There are two ways to reach The Author Office, and both end with a person reading what you wrote. You can email us, or you can use the consultation form on the home page and a producer will get in touch to agree a time for your call. There is no phone number on this site because we do not run a call center. Every call is arranged by appointment, so there is no hold music, and the person who calls you has already read what you sent.
01Email the studio
Write to hello@theauthoroffice.com. This one address reaches the people who run the studio. Use it for anything: a first hello about your book, a question about a proposal you have received, a request about a project already in production, or something you could not find on this site.
You do not need to have written a word, and you do not need to know what kind of help you want. A few honest sentences are enough. We will ask the rest when we talk.
02Book a free consultation
The quickest route is the call sheet in Scene 09 of the home page. It asks for your name, your email, a phone number we can reach you on, a few lines about the book, where it stands today (finished, partly written, or just the story), what kind of book it is, and whether morning, afternoon or evening suits you best.
The form will not send without the consent box, because it is our permission to call, text or email you about your book. Ticking it is not a condition of buying anything: if you would rather not tick that box, skip the form and email us instead. Say whether you would like a call or would rather stay on email, and that is what we will do. You can withdraw consent at any time by telling us.
When the form can deliver, it sends your answers to the studio's inbox or customer list, and a producer gets in touch first, by email or a short call, to agree a time for the consultation, so you know who is calling and when. If it cannot deliver, it tells you so on the spot and asks you to email hello@theauthoroffice.com instead, so you are never left thinking we got a message we did not. (Our server keeps a private copy in its log in that case; the Privacy Policy explains how long.) The call is free, there is no sales script, and nothing is owed. Afterwards you get a written proposal and you decide.
What happens to the details you give us, and how long we keep them, is set out plainly in the Privacy Policy.
03What to put in a first email
None of this is required. It just lets us arrive at the call already knowing you.
- What the book is. A memoir, a family history, a business or legacy book, a novel, or something you cannot name yet. One or two sentences on what it is about.
- Where it is now. A finished manuscript, a half-written draft, a folder of notes, or a story you have only ever told out loud. Every one of these is a real starting point.
- The best time to call you. A day or two that suit you, and whether mornings, afternoons or evenings are easier.
- Your time zone. We are in the United States; if you are somewhere else, saying so saves a round of emails.
- Anything you want done by a certain date. A birthday, an anniversary, a launch, a reunion. We will tell you honestly what is possible in the time.
04When to expect a reply
We try to answer every email within two business days. We are a studio, not a call center, so around a book launch or while a book is being printed it can take a little longer. If a week passes with no word from us, something went astray; please write again, and we will be glad you did.
We acknowledge a privacy request like any other email, but completing it takes longer; the Privacy Policy says how long. If you sent the call sheet rather than an email, the first thing you hear from us is a producer getting in touch to agree a time; that is the reply.
05Press, partnerships, privacy requests and legal notices
Press and partnerships. Journalists, podcasters, printers, booksellers, editors and designers who would like to work with the studio: email hello@theauthoroffice.com with Press in the subject line so it reaches the right desk. Tell us who you are, what you have in mind, and any deadline.
Privacy requests. If you would like to know what personal information we hold about you, correct it, or have it deleted, including requests under California or European and UK privacy law, email hello@theauthoroffice.com with Privacy in the subject line. Write from the address you gave us, or tell us the name, email and phone number on your call sheet, so we can find the right record; we will not ask for more unless a request is unusual, and we will not treat you any differently for asking. Your rights, and how we handle these requests, are explained in the Privacy Policy.
Legal notices. Notices to The Author Office under the Terms of Service go to hello@theauthoroffice.com with Legal notice in the subject line, so they reach the right person.
To stop calls, tell the producer or email us and we take your number off the call list. Asking us to delete your details is a separate request: put Privacy in the subject line. Emails about a project you have signed for continue until the work is done.