Frequently Asked Questions
If you have questions about WriteByNight, you’ve come to the right place. Read on for answers to the questions we get asked the most.
Quick Links
General Questions
Am I right for WriteByNight?
Is WriteByNight right for me?
What if I don’t consider myself a writer?
What genres does WriteByNight work with?
Why should I work with you instead of the next guy?
Your address is New York but your staff is all over the country. I don’t get it.
What is a free consultation and why do I need one?
Questions about Services
What services do you offer?
How do I know which service is right for me?
What’s the difference between private instruction and book coaching?
What’s the difference between an edit and a proof?
For coaching, you list meeting time and prep time. What does this mean?
When should I start working with you?
How do you decide who I work with?
Will I always work with the same coach/consultant?
Are your coaches and consultants experienced?
What if I don’t live near my WriteByNight consultant?
Will my work be protected?
What if I have little/no experience as a writer?
Can I talk to some of your past or current clients?
Can I see a sample edit?
What if I try a service and don’t like it?
I’m worried I can’t afford your services.
Does WriteByNight guarantee to get my work published?
Will WriteByNight publish my work?
Questions about Policies
How does payment work?
Do you offer refunds?
What if I need to cancel an appointment with WriteByNight?
Where can I read your full policies?
General Questions
Am I right for WriteByNight?
If you put words to paper or want to, then yes. We work with writers of all experience levels, working in a variety of genres—fiction, nonfiction, young adult, children’s literature, screenwriting, poetry, memoir, journalism, and more. No prior experience or training is required. Isn’t that cool? You don’t even have to have pages written yet. If you want to learn how to become a writer or how to write a great book or anything in between, you are right for WriteByNight. Read more about who we work with here.
Is WriteByNight right for me?
If it wasn’t, we’d be out of business by now. Our staff of professional writers and editors is dedicated to providing you with the one-on-one attention you need and deserve. Every writer is different, but our desire to see you succeed remains constant. With WriteByNight, you’re assured only the highest level of quality feedback and assistance, whether you’re a bestselling author or just starting out.
What if I don’t consider myself a writer?
That’s okay. We work with plenty of folks who either aren’t interested in calling themselves writers or simply aren’t ready to do so. Whether you think of yourself as a writer is not important; whether you want to write is.
What genres does WriteByNight work with?
Any and all. If you don’t see your genre in the following list, please drop us a line to inquire.
Fiction: mainstream fiction, literary fiction, genre fiction, young adult, middle grade, novels, short stories, flash fiction
Nonfiction: general nonfiction, memoir, essay, journalism, blogging, academic writing
Other: poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, children’s literature
Why should I work with you instead of the next guy?
Great question. So glad you asked. While WriteByNight is certainly not the only writers’ service out there, it is the only writers’ service that boasts a team of professional coaches and consultants carefully vetted so that you don’t have to take chances on people you’re not sure you can trust. There are plenty of writers out there who offer similar services as a side job, and a lot of them are good at what they do, but it can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. We’ve heard horror stories about writers being taken advantage of and we work hard to make sure you never feel that way with us.
What we’re saying is, we’re a team of seasoned professionals whom you can trust to do stellar work every single time. We care about you and your work, and we want to see you succeed. Just ask our clients.
Your address is New York but your staff is all over the country. I don’t get it.
WriteByNight headquarters is in New York where the management team (Justine and David) lives, but since we work with writers all over, we think it makes sense to have staff all over, too. A lot of our coaches and consultants are in Austin because WriteByNight formerly operated a writing center in East Austin.
What is a free consultation and why do I need one?
Your free consultation is an opportunity for us to get to know each other before agreeing to work together. During your free consult, we’ll discuss your writerly interests and goals, address any problems you’ve encountered along the way, answer any questions you may have about craft and/or the business of writing, and determine how WriteByNight might be of service to you.
It’s pretty important that we understand your needs before we hatch a plan to meet them, don’t you think?
Questions about Services
What services do you offer?
A whole bunch, actually. By offering a wide range of services, we ensure that we’re ready to help when you need us. Currently, we offer services in four categories:
Coaching – Work closely with a professional writer to write more, write better, and/or complete a writing project
Manuscript consultation – Have your writing professionally critiqued, edited, and/or proofed
Ghostwriting – Hire a professional writer to write your book or story for you
Publication assistance – Choose a route to publication and get published
How do I know which service is right for me?
A wild guess. Just kidding. Check out our services page and our “Which Service is Right For Me?” flow chart, then request a free consultation. Don’t worry if you’re not sure which service you need. We’ll figure that out together when we chat.
What’s the difference between private instruction and book coaching?
Both are forms of coaching; both are an opportunity to work one-on-one with a professional writer to achieve your literary goals, whatever they may be. The main difference is the nature of the project(s) you’re working on. Book coaching is designed for folks interested in writing a book; private instruction is designed for folks interested in writing anything else not of book-length.
What’s the difference between an edit and a proof?
Both should be performed only once the writer considers the manuscript complete. If there are still revisions to be made, editing and proofreading are not appropriate. A line edit is a line-by-line edit of any genre/form of manuscript in order to ensure clarity, fluidity of prose, and maximum effectiveness of language. A proof is a line-by-line edit of any genre/form of manuscript in order to ensure that it is free of typographical, grammatical, and punctuation errors.
For coaching, you list meeting time and prep time. What does this mean?
Coaching meetings are $50/hour. Meetings are usually one hour. They can be longer if you like, in which case we’ll charge at the same standard rate. Prep is $35/hour. Prep is the time it takes for your coach to prepare for the meeting: reading your writing, providing written feedback and commentary on that writing, and planning for the meeting. So if you think of each coaching session as a pairing of meeting and prep, the total fee is $85.
When should I start working with you?
Because we offer a wide range of services designed to address a variety of needs, we’re able to jump into work at any point in your writing process: before you’ve written a word, partway into a project, once a full draft is under your belt, or with a completed manuscript ready to go out into the world. What we’re trying to say is, we’re ready when you are.
How do you decide who I work with?
Once we’ve decided together which service(s) is the best fit for you and your writing, we’ll take you through an internal matching process by which we decide which of our talented coaches and consultants makes the most sense for you. We base that decision on a variety of factors, including area of expertise, availability, and your preferences should you have feelings about the kind of person you work with.
Will I always work with the same coach/consultant?
If you’re happy with the match, you can and will continue working together. If you’re happy with the match but are interested in another writer’s perspective, we’ll bring in another talented member of our team to consult. If you’re dissatisfied with the match for any reason, we’ll rematch you asap, no questions asked.
Are your coaches and consultants experienced?
Yes, very. Here at WriteByNight, we pride ourselves on the quality of our work, so we’re very careful about whom we take on. All of our coaches and consultants are professional writers, currently active in the field, with extensive writing, editing, and teaching experience.
What if I don’t live near my WriteByNight consultant?
No worries. WriteByNight serves clients nationwide and worldwide via phone and Internet. In fact, most of our services are delivered remotely.
Will my work be protected?
Yes. All exchanges of information, writing, and ideas between WriteByNight and our clients are strictly confidential.
What if I have little/no experience as a writer?
We love beginners. After all, what is a professional but a former beginner? WriteByNight is more than happy to help train you in becoming a writer; our private writing instruction will get you started on the path to literary stardom.
Can I talk to some of your past or current clients?
Although our clients are lovely people you would no doubt enjoy talking to, if they agreed to one-on-one references, they’d be on the phone with WriteByNight’s potential clients all day long. But we want you to feel comfortable and confident working with us, of course, so we hope that these reviews (scroll to the bottom of the page) and these reviews too will give you a sense of how our clients feel about us.
Can I see a sample edit?
Sure thing. For a taste of our work before chowing down on the full meal, simply let us know and we’ll make it happen.
What if I try a service and don’t like it?
You’re in luck because we’ve designed our services to be as risk-free for you as possible. Your comfort and satisfaction are super important to us. We don’t ask you to sign a contract or commit to minimums, and we don’t have any hidden fees—ever. This means that you’ll always know what to expect and what is expected of you. No surprises. Our work together is in your control 100% of the time, so if you’re not happy for whatever reason, you can walk away free and clear.
I’m worried I can’t afford your services.
Totally understandable. We know that budgeting is top of mind for most people, and for writers especially. For that reason, we’ve gone to great lengths to make our services as affordable as possible. Our hourly rates are standard for the industry: $35 for critique, $40 for proofing, $50 for editing, $60 for copywriting, $50 for regular meetings, $99 for one-time meetings. With coaching, the frequency of your meetings is up to you, so if $85/month is in your budget—that’s only $21.25/week to leap forward in your literary goals, by the way—you’re in.
Does WriteByNight guarantee to get my work published?
Would that we could. No one can guarantee you publication, and if they tell you they can, they are flat-out lying. What we can guarantee is that we’ll provide you the tools you need to take the proper steps toward publication or help you to self-publish if you choose.
Will WriteByNight publish my work?
No. WriteByNight is a resource for writers, not a publisher.
Questions about Policies
How does payment work?
Acceptable methods of payment include credit card or check made payable to WriteByNight. We invoice via email and allow 30 days for payment. Payment received after 30 days is subject to a late payment fee of $50.
Do you offer refunds?
We do not. However, extenuating circumstances will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
What if I need to cancel an appointment with WriteByNight?
Scheduling conflicts will be accommodated, provided the client gives WriteByNight 48-hour notice. WriteByNight reserves the right to charge for missed meetings at the regular service rate.
Where can I read your full policies?
Right here, my friend. Be forewarned, it doesn’t make for especially gripping reading.