Commission Projects

I recently finished doing my first commission job, a page layout and editing project for another author. I’ve shied away from doing these types of projects for years, fearing an appearance on The People’s Court if things didn’t go well. But to my surprise this project went very well. The client was very happy with the finished book.

Normally I work more on the creative side of writing than the technical side of publishing, but this was a very enjoyable experience to apply my skills and experience towards completing a more technical publishing project from start to finish. Page layouts and cover design are usually the last things I do when I’m putting a book together, but things on this one came together fairly quickly:
From the customer’s materials I was able to put together a very attractive cover and page layout. Having self-published my own books, I didn’t want her first book to fall victim to the series of mistakes on my first two books. This one follows the rules in the Chicago Manual of Style for front matter, has clean copy and almost no errors (I'm only human). I feel it would fit right in on a bookstore shelf.

Would I do another editing/layout job? Probably. Would I do a commission/assigned writing job? I’d be open to give it a shot. It really depends on the specs and if the client was realistic about what they wanted. I’m always open to new experiences and further developing my skills as a writer/self-publisher.