Testimonials for The Book Foundry
Jonathan Weiss
author of The Flux Catastrophe
“Lauren has an impeccable eye for detail when proofreading. She worked from a view of consistency and creating a style sheet, and even though I had requested work for a sequel of a book she hadn’t worked on, she was mindful of continuity between the two books and forming a solid foundation to move forward with. Niche and changes considered edge cases were accompanied by comments explaining the various rules and preferences between the official style guides we were working with and helped me understand the various grammatical rules I’d run afoul of. Whenever a decision on wording or grammar was left up to me, I felt empowered by the context that Lauren gave me to make the right choice. The timeline was well understood, and Lauren checked in with me often to let me know how she was progressing with the proofread. I highly recommend partnering with Lauren for your own ventures, and I know I will be doing so in future.”
Ajax Lygan
author of The Aspect; The Amnesty’s Adventures; Monster Girl Gym; Supplying Supers
“When I was looking for a new editor, I had certain criteria. I wanted someone who understood my genre, someone who came with years of experience, and someone who could not just be an editor but also a partner that could push my writing to the next level. I had just gone through three different editors, some were good and others were not. I wanted someone who I could work long term with. When Lauren first reached out, I knew, even before the other candidates submitted their resumes, that she was going to be the one I was going to go with.
The level of professionalism paired with transparency and honesty was refreshing. I didn't feel like I was being sold something I didn't need, or that she was just looking to make a quick buck. She understood my needs perfectly and understood the tropes of my genre. She provided professional materials which explained what her services included, and when I had questions she offered to jump on a call. I know how silly this sounds but Lauren was the ONLY editor I interacted with that offered to get on a call with me to discuss working together.
When we started finalizing things to begin the work, the process was easy. She was clear on deadlines and we both understood each other's expectations. When I received my final manuscript with her edits, I was excited to dig in. After reviewing what she provided, I truly believe working with Lauren has helped me produce a better book.”
JCM Berne
author of The Hybrid Helix series
“Lauren Donovan provided invaluable help getting my manuscript ready for publication. Not only did she catch an embarrassing number of typos and misspellings, but she found many places where words were repeated too often, awkward phrasings, inconsistent spellings and titles, and more than one place where a character's name changed for no apparent reason. Her style of editing, providing extensive comments to make sure errors aren't deliberate (especially important in genre fiction), was very easy to manage. This is the first time I've ever enjoyed receiving a round of edits to go through. I can't recommend enough the feeling of confidence you'll have going to print after Lauren is done working your manuscript.”
Kesten E. Harris
author of The Last Paragon: Heroes of Hortus Book 1
“Editors are necessary for any well-written book, and Lauren is one of the best you can get. She's patient, kind, and offers unique feedback that shows her thorough understanding of your story. She caught every error I made while writing and made sure that I was satisfied with her work afterward. She also kept checking in to make sure I knew that she was making progress on the edit. I was beyond happy with her work and I'm going straight to her for all of my future projects.”
Julian Kirk
author of The Rending
“Lauren makes editing seem effortless, natural, and even pleasurable from the author's perspective. She really listened. She understood and accepted my goals and personal style and then offered a perfect, graceful blend of encouragement and constructive critique. She provided tons of specific and well-reasoned advice about how to accomplish my goals more effectively, and did it all in accordance with a professional, responsive, and client-friendly timeline and process. Really impressive and helpful!”
Felipe Carrisalez
author of After: Emerging from the Fall 5e TTRPG 2020 Core Book by Gravity Well Publishing
“Finding The Book Foundry through a recommendation was a fantastic blessing. Lauren found and worked through many of my quirks to help me realize a solid style guide for my rules-heavy text of 75k words. I felt relieved to ensure every game ability was referenced properly, followed the same verbiage, and was readable. Lauren was completely open to any grammatical rule violations I might decide, willing to provide her opinion, and proved to be an excited, time-accurate, and skilled editor.
I look forward to working with Lauren again!”
J.K. Miller
author of Start Fresh Monday
“Lauren was efficient, professional, and helped spot the flaws in my novel that I was unable to see for myself. She was very informative and clear in her delivery of how to make my novel the best that it could be. I look forward to working with Lauren again and can't wait to have her help me with my future projects.”
C. R. Collins
author of the Tales of Ardonna series
“When my wonderful editor passed away, I was faced with finding a replacement who would be willing and able to step into the middle of a series. I researched and interviewed several fine candidates, but Lauren stood out. In addition to her professional qualifications she had good experience with my genre and an obvious passion for it. I’ve not regretted my decision. Lauren took on the task of proofreading the first two volumes of my trilogy to learn the story, then provided a developmental edit for the final volume. She addressed my concerns about delivering an effective series conclusion and offered constructive insight. Her prompt, cheerful, and clear communications made the process easy. She has a great eye for details, collaborates well, and finishes ahead of schedule. I was particularly impressed with how easily she recalled my characters and plot in our email discussions. This suggests concern and respect for her clients, a dedication to our success, and inspires confidence in her work. All along, I felt encouraged and supported and learned a lot. I will certainly be using Lauren’s editing services again.”
Sarah Chislon
author of the Blood of the Fae series
“Lauren recently completed a developmental edit for my novella and working with her was truly a pleasure. Her professionalism, clear communication, and attention to detail made the whole process smooth and easy. She was exactly the sort of editor I hoped to find—someone who truly cared about my story and who invested energy into providing thorough and thoughtful feedback. She also took the time to find out where I intended to go with my whole series, so she could give more effective input on the book she edited, which I greatly appreciated. Her feedback was excellent—very insightful, detailed, and thought-provoking, covering both the strengths and weaknesses in the book in depth. I often found myself nodding in agreement with issues she raised, and her suggestions on how to tackle problem areas sparked my creativity. I’d highly recommend her services to anyone looking to take their novel to the next level, and I look forward to working with her again in the future.”
JAson FuHRman
author of A Song for the End of the World
"I think one of the most important things an editor can do is understand the writer. Lauren does this in spades. In addition to her eagle eye at catching mistakes and ability for enhancing intention and clarity like no other, Lauren understood what I was going for. She understood my voice. She understood how to improve it and make the entire manuscript much more cohesive. I can't wait to work with her again."
Marcus Russell
author of Whisked Away
“I was extremely satisfied with the feedback received. Not only did Lauren deliver quality work, but it was delivered earlier than expected. With her recommendations and advice, I was able to improve both the piece I submitted to Lauren but future work as well. I highly recommend her services and will be requesting her for editorial work again.”
C. Pendlebury
author of Dogs of MilkDromeda: The Pyramid of Consciousness
“Lauren pointed out some changes to my chapter that I hadn't even considered. Even though my book premise was odd, she critiqued it very clearly, and sounded like she had a lot of expertise. I will be using her services again in the future.”
Hieronymus Hawkes
author of Effacement
“Working with Lauren was a dream! I was always worried about the cost of hiring an editor, but she was so wonderful to collaborate with, and so insightful, that it was worth a lot more than I ever anticipated. She is like a force multiplier! She was always ahead of the schedule she set with me, amazingly fast, and extremely easy to work with. My novel is remarkably better with her input. And her attention to detail is simply astounding. The style sheet will be hugely helpful for any sequels. I can’t wait to work with her on my next project!”
Jim Pippis
author of The Value of a Life
“I was unsure what to expect from my first experience with an editor. As a new writer, I can honestly say Lauren was very easy to work with. Any trepidation I felt in tackling this experience was quickly put to rest. Lauren is both professional and timely in her responses, easily guiding me through the process. She was able to dig into my story, to a level where she understood the characters, allowing her to provide suggestions that went above and beyond grammatical changes. Her input dramatically improved the story’s overall flow, which took it to a whole new level. I certainly will not hesitate to use Lauren on any future projects.”
RR Echevarria
author of a Scavenger’s Treasure: Book One of the Forged Fates Series
“Completely satisfied with everything, from amazing edits that really bring out the best of your book, to excellent commentary that helps not only the story, but the client as a writer. Communication was great and always on time. Highly recommend.”
Mia Hayes
author of Always Yours, Bee
“I've worked with many editors during my ten-year publishing career, and The Book Foundry's Lauren Donovan is top-notch. The copy edit and proofreading process was smooth and tear-free (as authors, we know this is often not the case), and the style guide Lauren created is invaluable and will help with my future projects. She communicated every step of the way, and I was never left wondering when or if my manuscript was being worked on. I will 100% work with Lauren on future projects.”
M.J. IRving
author of Nova’s Quest for the Enchanted Chalice
“Today however I want to give a massive shout out to the person behind the scenes who without her huge amount of support in copy editing but also sharing ideas I wouldn’t be where I am today. She is HUGELY talented! It’s the one and only Lauren Donovan from @thebookfoundry and for anyone currently writing or participating in #nanowrimo and looking for someone who has an amazing work ethic and accepts nothing but perfection you’ve found your girl!”
Malcolm Schmitz
author of Treason+Plot
“All I can say is "Wow!" Lauren delivered a great edit with a fantastic turnaround time. She even delivered a style sheet so that I can keep my future edits consistent! I'd strongly recommend her services to any indie writer.”
Robert J. brontsema
author of Deyn’s Promise and The Fanciful Chronicle
“Simply amazing! Lauren’s edit was, apart from being fast, also very thorough. Most striking to me was how she suggested wording and phrasing that fit seamlessly into the story. And if that wasn't enough, she also provided a style sheet that I can use for my future work. I would recommend Lauren to any (aspiring) writer.”
Nadeera Rajapakse
author of A Letter from Myself in 2030
“Lauren has been fantastic to work with! She's been very helpful as well as efficient and thorough in her work. She got rid of my wordiness and made my essay so much more concise - helping me put out my best work. I would definitely come to her again!”
Still not sure Foundry would be a good fit for your project? I offer free sample edits up to 1,000 words.
Specializing in The Chicago Manual of Style—Speculative Fiction (Horror, Fantasy, Sci-Fi) and Literary Fiction