What satisfied clients are saying about Barbara Brabec's book manuscript editing and critiquing services . . .

(Click here for more information about these services)

 

"After writing my first 'real' book on public speaking, and being offered a contract from a 'real' publisher, I took advantage of Barbara’s Author-Publisher Contract Consulting Service. She gave me great advice on the contract Wiley offered me and helped me talk with them from a position of strength and knowledge. Based on her feedback and the subsequent response I gave them, they offered me an advance which wasn’t in the original contract, and increased the royalties for the electronic versions to be the same as the royalties for the hardback copies. They also removed a clause that gave them right of first refusal on my next book, as I didn’t want to be tied down to them if things didn’t work out well. I highly recommend Barbara’s services to writers, not only because of her experience in writing and working with publishers, but the fact that she centered her advice around my personal goals with respect to my book, rather than giving me a boilerplate response." – John Davis, author of Statistics for Compensation: A Practical Guide to Compensation Analysis (to be published by Wiley in 2011)

"I'd like to offer you a huge thank you for your first-class editing work on my book. If I compare the current version with the one I sent you a few weeks ago, they are like chalk and cheese (as we say in England). Your editing of the text makes the book much more readable, and the structural changes—the suggestion to bring the history together at the start of the book and the inclusion of sub-heads—adds a new dimension. You have taken the book to a new and better place." - Peter Shirt in Ukraine, author of Among the Ukrainians

"Barbara is not just an editor, but a friend who goes beyond the boundaries to help. Her direction is filled with sage advice and wisdom while still letting the writer's voice shine though. Barbara is a blessing." - Bryan West, CampAutism.org, author of Asperger's, God  and Me—Living with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

"I had written A Summer Game, my first novel for young adults, and I had little confidence about how good it was. I revised it more times than I could remember. Readers' responses came back terse and not to the point. I didn’t want to write any more because I had no idea what was good and what wasn’t. I sent it to Barbara and sat back waiting. I got a quick response. She read it and saw the story exactly the way I wanted to tell it. Sure, I had some work to do on it, but, her guidance was specific, right to the point, and easy to follow. I could fix my story and continue writing. I finally knew what to do and how to do it. With more confidence, I can start on my second book." Hank Hockenberger

"Every author needs an editor for help with many things—grammar, punctuation, spelling, and good sense. Barbara Brabec skillfully delivers accuracy in all these areas while preserving the author's voice, not an easy task. Her vast experience in business warned us about potential minefields in our content, saving us from trouble down the road. I highly recommend her keen editing services." - James Dillehay, publisher and co-author of Guerrilla Multilevel Marketing with Jay Levinson and Marcella Vonn Harting

"Wow! Barbara is everything you could hope for. Without a doubt, she enhanced my manuscript in immeasurable ways, and I'm deeply indebted to her for the magic she did with my latest book. Not only did she do an incredible job of editing, she became a friend in the short time we worked together. From now on, Barbara will edit everything I write. She's everything promised . . . and more." - Tim Olney, author of An Ordinary Box of Life

"As I was working on a new book, I decided I wanted a fresh set of eyes to look it over before I sent it on to my publisher. So I asked Barbara to critique my manuscript and make comments about plot structure, pacing and character development. I absolutely loved her input and was able to jump back into my story equipped with her sound suggestions. Having my new book in Barbara's capable hands was the right decision for me, and I expect to work with her on other books in the future." - Cassandra Darden Bell, author of After the Storm, Mississippi Blues, and The Color of Love (BET/Kensington Books)

"I loved the criticism Barbara gave me on my first book, and after I implemented all her suggestions she did a beautiful job of editing the finished manuscript for publication in 2007. I couldn't have done this book without her help, and soon I'll be working with her on my second one."- Shawn Smith, author of Find Happiness, Knight for Christ Ministry

"Thank you for the excellent job you did in helping me refine my forthcoming book, An Echo of Hope. Thanks to your abilities, my work that started out as a bundle of good thoughts and good intentions ended up a professionally crafted book. I am truly grateful! When I enlisted your services, I stated I was looking for a safety net. I wanted my work checked for simple errors. I looked to you to make sure the words were accurately used, presented in the right order, spelled correctly and punctuated properly. You went through my work and massaged away any mistakes. I was very impressed with your “eagle-eyed” ability to zoom in and notice any form difficulties (paragraph form, improper fonts, line and/or letter spacing troubles). I feel your editing job lifted my words up to an outstanding level." - C. Judy, author of Echo of Hope (Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) 

"Although we're sometimes loathe to admit it, all writers need a second set of eyes checking our manuscripts to see if we said what we think we said, and said it in a way that's clear and pleasing to the reader. And those eyes must belong to a qualified writer/editor who knows the territory, not your spouse or second cousin who have never published anything. Writing a memoir escalates this need. The writer is far too close to the material to see it—or to notice if some necessary details never made the journey from memory to written page. I had Barbara check out my current project, a memoir of growing up in the Salvation Army. She confirmed some things I thought I knew, made me feel good about parts of the story that really sang, and pointed out some things I needed to improve. I didn't really want to hear about what was lacking, but Barbara showed me the way to a much better book." -  Bette Dowdell, author of How to be a Christian Without Being Annoying (Confident Faith Institute LLC)

"I am an author who has published two fiction books. I am able to come up with a good story, but when it came to writing it or putting it on paper I wasn't too good. To tell you the truth I was terrible, my grammar and sentences needed some improvement. I was blessed with luck when I started to look for a consultant on the Internet, to help me select the right publisher for my second book, thinking I was ready because I had a publisher willing to except the manuscript the way it was written. Well I was wrong. Some one up above must have heard my prayers because working with Barbara was the best thing I ever done. For a reasonable fee, she said she would edit my manuscript and look over the contract that the publisher sent me before I signed it. Thanks to her advice and help, I didn't only improve my story, but learned how to become a better writer and have one of the best publishers accept my manuscript. I thank God for reading her book and having her help me with my book. If you read her books or speak with her yourself, you would agree with me that you have struck gold." - Clodomiro Giraud Jr., author of The Witches of West End Avenue, New York (published by Booklocker)

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