‘Editing that’ll make your writing more engaging and immersive … Lesley has taught me lessons on both the technical and developmental side that will last me for the rest of my author career. She always lets me know when I dangle my modifiers, but her notes have also helped me with so much more: timelines, characterisation and even specialist knowledge of criminal law.
Lesley’s red pen will help turn your writing into gold!’D M Searle, author of Back and The Apex
‘Having been an independent author using professionals for a number of years now, I quickly got a sense for those who do editing as a side gig to their own writing and those who have made it their professional calling. Lesley is in every sense the professional. Not only is her communication super-fast (sometimes responding within ten minutes of an email being sent), she also has an impeccable eye for detail, as well as a deep understanding of the nuance of the language, not only between the two sides of the pond, but also the balance between narrative that sounds natural vs that which is readable. If that’s not enough praise, she also took the time to educate me with clear and concise notes on my manuscript, as well as providing her own PDF sheets to brush up on areas of the craft I’m still developing. If I have any criticism, it’s that she has a year-long waiting list for her services, but when people are willing to queue, there’s usually a good reason for it. She’s earned my highest recommendation.’
David Bates, author of A Faun’s Tale
‘I wanted to thank you so much for helping me get my book to where it can win awards. It’s not something I ever thought would happen to me, and you really helped me to get there.
I’m so glad I managed to find someone as talented and professional as you.’Jo de-Lancey, author of The Crystal Shore and The Blue Mage
‘Working with Lesley on my third novel was a delight. I only wish I had found her sooner! Having sent her an initial sample of my writing we agreed on a line edit and a date for her to start [Note to self: book early next time! Lesley’s services are – quite rightly – in high demand]. I sent her what I thought was a well-polished manuscript. What I received back was eye opening. Every grammatical error was dealt with, every incident of head hopping in point of view was highlighted along with suggestions on how a scene might be restructured. Lesley pointed out places where an element of the story, or even a character’s viewpoint, seemed unlikely or inconsistent (thankfully only a couple of these but they needed correcting), but she also added comments on the parts of my writing she particularly enjoyed. These were scattered like jewels among the corrections and every one made me smile as I worked through her suggested amendments, learning all the way.
I know my future writing will be stronger as a result of Lesley’s detailed feedback and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her services. She is worth every penny of her fee and I look forward to working with her again.’Kim Gravell, author of To Pay For The Crossing
‘Lesley’s edits have been amazing — the more I go through them the more I realise just how good her comments and corrections are! I have been making notes to myself as I have gone along, and it has truly been a masterclass in writing!’
Hayley Wellock, author of Vagrant
‘I’d like to say how incredible it is to have had this opportunity to understand why I’ve struggled with publication previously and to have an honest appraisal of my work. The work Lesley has done on my writing is what I desperately needed and I want to thank her for how she handled the weaker points of my novel. She is always respectful but honest and I’m aiming to learn and take on board her very valuable advice and insight — worth every penny! Thank you so much, over and over again!’
David Woods, author of Reports of Strange Noises
‘I contacted Lesley after searching through the internet and finding the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) [now CIEP]; I scanned through Advanced Professional Members and came across her profile. From there I clicked her web page and was greeted with a welcoming smile and a childlike twinkle in her eyes (right then I knew she would be the perfect fit for my manuscript). After a warm conversation, I booked my slot (having to wait six months, so make sure you book her in advance).
The journey from the draft through to a self-publishable book has been tremendous. From a first-time writer’s perspective, Lesley has been able to take the raw writing with her guidance and corrections, editorial notes, quick-reply help emails, and patient phone conversations when I have been at a loss as to what to do next! My book has been transformed by Lesley from a rough toad to a fully polished prince, whilst keeping my voice and vision.
Thank you so much; it was an absolute pleasure and I look forward for your help and guidance with the subsequent sequels.’DJO Holman, author of Archie and the Geek Squad
‘I wanted to thank you for various times when you helped me avoid howlers … the frequent issues of head-hopping, tense-slipping and plot gaps. I am so grateful, and I really loved that you took the time to show/explain, so it was much more than an edit. It was a marvellous learning experience. Thank you so much for generously sharing your knowledge with me. I know it’s now a better book.’
Grace Lawler, author of the Astral Exile series
‘Lesley helped turn this dreamer’s vision into a reality. Not only did her critical eye pick up on various small details that saved a few blushes, but more importantly, she saw the heart at the core of the story. Her guidance and encouragement throughout made the editorial process a joy.’
G.A. Everett, author of Hunted and blogger on the G.A. Everett Story Club
‘Lesley’s editing of my fiction has been exceptional. She has consistently shown herself to be knowledgeable, professional, and meticulous. Her forensic and intelligent attention to detail was exactly what I was looking for. Lesley was also able to sustain a clear overview of plot and character development; this combination of engagement at a macro and micro level made her comments invaluable.
Lesley’s approach is an appealing blend of rigour and supportiveness; I really valued the fact that she had the courage – and integrity – to highlight purple passages and weaknesses in my early pieces rather than issuing platitudes, and she was also able to offer workable solutions to a range of challenges I faced within the writing process. With my most recent novel, it would not be an exaggeration to say that her advice was transformative – she gave me a major steer on narrative voice that has improved it beyond recognition.’
Nicky Winder, author of a soon-to-be-published psychological thriller and a collection of ‘grown-up’ fairy tales.
‘The value of a great editor is that they can lift the tone of your story and the appearance of your book to match any of those seen in the best-seller lists – Lesley does that in spades. I won’t publish my books without her magic!’
Ian McFarlane, author of the Toby Fisher series of middle-grade fantasies.
‘My agent suggested that I should hire a professional editor before she pitched my novel to publishers. It was the best decision she could have made.
Hiring Lesley Jones was the best decision I could have made. You think your novel’s just about perfect when you’ve completed the umpteenth draft, don’t you? You’ve ironed out all the plot flaws, the dodgy bits of characterisation and the implausible bits of dialogue that littered the early drafts and it’s nigh-on perfect, isn’t it? No, it isn’t.
Lesley will improve that ‘perfect’ manuscript in a thousand subtle ways. She’ll iron out the grammatical mistakes and the spelling mistakes; she’ll point out the plot flaws that you’ve overlooked – yup, there’ll be a few; she’ll identify where you’re ‘telling’ the reader what’s happening rather than ‘showing’; she’ll suggest changes when the point of view in a scene isn’t clear enough.
I gave Lesley a book that I hoped publishers would like to buy but I now realise that, had it been offered at that stage, many of them would be irked by hundreds of tiny faults – and a few larger ones.
She returned to me a book that a publisher would at least feel comfortable to read from the word go and that’s got to give it a better chance, hasn’t it?
I was really lucky to find Lesley and even luckier that she squeezed me in to her frighteningly busy schedule – she’s booked up months ahead. So, if you’re nearing the end of your work, drop her a line today so she can fit you in. She’s worth every penny and a delight to work with.’
Roger Corke, television journalist and director, author of Deadly Protocol
‘I cannot recommend Lesley Jones highly enough. As an author of fourteen published textbooks I waltzed in thinking I could write a novel, but fiction is a completely different game. I’ve had to learn ‘show, don’t tell’ from scratch, the pitfalls of point of view, head hops, authorial intrusion and info dumps. Without her help, the chances are you will be the only reader of your novel. Lesley has taught me invaluable lessons that I never was aware of.
Do not expect her just to correct punctuation, grammar and spelling, and tell you what a good story you’ve written if you’re as bad as I am. She will ruthlessly and with forensic care take it apart and get you to rewrite whole sections. She will even find inconsistencies in the plot and the timing of events.
On seeing her first edit you will wonder how much of you MS will be left after cutting out the dross, but have no fear, because when you have rewritten the passages incorporating her suggestions, my experience so far is that you end up with a longer MS (although I understand an edit can often result in a lower word count once she’s got rid of the dreaded filler words). But, more importantly, although it is still your story, it reads in a way that is so much better and you will think, with pleasure, did I really write that?
Importantly she carries out her commissions on time, with care, good humour, attention to detail and diligence. She also replies to emails promptly, which is a great bonus if you’re struggling with a query. She really does improve readability and tighten the whole novel.’
Professor Tony White (writing as James Isaac), author of The Unremarkable Friend and Corruption’s Nemesis
‘Previous experiences and my own lack of confidence meant that fear of the editor was very real for me as a new writer. Lesley Jones has wiped away that fear. She has edited two titles for me to date, and I am delighted that in doing so, Lesley has not stamped her style over my work. Instead, she has tweaked, enhanced, and polished. Better still, Lesley has taught me invaluable lessons in my weakest area… punctuation. For that alone I cannot thank or praise her enough, but that she carried out her commissions on time, with care, and good humour is an additional bonus. I cannot recommend Lesley Jones highly enough, despite knowing I will now have more competition for her valuable time and skills.’
Joy Dramargon, author of Scarifice – the Prophecy and Salted Wounds
‘Author, you need an editor.
I know, I know. Your book is exceptional. Your book club love it, your best friend loves it and your mother sobbed, she was so proud. The hours you have spent crafting and plotting and working out the dialogue. I tell you now, without the help of a professional, chances are those will be your only readers.
Even if you self-publish, your novel will be sent out into the world without the one investment you cannot afford to miss: Lesley Jones.
Her editing of my novel was swift and surefooted. Even as a broadcaster and journalist, I learnt about the art of writing fiction which even a lifetime of reading and months of writing a novel for the first time had left me floundering.
I needed a signpost. I needed an editor. I needed an editor to make my story good enough to attract an agent. Far from asking for her expert help being an admission your book is in trouble (it probably is), embrace her experience, track record and skill. Relish her ability to shape your story with your voice, only better. I cannot tell you how it feels to look at her work and see your own emerge better, clearer, stronger – I will tell you I danced around my kitchen and felt I was a writer after all.
Just take the decision: your story, your book will be the best it can be so that an agent can see that too. The process is joyful – undivided attention on the one thing that is your glorious obsession: your book. A challenging process when it comes to seeing things differently, deeply satisfying when the story clicks into place.
My journey with Lesley was the best decision I ever made. I am a better writer because of it.Author, just trust your story, your novel, your writing to a great editor with a proven track record. Think of it as an investment in your future as a writer. You want to be read, don’t you? Commit. Your mother can even sob some more when she holds your published book in her hand.
Go to it.’Rose Zolock, broadcaster, journalist and author of Medium Wave
‘Lesley has been part of our extensive pool of freelance copyeditors and proofreaders since January 2014. As one of the UK’s largest trade publishers, Pan Macmillan only commission freelancers who have extensive industry experience and/or who have scored highly in our proofreading test – both criteria were easily met by Lesley.
Myself and the rest of the Editorial Services team have been greatly impressed by Lesley’s attention-to-detail and diligence. She has engaged excellently with the books she’s worked on for us and is always sensitive to the varied styles of our authors. Given her confidence and professionalism, we’ve had no hesitation in commissioning her to work on books by both brand-name commercial authors and literary stars (among them a Pulitzer-winner). She is personable, flexible and great to work with.’
Fraser Crichton, Editorial Services Assistant, Pan Macmillan
‘Very careful, detailed work.’
Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time
‘My message to all budding writers is: if you want your manuscript to be polished and your words to have a beautiful fluency, then Lesley Jones is the copy editor for you! She simply has a way with words that helps the writer’s message come across without sacrificing the author’s original voice. She is meticulous, professional, and caring with any project she undertakes.’
Mehrdad Noorani, spiritualist author
‘Lesley is fantastic at what she does. She has proofread and edited two of my epic fantasy books, Lesley always keeps me up to date with what she is doing with regards to my stories and will always ask when she needs to make a change. She’s very thorough and a pleasure to work with. I plan to use her for my next few titles because of her consistency and her fair prices.’
H J Cronin, author of Wilmurin, Land of the Druids and Land of Darkness
‘I wish to express how delighted I’ve been with the work Lesley has done on the first book in my quadrilogy, Silicon Hell.
Lesley completed the work on time and on budget to a high standard. Her editing style met my requirements exactly and comments on suggested revisions were always constructive. Almost all of Lesley’s suggested revisions were accepted without altering the tone and outcome of the book. Her input most certainly improved its readability and tightened the whole book up. I’m especially grateful to her for picking up on a hole in the plot regarding the timing of a series of events.
‘Good Profit to you’ Lesley!’
R J Ford, author of Silicon Hell
‘Lesley… has been working as a freelancer for Black Library since September 2013. During that time, she has proven to be skilful as copy-editor and proof reader and has continued to improve with time. Lesley has a good eye for detail and is dedicated to the tasks that are asked of her in addition to thoroughly researching the style guides and resources provided for our books. Lesley has always delivered her projects on time and takes suggestions and tips by our editorial staff with enthusiasm and care. I would highly recommend Lesley as a freelancer for her impeccable work ethic, quality of work and attention to deadlines.’
Sarah Greene, Desk Editor, Black Library