The questions authors actually ask, answered plainly.

You do. Nomadic Authors USA provides the professional work — editing, design, production, distribution setup and marketing — while you remain the author and rights holder. Where the publisher of record sits depends on the identifiers you use, and we set that out in writing before anything is registered.

No, and we are careful not to imply it. A traditional publisher acquires rights, pays an advance and takes the commercial risk. We are engaged by the author to do the work, and the author keeps the rights and the royalties. Both models are legitimate; they are simply different, and confusing them does authors real harm.

Almost certainly not. Most authors need a specific subset, and part of the manuscript review is telling you which. Recommending work a manuscript does not need is the fastest way to lose an author's trust.

Yes. Plenty of authors come to us for a cover, or a proofread, or eBook conversion alone. There is no requirement to buy a bundle.

The terms of engagement set out what happens to work completed, work in progress and files at each stage. Read them before signing, and ask about anything that is unclear. The refund policy covers the commercial side.

Cost depends entirely on the book: length, category, how much editing it needs, whether it is illustrated, and which formats you want. Rather than publishing package prices that would not apply to your project, we quote after reading your manuscript. The manuscript review that precedes the quote is free.

Because a price set before anyone has read the manuscript is not a quote, it is a guess with a number on it. Tiered packages work by pricing the average book and hoping yours is close to it. Yours probably is not.

Yes, and there is no obligation attached. You are free to take the assessment and do nothing with it, or take it to another company.

Payment schedules are agreed as part of the written engagement and are normally tied to project stages rather than paid up front in full. The specifics depend on scope and are set out in your quote.

Developmental editing addresses structure, argument and arc — what the book is and how it is built. Line editing works at the level of sentences and voice. Copy editing enforces consistency, grammar and style. Proofreading is the final check on the laid-out pages. Run in that order, each stage protects the next; run out of order, work gets thrown away.

Often, yes — if the structure is already sound. The review tells you whether it is. Skipping it on a manuscript that needs it usually means paying twice, because line editing polishes sentences that later get cut.

Yes. Cover development runs through concept, direction and refinement, and you sign off before production. We will give you our commercial opinion honestly, including when we think a preference of yours will hurt the book, but the decision is yours.

What you receive is set out in the engagement terms — typically print-ready and digital output files. Ask specifically about source files if you want them, and get the answer in writing before work begins. That advice applies to every supplier you use, not only us.

Yes, and it often means less work rather than more. Tell us what has already been done and by whom, and the review will take it into account.

Yes. Children's book illustration is one of our deepest specialisms — character design, storyboarding, finished spreads and print colour. It is handled by illustrators who make picture books regularly rather than by general-purpose designers.

Of course. We will work alongside them, and we can advise on spread planning, file specification and print colour so their artwork survives the print run.

Most trade picture books are 24, 32 or 40 pages, because of how printing signatures fold. Thirty-two is the most common. Word counts are usually well under a thousand. Part of story development is fitting your story to a page structure that will actually print.

Yes. Picture book text is written to be read aloud, repeatedly, by an adult who is tired. Rhythm, sentence length and how a page turn lands are all part of the editorial work, not afterthoughts.

Yes. You remain the author and the rights holder. Nothing in our engagement transfers copyright in your work to us.

It depends on whose imprint the ISBN is registered to, and that is a decision worth making deliberately. We explain the options and the consequences before anything is registered, because changing it afterwards is disruptive.

Retail, wholesale and library channels are configured according to the book, its formats and its markets. Which ones make sense depends on the title. We set out the specific plan for your book rather than listing every channel that theoretically exists.

No. Nobody can, and any company that does is either misinformed or being dishonest with you. What we can do is make the book good, make it findable and give it a proper launch.

Both are available as services. Whether either is worth doing for your book depends on the category and the market, and we will tell you when we think it is not.

It is read by the review team and used only to prepare your review. It is not shared outside that process. Once the file handling policy is finalised with our legal advisers it will be published in full on the privacy policy page.

No. Your manuscript is used to prepare your review and to carry out the work you engage us for, and for nothing else.

Ask us. Confidentiality obligations are part of the standard engagement terms, and if your project needs a separate agreement we will discuss it.

Yes. Send the request through the contact page. The retention periods and the process are being finalised with our legal advisers and will be published on the privacy policy page.