Testimonials

kind words about my editorial services

I’ve worked with some wonderful authors, helping to develop, revise and polish their manuscripts. Here’s what some of those lovely authors have said about working with me!

Thoughtful and detailed

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.
K.t. anglehart
Author of the Scottish Scrolls series
Website

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.
Karen miksza, desk editor
Black Library (Games Workshop)
Website

Her editing skills are 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!
Dave mccreery
Sci-fi and fantasy author
Website

I feel 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
Twitter

Respecting my voice

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
Website

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

Helped me focus

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.
Aaron s. jones
Fantasy author
Website

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

She is simply amazing

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.
wes cook
Author of The Ruiner
Website

Attention to detail

Rachel has a great attention to detail and is always punctual and communicative.
Alexandra holmes
Bookouture (Hachette UK)
Website

Kind and generous

After working particularly closely on a line-editing project, I suggested to the author that she use another person for proofreading. Rachel matched my requirements perfectly and to my delight, I discovered she’s a great colleague to work with. My client, the author, also thinks she’s great, so it’s a win-win-win for us all. Since I first became acquainted with Rachel, we have worked on two books together. She has gone from strength to strength and I would look for opportunities to work with her again. Rachel is professional in her approach, kind and generous in both her attitudes and sharing her knowledge, and is extremely proficient with the work she does.
Katherine swailes, PHD., DIP.EDIT
Write or Wrong? – editing and proofreading
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
Website

Creative, passionate, professional

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 of The Island Child

Appraising and inspiring

As one of my first readers Rachel’s feedback has been invaluable. She helped me tackle a particularly difficult plot hole that, in turn, carried me through a particularly difficult set of structural edits. Her keen eye, level of precision, and insight provided me with the fresh perspective on my writing that I desperately needed. I would recommend working with Rachel – you’ll find her critique both appraising and inspiring.
Aisha bushby
Children’s author with Farshore
Website

Enthusiasm and kindness

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.
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
Author of ‘Vines and Frost’ in Divinity
Twitter

Her line edits were spot on

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
Website
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