Contents

1. How do I submit a manuscript for FictionFixer evaluation?
2. Can I submit my manuscript by regular mail?
3. How soon can I expect to receive the evaluation?
4. What is the cost of a FictionFixer evaluation?
5. How does FictionFixer work?
6. Which authors are present in FictionFixer’s model?
7. What novels are present in the model?
8. How many models are available?
9. How often does the model change?
10. Can I obtain a copy of the model?
11. Can I examine a sample FictionFixer evaluation?
12. What would happen if FictionFixer evaluated a known bestseller?
13. May I purchase a FictionFixer evaluation of a published novel?
14. Is FictionFixer a software package or a service?
15. Are humans involved in the evaluation?
16. Do I need to sign a release?
17. Are your services confidential?

1. How do I submit a manuscript for FictionFixer evaluation? back to top

You may submit your manuscript in electronic form. The submission process, including formatting, is very simple. You will receive submission guidelines as soon as we receive payment confirmation. You can read about the four easy steps for submission on the How to Order page.

2. Can I submit my manuscript by regular mail? back to top

Not unless you do so by sending a CD-ROM with your file on it. While preparing your evaluation, FictionFixer performs more than a billion comparisons, and that is before analyzing the results. Even if you could duplicate that process and managed to work 24 hours per day reading 300 words per minute, it would still take you more than six years to accomplish what FictionFixer does in several hours.

3. How soon can I expect to receive the evaluation? back to top

Once we receive your manuscript and confirmation of your payment, you can expect to receive your FictionFixer evaluation within three business days.

Note: If you chose one of the three options that use a model novel not currently in our corpus, you will receive additional instructions, and the extra model preparation time will approximately double the total processing time. Instead of 72 hours (three business days), the turnaround will be at least one week. If you choose one of the human critique add-ons, the turn around time will be significantly longer, although you will still receive the computer-generated evaluation on schedule.

4. What is the cost of a FictionFixer evaluation? back to top

We offer several plans ranging in price from $379 to $2,499 for full evaluations. You may also purchase partial evaluations for $49. Explore the options and their pricing here.

5. How does FictionFixer work? back to top

FictionFixer compares your manuscript to a model and reports when elements in your manuscript exceed or fall short of the amounts present in the model. The model may be a single novel, or it may consist of a portion of our corpus of bestselling novels, taken together and averaged point-by-point.

6. Which authors are present in FictionFixer’s model? back to top

ModelB includes bestsellers by authors such as Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, Robin Cook, Michael Crichton, John Grisham, Stephen King, James Patterson, and J.K. Rowling. ModelC includes authors such as Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Somerset Maugham, George Orwell, and J.D. Salinger.

7. What novels are present in the model? back to top

The models include high-grossing page-turners only. The titles of the bestsellers included in ModelB constitute proprietary information. You can probably guess the titles of many of the works in ModelC.

8. How many models are available? back to top

FictionFixer currently offers three models from which to choose. ModelA has been built from all the bestselling novels FictionFixer has analyzed. ModelB’s sources are less than twenty-five years old, while ModelC excludes works of the past twenty-five years. Popular writing has changed since the middle of the last century. For example, Orwell's Animal Farm employs twice as many reflexive pronouns than the current FictionFixer model; 1.9042 as many, to be exact.

9. How often does the model change? back to top

The models change continually as new novels are released, and as we have time to add them to the model (a process that can take several days of scanning, proofing, and computer-processing).

10. Can I obtain a copy of the model? back to top

No Besides, the models change regularly and frequently (see previous FAQ).

11. Can I examine a sample FictionFixer evaluation? back to top

Yes. You may download a 40-page sample FictionFixer evaluation of a bestselling novel written within the past 50 years. The file is in PDF format and should be readable on all computers. You can obtain a free PDF reader called from Adobe, if you don't already have a one (examples: Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, Adobe Reader). Some portions of the evaluation have been shortened. The evaluation gives examples of all the services offered by FictionFixer.

12. What would happen if FictionFixer evaluated a known bestseller? back to top

That is exactly what we did for the sample evaluation (see previous FAQ), although, we have omitted the novel title and character names, referring to characters generically: protagonist, antagonist, love interest, confidant, foil, helper, mentor, etc. This is because the evaluation serves as the basis to FictionFixer's first Bestselling Novel Identificatioon Contest.

13. May I purchase a FictionFixer evaluation of a published novel? back to top

Yes, you many purchase a FictionFixer evaluation of a published novel, but only if one of the following conditions hold:

• For novel's not in the public domain you must be the author, or the author's agent, editor, or publisher, and be able verify your relationship to the author.
• If the novel is in the public domain, you are free to purchase and evaluation at the normal prices. A good place to find novels in the public domain is Project Gutenberg. They offer more than 16,000 novels for free download.

14. Is FictionFixer a software package or a service? back to top

FictionFixer is a service. You do not receive the software to run at home. It would not make sense for you to do so; consider that FictionFixer produces a 5 megabyte data file for each novel in its model. These files are in constant transformation as the program mines them for more information.

15. Are humans involved in the evaluation? back to top

Yes. FictionFixer’s developer oversees each evaluation. Click to request more info.

16. Do I need to sign a release? back to top

You are not required to sign a release form for this evaluation. However, implied in your agreement with FictionFixer is the fact that you will not use the information you receive from us to reverse-engineer the workings of the FictionFixer program.

17. Are your services confidential? back to top

All material you submit is held strictly confidential. It is used only for the purpose of the evaluation. No third parties will see your novel or the evaluation. Once the evaluation is complete, the data file is destroyed. It is not backed-up for any reason.