PI

specializing in writer support

... your one stop writing shop: Marlene Menard, pi

SUPPORT & SERVICES

Phone and fax:  320-5815 or 320-5817

INTERACTIVE  CD DEVELOPMENT

Market your writing skills by building your own CD

Employ multimedia or  slick presentations  to market your writing skills presenting a writing sample library and readings or videos.  We are constantly researching improved audio and video streaming.  Streaming is important to protect your work.

WRITER MARKETING

Our highly-skilled technical  writers and editors assist with building well-constructed  marketing packages.

GLOBAL MARKETING

Our computer-savvy, Internet specialists set you up in a global market place.  We are affiliated with top-quality reputable websites.  We can help you place your books in the world-wide top-selling e-commerce sites.

ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING

PI will edit and format your book  for more than just camera-ready publishing.  Our personnel are familiar with the current software in print and electronic publishing and can assist you with the creation, publishing, packaging and marketing of your book for print or digital delivery. 

Buy new or update?

Many sales reps tell you that it is not cost-efficient to upgrade your computer, or incorrectly tell you that your computer cannot be upgraded. PI's technical support partner has updated many systems that others have been told were not upgradeable — at reasonable cost. We've replaced mother boards, added new chips, put in extra hard drives, added peripherals to make the computer serviceable and useful, with the writer's needs in mind.

We just bought the machine and it doesn't work!
@#@$#$@#$?

There is no quality assurance in hardware manufacturing. Research indicates that a whopping 12 to 13% of computer hardware arrives defective. Many trouble-shooting hours are wasted dealing with this problem. Let us be your aspirin for these headaches. 

There is no quality assurance in computer sales. "New" computers may have been used and returned to the store. More than one superstore in our area has sold used computers as new.  There are even cases when the software and data from a former user were still resident on the "new" machine.  

I prefer and use a Mac. Can you help me?

While PI has moved to primarily the PC platform, we often provide assistance for Macintosh users.  We have Macintosh computers and software that permits us to accept both Macintosh and PC files in virtually any file type.  You can work as you normally do and let us translate the files in a form we can use.  We don't ask you to bend over for us; we bend over for you.

I'm a new author and would like assistance.  Can you help me?

PI provides technical writing and editing services and training, editing & publishing services via print (multiple copies through years of networking with local print shops), electronic (CD-ROM), and online (www) via your own or in my own established website (since 1995) which is marketed across Canada and in the United States.   (See also MS WRITE)

I got a deal on hardware. How do I hook it up and use it?

We provide the technical support for setting up the equipment, trouble-shooting common hardware and software problems. In addition, we setup one-click access and macro routines to helping you accomplish repetitive writing, scanning and photo-touching tasks with the least finger effort! We take repetitive-stress problems seriously. We help you lessen the chance of carpal tunnel syndrome (cts).  

I would like to learn how to do create my own book and do my own publishing.  I don't have time to take a course.

We provide one-on-one professional instruction from a qualified instructor who also works in your field to you or on a group basis.   

I want to add a CD to my book. 

PI provides CD-ROM development including multimedia elements; we  specialize in midi and mp3 development and voice overs.  

I want to update an old, lengthy manuscript but only have it on paper.  Can you help me?  I don't want to retype or pay someone for typing in the manuscript.  ... and, of course, I needed it by yesterday.

If your manuscript is in fairly good condition and the print is legible, we can translate the printed document to a file format that YOU can use irrespective of what software or hardware you use.  In addition, our skilled document production expert can assist with the file setup so that the table of contents, indexing, chapter titles, page headings and footings are all automated so that you need only focus on the content and the book can be delivered as a finished product.

Our personnel is extremely competent in this area.  By seeing how easy it is to complete the project, you will be able to produce your next book following the same pattern -- either all by yourself or with very little training.

I've completed my book and need graphic work to "jazz" it up.   Can you help me?

PI provides graphic art & illustrations for content and book covers.  As we also network with artists and photographers, you can choose from either our work or look at some of our artist or photographer samples.

PROTECTED WEBS

(author-controlled web areas for access to author's complete electronic books)

Let us create a private, password-controlled web area for you, the  writer, to offer online webbooks to your readership.  These webbooks can be in PDF format for the Internet subscriber to print out or read on screen.

NEED HARDWARE?

Our computer services include consultation and assistance with the purchase of equipment and/or software.  

PROMOTION

PI-Flora's Write Landscape, has an advertising area publicly available to all Internet browsers.  There, authors' works are promoted showing writing samples in a variety of genres.

YOUR DOMAIN

Let us help you create your own web domain... or use my established website (since 1995).  It has been marketed across Canada and in the United States

Bottom line -- what are the costs?

Our rates are $45 CDN/hour plus disbursement costs.  We also negotiate a project fee. 

Tip:  

Summary:

• PI's  services and training help you purchase your computer equipment and software.  PI provides writing assistance, wordprocessing and document layout, networking services for publishing, electronic communication setup and training; support for Macintosh and PC platforms.

• PI provides marketing assistance which promotes the development of a unique identity and voice.  Consistently reinforce it through print media (business cards, posters, books) to electronic marketing (CD-ROM of the Write Landscape, world-wide-web development with inclusion in the PI EIS Writers Online Directory and community service information through LACEY) — a network of marketing through inexpensive, creative avenues

• reasonable pricing