J.W. Donley

Manuscript Services

Getting a book or story out into the world is extremely difficult on your own.

Let me make it easy for you.

Writing the manuscript was only the first step. Now you need to make sure the text is as polished as possible before sending it off to possible publishers who are flooded with submissions and thus looking for any excuse to reject your work. Let me be your second set of eyes to help eliminate the most common issues. Check out my services below.

If you are an indie publisher, you still need to make sure your book looks as good or better than titles put out by the major publishers. Through my formatting services I will make sure your book looks amazing on every page. If you’re looking for cover design I have a handful of preferred professionals that I work with regularly I can recommend.

My name is Joe, and I am an author, book designer, editor, and owner of a small press (Dark Forest Press LLC). I specialize in editing and formatting fiction in speculative genres like horror, historical, fantasy, science fiction, bizarro, literary, and others. I would be thrilled to help you get your book out into the world.

Services Offered:

For more information please use my contact form

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

Formatting Services

Starting at $50

The Express Format is for basic manuscripts that require minimal custom formatting and contain few images. This package is great for indie authors on a budget preparing their book for Amazon KDP or other indie publishing providers.

Once complete, I provide both PDF and .epub files you will need.

Note: I will work with you to get your cover ready for print-on-demand (POD) publishing services for an additional fee.

Starting at $150

The Custom Format is for manuscripts that are more complex. This includes books with:

  • text with special formatting
  • non standard front and back matter
  • a lot of graphics
  • endnotes and footnotes
  • title pages with customized elements
  • poetry
  • pages with multiple columns of text
  • text wrapped around graphics
  • and more…

Once complete, I provide both PDF and .epub files you will need.

Note: I will work with you to get your cover ready for print-on-demand (POD) publishing services for an additional fee.

Formatting Portfolio

Previous Formatting Projects

Author Website Consultation

I have over 15 years experience in developing content management systems as well as building websites in them. I have developed websites in WordPress, Squarespace, LightCMS, and others.

I can provide guidance or help you build your very own home base on the internet for your creative endeavors.

Use my contact form to reach me for more information.

A Selection of Websites I Manage

Indie Distribution Consultation

As the sole owner and operator of Dark Forest Press LLC, I must wear many hats and handle everything from contracts to book distribution and everything else in between. I contract out for any editing for the press I cannot fit into my schedule as well as cover design work from skilled artists around the world.

After a book is written, it is still a gargantuan task getting that book out into the world. Do you need a little guidance on how to self-publish your own work?

Use my contact form to reach me for more information.

Note: use of my services does not in any way influence decisions to publish a work through Dark Forest Press LLC. 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.