We have access to a variety of commonly used desktop publishing software, including Microsoft Word, Adobe FrameMaker, PageMaker and Acrobat. We are expert or advanced -level users of all the software that we employ.

Non-fiction

Non-fiction materials require client-provided source material and/or independent research by the writer. Non-fiction writing is used for informing readers about specific topics, ideas or opinions, and also to convince the reader to take a specific action (such as purchasing a product). Moon & Star can provide any or all of the following:

• Books and e-books (up to 12,000 words. For non-fiction books longer than 12,000 words, please read our Technical Writing page)
• Articles
• Brochures
• Marketing materials
• Resumes
• Web copy (short articles and SEO copy)
• Product copy (for catalogs and online auction sites)

Samples

Fiction

• Novels/novellas/novelettes
• Short stories
• Writing for children
• Song Lyrics and Poetry

Determining your needs

Creative writing, unlike technical writing, is usually billed on a per-word basis, instead of billing by the hour. The rates depend not only on the total word count, but also the ultimate ownership of the completed work. "Work for hire" (ghostwriting), where the copyright is assigned to the client, is more expensive than if the rights are retained by the author (Moon & Star), and the client is granted a license. The types of rights and licensing are numerous and depend on many factors.

Estimating page or word count

A standard manuscript page is unformatted 12-point courier (typewriter) text, double-spaced with one-inch margins, and typically contains about 250 words. For comparison, a page using 10-point Times Roman (proportional) font, single-spaced, and one-inch margins holds about 700 words. When estimating page counts, please use the standard manuscript page estimates, regardless of what format the final deliverable will be.