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Rachel Rowlands, Editor & Author
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Rachel Rowlands, Editor & Author

Testimonials

I’ve worked with some amazing authors and publishers to develop, revise, and polish their books. Here is what some of them have said about my editorial services!

  • Absolutely wonderful

    Rachel is absolutely wonderful! Not only is she professional, thorough, and constructive, but her enthusiasm and the way she presents information with examples is helpful and informative. I’ve learned SO much working with her and look forward to working with her again on future books. She meets her deadlines and is genuinely interested in helping authors grow. She also respects your author voice and is just a nice person to work with in every aspect. Thank you, Rachel!
    Sleep Sweet by Erica Easton
    Erica Easton
    Romance author
  • You will walk away with great ideas

    Rachel is an excellent editor, and I cannot recommend her services enough! With her developmental guidance, I have been able to transform my early manuscript draft into a much more powerful story. If you are stuck in your writing process, take the plunge and get the leg-up you need from Rachel! She takes her time to provide thoughtful, actionable suggestions, and you will walk away with great ideas and kind words of encouragement to inspire you.
    Linley B.
    Historical fiction author
  • Forensic

    Rachel line and copy-edited my forthcoming book, The Last Secret of The Soul. Her attention to point of view, spelling, grammar, and continuity is forensic. She is also very friendly, helpful and flexible. I highly recommend her.
    The Last Secret of the Soul by Stephen P Smith
    stephen p. smith
    Historical fiction author
    Website
  • A delight

    Working with Rachel was a delight. Her knowledge, skill, insights, and meticulous attention to detail were exemplary. She consistently delivered work within the agreed deadlines, and her constructive feedback and suggestions greatly enhanced the strength of my writing while maintaining the integrity of my original vision and voice.

    Rachel’s line and copy editing exceeded my expectations, and I learnt much from working with her. Rachel’s approach was marked by patience, kindness, and enthusiasm, coupled with clear and actionable feedback.

    I look forward to working with Rachel again in the future. I highly recommend her.
    MJ Bolton
    Historical romance author
  • An injection of energy

    Rachel’s manuscript assessment taught me so much, and unlocked a completely new way of looking at and understanding what did and didn’t work in my manuscript. Her notes were incredibly thorough, thoughtful and detailed, returned in a well-structured document with constructive ideas for fixing the big issues. I felt such an injection of energy after working with her, it has been invaluable for me.
    Rachel Dauncey
    YA author
  • In capable hands

    You are amazingly thorough. I love your process and your level of detail. And your enthusiasm for the story means everything. THANK YOU so, so much for levelling this manuscript up. I knew it was in capable hands. I don’t feel any anxiety around looking at these edits, and trust me that is an enormous feat.
    The Twin Flame by K.T. Anglehart
    K.t. anglehart
    YA fantasy author
    Website
  • Surpassed my expectations

    Working with Rachel surpassed my expectations because of her thoroughness and attention to detail. Rachel finds the positives in your work and offers practical and constructive feedback that genuinely shapes your manuscript into something so much better. Her advice has helped, not only for this book, but it will undoubtedly feed into my future work. Her communication and professionalism is faultless. Deadlines were clear and upfront, making her incredibly easy to work with. I would not only recommend hiring Rachel, but would definitely look to work with her again.
    jennifer paxman
    Thriller author
  • Professional and conscientious

    I’ve been lucky enough to count Rachel among Black Library’s pool of freelance editors and proofreaders since 2018, and since then she has lent her talents to a variety of products across our range, including work on our fantasy, science-fiction and horror genres. Rachel is a professional and conscientious editor, taking the time to provide in-depth queries where necessary. She is extremely thorough in her work, always hits deadlines, and is seemingly never phased by the amount of unusual terms to be found in our fiction! She has worked on both short and long-form stories, and seems eager to tackle any task. I would not hesitate to recommend her services.
    Darkness in the Blood by Guy Haley
    Karen miksza, desk editor
    Black Library (Games Workshop)
    Website
  • Top-quality

    I can’t praise Rachel enough. From the first conversation we had, I could see how professional she was, but, more importantly, how much she genuinely wanted to help bring my projects to life. Her editing skills are top-quality, not only catching and highlighting issues for me to address but giving me detailed feedback and critiques to help me improve as a writer. As an added bonus, every deadline was met and work was delivered promptly, which helped me keep to my own schedules. I look forward to working with her on future projects!
    Introductions: Volume One by Dave McCreery
    Dave mccreery
    Sci-fi and fantasy author
    Website
  • I feel much more confident

    I can’t thank you enough for your opinions on how to improve my story. I feel much more confident in what I’ve written and what I’ve changed about the story thanks to you.
    pixie-jj
    Fantasy author and artist
  • Inspiring

    Your manuscript assessment was exactly what I was hoping for. You confirmed some thoughts I had, raised plenty of new ones and helped me see where things were working where otherwise I had doubts. My head was nodding throughout and I found your suggestions/explanations inspiring. I can’t wait to get to work. Thank you so much.
    Charlie kelly
    Romance author
    Twitter
  • Worth every penny

    I came to Rachel having never published a book before. I decided to take a chance on her and give her my baby, After World. Having hired her twice, I can say you’ll never find a more caring, compassionate professional. She is methodical and precise. She pointed out blemishes in story arcs and character interactions, and never shied away from pointing out things that didn’t work. This may seem standard in this industry; the difference is, she always provided concise ideas on how to improve these elements. Whenever Rachel and I set up a timeline, she was never late. Authors should feel at ease that their time is taken seriously, and this editor takes her job just as seriously.

    After working with her, honestly… you just feel good. She’s genuinely interested in the work. She includes notes about what she likes and wants to know more about. These little tidbits of positivity really help when you’re up for long hours remaking your world.

    Rachel was a wonderful addition to my team and in helping bring my book to life. I would recommend her, especially to new authors who need a helpful hand in cleaning up their work. She was worth every penny. I would hire her again without a doubt.
    Ean S. Mills
    Fantasy author
    Website
  • Quality editing

    The thing that convinced me to keep going was the quality of your editing and the dedication you put into it – you didn’t just point to the issues, you came to me with real, constructive ideas and suggestions. These are very helpful to a non-native English speaker, since showing me what you mean can make up for thousands of words of advice. What’s more, you did all this while truly respecting my voice and authorial style. I am impressed.
    catherine stowe
    Sci-fi/thriller author
  • Amazing

    If you ever need an editor, Rachel is AMAZING. She’s so nice, professional, and understanding. Working with her has been great!
    Kristen hynes
    YA author
  • A better manuscript

    I admire your editing skills. You know how to look through the reader’s eyes and have surprised me with several comments which will make the manuscript so much better. Thanks again for your help.
    S.T. HILLS
    Crime author
  • Blown away

    The manuscript assessment I received from Rachel was extraordinarily helpful. Some of the feedback confirmed suspicions I had, which as a new writer helped me gain confidence in my own inner critic. But much more of the assessment addressed aspects I had not considered or those I thought I had worked out well. Rachel provided explanations as well as specific examples from my manuscript on each area of strength and weakness. That made the feedback much more impactful, as I could see the passages/lines and immediately understood her points. She even provided some excellent resources to help me improve on some of these areas.

    I was blown away by Rachel’s thoughtful and thorough work and there is no doubt that my novel will be incalculably stronger because of Rachel’s feedback. She is simply amazing. If you are a writer in search of professional editing services, you found them. End of search.
    The Ruiner by Wes Cook
    wes cook
    Supernatural thriller author
    Website
  • I feel much more immersed

    Thank you so much for your feedback – it’s really helped me cut away all the fat from the story and streamline it, and to really focus on the story that I want to tell and what I want readers to get out of it. I’d struggled to explain my book to others and I see now that this was because I was throwing too many plotlines and characters at the wall and seeing what would stick. I’ve re-written around 50,000 words from scratch and it already feels so much better and is more snappy than the earlier draft. I feel much more immersed as I feel I know the characters and the world better than before.
    Flames of Rebellion by Aaron S. Jones
    Aaron s. jones
    Fantasy author
    Website
  • A devoted editor

    I am a new writer, and Rachel not only seemed very interested in my book, but she often communicated with me about the editing itself, which I was very new at. Rachel went over my monster of a manuscript and showed me parts that needed to be rewritten, fixed, and changed and I feel my manuscript will become better because of it. If you are a new writer, and would like a professional to go over your book, I believe Rachel is one of the most devoted to making your book the best it can be.
    A.L. Hornbeck
    Fantasy author
  • Professional and kind

    Rachel’s detailed feedback was instrumental in making my novel what it is today. Her insights into character development, structure and plotting have massively helped me create a much pacier and more layered book. Not only did Rachel look at overall issues and strengths of the novel, she also gave detailed chapter by chapter feedback. Such attention to detail is something I’ve rarely come across in an editor. You’ll find Rachel creative, passionate and above all professional and kind. I couldn’t recommend her more highly.
    Molly aitken
    Author
  • Incredibly high standard

    The editing and feedback Rachel has provided have proven invaluable to the structure of my work, and my progress as a fledgling writer. She not only patiently explained each change she made to my manuscript, but she also gave me advice about the grammatical mistakes I was repeatedly making. Her obvious love of reading and enthusiasm for writing make her a great editor, but her kindness makes her an excellent one. Rachel’s editing was carried out quickly, to an incredibly high standard, and I cannot recommend her highly enough, except to say that I hope to be coming to her with my manuscripts for many years to come.
    Ashlie m.
    YA author
  • Understands great plotting

    I have used Rachel as an editor on many different occasions. Rachel not only has an amazing command of the English language and grammar, but also, as an avid reader, understands great plotting and character development. All these skills have been indispensable when I have used Rachel as an editor. After using Rachel I felt my writing was clear and crisp, but still recognisable as my own. I would highly recommend her to anyone hoping to refine their writing
    isabella hunter
    Gothic/fantasy author
    Twitter
  • My story has come alive

    Rachel has a certain tenderness when presenting feedback. There is no doubt she has a love for the craft of writing. The comments she brought to my story were pointed, yet she asked the right questions in a way that made me rethink the plot and make the story stronger. Her developmental suggestions showed she understood and cared about my character’s journey and her line edits were spot on. My story has come alive based on the feedback she provided.
    Ian Cahill
    Author
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Member of the Editorial Freelancers Association

A day in the life of a professional fiction editor A day in the life of a professional fiction editor and author! I've seen other people do these and thought they looked fun, so here is mine! 📚

#authorsofinstagram #freelanceeditor #bookeditor
I read this biography of Tolkien before Christmas I read this biography of Tolkien before Christmas and completely forgot to post about it, even though it inspired me SO much creatively. So much so I wrote an entire blog post about it. 

I love Tolkien's work, and his life is absolutely fascinating too. In short, this book taught me that experiences shape us not only as people but as writers too, and that community and friendship can be so important for creative growth. Tolkien was also heavily inspired by other works of art and literature and took the time to pause and learn from others. He wasn't afraid of feedback, either, often swapping work with his friends. 

I personally sometimes need the reminder to step back and refill my creative well with other works of art, even if it means a break from writing. 

If you want to read more of my ramblings on this book, I will link the blog post in my bio. 🔗

#Tolkien #writersofinstagram
Some ramblings on what I learned during seven year Some ramblings on what I learned during seven years of rejection and the long road to a book deal. I will never stop talking about this journey as I wholeheartedly believe in transparency and encouraging others. Are any of these relatable or surprising to you? 👀 

#publishing #authorlife #authorsofinstagram
🤍❄️ January... frosty walks, snow, and editing my 🤍❄️ January... frosty walks, snow, and editing my next cat café book. Plus lots of editing projects for my lovely author clients. It was a difficult month as we lost our elderly cat, but we came out the other side intact.
I put up a poll asking if you'd like to see some w I put up a poll asking if you'd like to see some writing, editing, and publishing posts informed by my career as an editor and a published author. You all answered with a resounding yes... so here's the first!

Editing can be confusing – lots of writers aren't taught about how it works. The confusion is 100% normal!

It doesn't help that the terminology can be so different (developmental editing is sometimes called structural editing). 

Editing happens in stages, and each stage has a specific focus. These are the three core ones a manuscript goes through before it becomes a published book. 📚🖊

#writersofinstagram #amwri̇ti̇ng #publishing

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