Hello!
My name is Joe and I am a freelance editor, author, book format specialist, and owner of Dark Forest Press LLC. I live in the Pacific Northwest where the Cascade mountains kiss the Salish Sea. With over eight years experience in developmental editing, editorial assessments, and proofreading, I specialize in horror, fantasy, bizarro, and weird fiction and have helped many writers reach their writing goals.
Let’s be real. I’m not here to tell you that your work is amazing and ready to win all of the awards. I am here to help you improve your writing to the best it can be. I love to help authors word toward their writing goals and that means digging in deep and rooting out any issues. That said, I believe there is no place for being outright mean. All of my feedback is kind and helpful and is meant to further writers on their journeys.
I am a published author with short stories in anthologies from Dim Shores, HOWL Society Press, Chuckanut Editions, and PIT Press. I also have an indie published novelette and a book for writing prompts specifically for those of us who write horror, weird, and bizarro fiction. I am a member of the HWA, the HOWL Society, and a reviewer for HorrorTree.com.
If you want a partner in your process of producing your best possible work, I would love to work with you.
For more information please use my Contact form
-Joe (J.W. Donley)
note: Use of my services does not in any way affect decisions to publish a work through Dark Forest Press. DFP is not a vanity press and does not accept payment for publication. Also, I reserve the right to refuse service on any project using AI generated text or artwork.
Joe’s expert communication and quick response time made what was going to be a stressful project a breeze. I would highly recommend his formatting to anyone who would like a clean, professional book done.
David Beaumier
Marketing and Communications Manager at Chanticleer Book Reviews And Media
Joe is a professional and responsive collaborator who offers exceptional service at an affordable rate. I highly recommend Dark Forest Press.
Clay Vermulm
Podcaster, editor, and author of horror & fantasy
The work was done on time or earlier and always looked great!
Riley Kade
Author of The Carnal Fever Trilogy
DFP helped with line editing and proofreading my 100K word novel. The cost was reasonable and the results were well worth the cost. The work was done very quickly and every promised deadline was met.
Robert S. Phillips
Author Of Elodia’s Knife
Editing Services
$0.045/word
Developmental editing is for authors who want more in depth feedback on their writing. For this service, I provide feedback on “big picture” issues including:
- Story Structure
- Character Development
- Plot
- Flow
- Mood
- Genre
You will also receive incline comments as well as written commentary on ways to improve the work.
$0.03/word
Line editing is for writers who are a bit further along in the process of finishing their work. With line editing I provide feedback on content, style, and language use at the sentence and paragraph level. This includes:
- Information Redundancies
- Run On Sentences
- Dialogue or Prose that can be Tightened
- Confusing or Unclear Meaning
- Shifts in Tone and Unnatural Phrasing
- and more
$0.016/word
Do you just need someone to go through your work and fix grammar, spelling, and punctuation issues? I can do that!
$0.007/word – minimum $20
Editorial Assessment is for writers who need feedback on their work as a whole. With this service I provide a two page general summary containing strengths and weaknesses along with targeted feedback designed to help improve the work.
Previous Editing Projects
Formatting Services
Starter – Starting at $50
- Up 80K words
- Up to 10 graphics
- Includes both e-book and hardcopy
- Unlimited Revisions*
Basic – Starting at $95
- Up to 120K words
- Up to 25 graphics
- Includes both e-book and hardcopy
- Custom section break graphic (provided by client)
- Unlimited Revisions*
Custom – Contact for Quote
The custom package is for projects that include:
- Poetry
- More than 120k words
- Endnotes and/or footnotes
- Complex formatting requirements
Previous Formatting Projects
*Unlimited revisions for small changes like fixing of typos and other slight textual changes. While the client will get a chance to request changes to the design/layout, this is limited to only 1 round of changes; beyond that may require re-negotiation of costs.