give you an opinion on the readiness of your work for publication and what you need to do to get it to the next level. You’ll need a thick skin because they’ll call as they see it.

ITCs costs:AU$175 / 30 minutes or AU$330 / 1 hour (GST-inclusive). Concession card holders: AU$140 / 30 minutes or AU$265 / 1 hour (GST-inclusive)

WITS (WIRED Inside Track Sessions) are similar to ITCs but are available via Skype on request. You can request for the WITC to be handled with or without video. A WITC can be a follow-up to an Inside Track Consultation. To make contact from Skype, search for reiterdr.

WITS costs: AU$175 / 30 minutes or AU$330 / 1 hour (GST-inclusive). Concession card holders: AU$140 / 30 minutes or AU$265 / 1 hour (GST-inclusive)

Short Report. You send us your full manuscript, or a representative chunk of it, and receive a 2-4 page report focussing on “big picture” issues – positives as well as areas needing improvement – with key examples to direct your revisions. You can then save yourself money by applying these suggestions to the rest of your project. For more information about Short Reports have a read of Senior Editor Lauren Daniels’ advice.

Short Report Fees (GST-inclusive):

AU$695 (Adult prose, poetry, transmedia projects)

AU$495 (Children’s projects, including picture book storyboards, and chapter books)

Authors outside Australia are exempt from GST and can pay either the US$ rates above, or in AU$s, less the GST component, currently 10%.
You may request a second Short Report at a 20% discount after undertaking revisions based on your first report.

If you are a full-time student or are on a pension and can supply proof of your status, we offer a 20% discount on these services.

Assessments. These are full assessments of a complete manuscript, following your initial query.

Our specialist assessors work by email on digital copies of the work. They provide you with an overview report, identifying big picture issues that need to be addressed. They also provide specific suggestions and examples of how to revise throughout the manuscript. Once you receive the report, the assessor is available by email to clarify points raised in the report for up to 30 minutes of follow-up email or phone support. Additional support is charged at AU$175 per 30 minute block.

Documents should be submitted to us as an attachment in Microsoft Word, Pages or Adobe Acrobat and emailed to us at info@ipoz.biz.

Full assessment costs vary, depending on the length and complexity of the work. A manuscript of less than 60,000 words would cost, on average, $1895. We’re happy to provide you with a firm quote for this service once we have viewed your project. If you are a full-time student or are on a pension and can supply proof of your status, we offer a 20% discount on these services.

Editorial Services. Once your manuscript reaches a near publishable state, you can ask us for editorial support. Text editorial support can entail

• Structural Editing: dealing with organisation, logic, consistency, level of detail, pacing (in the case of narrative titles) and coherence
• Copy Editing: Paragraph and sentence structure, sentence-level grammar, stylistics
• Proofreading: formatting, mechanics such as word choice and accuracy

You submit a Word or Pages file to us and we work on it with Track Changes on so you can see clearly where we’ve made or suggested changes. These fees include up to 30 minutes of follow-up email or phone support with your editor or proofreader. Additional support is charged at AU$129 per 30 minute block.

Text Editorial Costs: Our fees reflect the rates set by the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance and are reviewed at least once a year. We charge $1028/day (7.5 hours), $695/half day or $258/hour, or part thereof. If you are a full-time student or are on a pension and can supply proof of your status, we offer a 20% discount on these services.

Visual and Audio Services: IP also offers support for A/V or audiobook projects. In most cases, we concentrate on post-production services, where you provide us with draft files that need refinement prior to publication or uploading to our distribution partners. A/V is edited in Adobe applications such as Premier Pro and Audition and output as mp4 or mp3 files. For audiobooks, we can recommend voice-over professionals who will record your book for you and provide it to us for post-production. Alternatively, there are apps, such as Google AI that can produce reasonable quality audio files for production and post-production. In the case of Google, we upload your text and then assign appropriate “voices” to it, and then edit it on the fly before post-producing it.

A/V and Audio Costs: Our fees reflect the rates set by the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance and are reviewed at least once a year. We charge $1289/day (7.5 hours), $875/half day, or $279/hour, or part thereof. If you are a full-time student or are on a pension and can supply proof of your status, we offer a 20% discount on these services.

Mentoring Services. Sometimes authors want feedback on their project over a period of time rather than a single snapshot assessment. We offer mentoring in blocks of 10 hours, which includes the mentor’s reading of the manuscript, provision of feedback and follow-up with you by email or phone/Skype.

Mentorship costs: AU$1295 per 10 hour block or AU$2495 per 20 hour block.

Telling Australian stories matters. And what we’ve seen very clearly in recent years is that, without independent Australian publishers like IP Australia, there wouldn’t be a lot of it happening.

The big international publishers prioritise their foreign authors who have made it big overseas, or local celebrities (celebrity chefs, celebrity sports stars, pop stars, and so on). That’s because they are trying to avoid risk. Fair enough. They want to make money, and they are looking after their foreign shareholders.

However, IP Australia make a point of supporting and celebrating local talent. Sometimes that talent is new and not known to the wider public. And that means there is some commercial risk to the publication. But without such risk-taking, much of the great literature we have come to admire over the years would never have made it to our bookshelves. We need IP Australia to keep searching for that Australian talent, and to keep supporting our authors so they can do what they do best. Tell stories like no-one else on earth. Our stories. That’s how we keep our culture alive, and that’s how we all thrive.
– Stuart Black, CEO, Ward 6, author The Signatory

My wife, Dianne (Di) Bates, and I, have recently been published by Interactive Publications.  We found IP highly professional and easy to work with.

The publisher at IP, Dr David Reiter, took a chance with publishing our books when several bigger companies either turned us down, or didn’t bother to reply to our submissions.

David published a book of mine called Jest the Funny Bits, which comprises poems, short stories, and plays. I haven’t seen a similar collection published elsewhere, so I’m very glad I found IP, a company which clearly thinks outside the box and dares to be different.

I’d also like to point out that, unlike many small publishers, IP pays writers an advance, which is most welcome.

Australian writers need companies like IP and my wife and I believe IP very much deserves a Creative Australia organisational grant.
– Bill Condon, winner of the Prime Minister’s Award for young adult literature, Dianne (Di) Bates, winner of the Lady Cutler Award

My first children’s book was published in 1977 and subsequently I have had sixteen children’s books published. They have sold round the world and I have had translations into Japanese, Danish and Korean.

Lately I have found that the “big” publishers are a closed shop and I have been extremely grateful to Interactive Publications as they are supportive, approachable and successful.

To date I have four children’s picture books published with Interactive Publications with two more contracted. It’s a joy to see each new IP Kidz book of mine: the attention to detail is superb and the finished books are always of an extremely high standard. Interestingly, via IP Kidz a former student of mine has managed to get his first book published. The breakthrough provided by IP Kidz could lead to a new career for this very talented person.

I believe that the service provided by boutique publishers, like IP Kidz, do a great service to new and emerging talent… talent that otherwise would not find an outlet.
– Trevor Todd, author, DISinformation, Feeling Blue, 100 Watermelons, Animal Doctor, Animal Doctor

I’ve known and collaborated with David and IP for almost 20 years, and in that time I’ve observed the valuable and unique role this company continues to perform in the creative industries.

David has a very good eye for quality stories and finding authors with original voices.

He has mentored and encouraged many writers whose work may not have been noticed by the mainstream publishers because of large publishers’ increasingly limited resources to assist up and coming Australian talent. In fact, Interactive Publications provides publication for deserving authors who are often overlooked by larger publishers. It’s so important to support publishers located outside Sydney and Melbourne to ensure national coverage. Queensland writers and regionally-based writers throughout Australia are not well served by larger publishers.  IP has always sought out, encouraged, developed and produced works by deserving authors who would not normally get that chance to work with such professional editors and publishers.

IP has led the way in digital innovations. When I first met David his company was way ahead of the mainstream publishing industry in understanding digital publishing and its implications for intellectual property. The company was a maverick in the way it approached digital publishing and distribution. IP’s partnerships with key international players provides global access for its authors. Often Australian authors don’t get the priority they deserve with larger publishers.  IP is able to achieve impressive results for his highly curated list of authors who benefit from his outreach and global distribution networks.
– Trish Lake, Producer / CEO, Freshwater Pictures

IP has an outstanding commitment to supporting deserving authors and illustrators who are often overlooked by larger publishers. In an industry dominated by publishers located in Sydney and Melbourne, it is crucial to ensure national coverage and provide opportunities for creatives from all regions. Additionally, IP’s partnerships with key international players have provided global access for its authors, expanding their reach and impact. As a personal testament, having had two books published with IP Kids, I have witnessed firsthand their dedication to promoting important themes such as conservation of marine life, diversity and inclusion. Working with David and the team has been a truly wonderful experience, giving a voice to a diverse group of authors and amplifying their messages to a wider audience.
– Carla Hoffenberg, illustrator of Little Shark Lulu is Sleeping, Mia’s Glamma

As an author, I have worked closely with Interactive Publications for some three years on various projects. I must say that before discovering IP, I was somewhat lost in the Australian literary landscape. IP brought my first collection of poetry to publication in print and digitally, in Australia and beyond, in a highly professional manner.

Dr David Reiter is passionate about books and his publishing company. To this end, he works to a very high standard in bringing must–have books to the marketplace. From acceptance of my manuscript to publication and promotion, David shepherded me through the process in a seamless manner. The editing process was particularly impressive. David worked closely with me at the sentence level to ensure that my first collection was as strong as it could be.

Knowing how challenging it is to survive as an independent publisher, I do hope that Interactive has the support of Australian artistic organisations so that it can continue its work at an exemplary standard and fill an important niche in the Australian book industry.
– James Gering, author, Staying Whole While Falling Apart

Interactive Publications makes an invaluable contributions to the industry. Their dedication to promoting literature, supporting authors, and preserving our literary heritage is commendable. Increased funding would enable them to expand their efforts, publish more diverse voices, and ensure that literature continues to thrive in our wonderful country for generations to come.
– Kelly-Anne Norman, author, Understanding Molly

Thanks IP for doing a ‘first read’ on my early manuscript. It put me on track to pull together the story that was in there somewhere. I took a lot of the advice and completed my first novel and I’ve just been invited by Dymocks of Carindale to do a launch and signing. Many thanks for the insights once again. Keep up the great work!
– John Beamish, author of The Addiction Concerto

As an author of three works of fiction, a former journalist and editor of some 15 years experience, it is still the professional editorial advice from IP that I have to thank for moulding my ideas, techniques and talents into quality publishable work. In fact, with the experience of having one of my novels put out by a reputable publisher abroad, I would say that, beyond a doubt, it has taken IP’s expert and highly skilled input to make me realise the true worth of fiction writing as a craft. As a creative writer, I cannot thank them enough.
– Barry Levy, author of The Terrorist, As If! and Shades of Exodus

Many years ago I met up with Dr Reiter in Auckland. I just wanted him to know that since that memorable meeting and his sage advice, I have self published three novels with a fourth novel and a series of children’s books on the go. Now that I am retired I am turning to writing full time. I have received 4 and 5 star reviews which is most encouraging. I just wanted to say THANK YOU Dr Reiter. That time you spent with me was definitely not wasted and was very much appreciated.
– Sue Towler, author of Elizabeth’s Diaries and Isolation

Even with many years of teaching experience, I knew I needed help getting my children’s book to a professional standard. IP’s readers’ reports targeted both general and specific problems in my manuscript and, thanks to their positive feedback, my story has now been accepted for publication.  I will definitely be using this service again and would highly recommend it to other writers.
– Janet Reid, author of The Ruby Bottle and Winner, IP Picks 2012 Best Junior Prose Award

IP’s reader’s reports were a godsend. I was really pulled up short (politely) and shown how to clarify my writing. Directions for improvement were clear and concise. I’ve enjoyed getting to know my patient editor. We can’t be experts at everything. Even those of us who are tolerably intelligent (!) will need assistance if we enter a new field such as creative writing.
– Lois Shepheard, author of The Rag Boiler’s Daughter

An earlier draft of my book was long-listed for the FAW Jim Hamilton award so I knew it was worth further effort. I hired a professional assessor to have a look but it wasn’t until I invested in an IP reader’s report that the book started to take shape. I had three reports all up before it made publication but the process was crucial in its success. As a welcome surprise, many of the editorial suggestions have been implemented in subsequent writing projects, further proving the value of assessment. Publishing standards are getting higher as are the quality of submissions seem to be competitive. I feel it’s vital to have professional advice.
– Olwyn Conrau, author of The Importance of Being Cool

When you ask us to provide services, we’ll send you an invoice to confirm all costs of the services you have requested. That invoice constitutes a written agreement with IP, and the fees become payable immediately unless we have agreed in writing to a schedule of payments.

Unpaid invoices become subject to a service charge of 1.5%/month at the end of each month they are overdue.

Invoices that remain unpaid 60 days after issuance may become subject to collection action. You shall pay for all costs incurred by Interactive Publications Pty Ltd (including costs that Interactive Publications Pty Ltd may be contingently liable) in any attempt to collect any monies owed by you under this Agreement including debt collection agent costs, repossession costs, location search costs, process server costs and solicitor costs on a solicitor/client basis.