Award-Winning Clients
Computer Edit Memoir
Polly Letofsky, 3 MPH: The adventures of one woman's walk around the world:
- Winner 2011 CIPA Award, memoirs
"Charol was the first editor for my book, giving my manuscript a solid foundation for successful publication. Her greatest strength was reorganizing my 200 word paragraph into 100 words while also managing to make it more succinct. She also suggested alternative words that colorfully popped off the black & white page.... Oh, thank the editorial Gods there are people like Charol who know this crap so I can just write and hand it over." www.pollyletofsky.com
Full Polish Memoir
November 18, 2011: "I love the ending! Amazing job on it."
2011 December: "After two years of blood, sweat, and tears creating my first manuscript, my advice to anyone embarking on this journey would be to hire Charol Messenger! I have heard that Michelangelo created David by taking a raw slab of marble and simply chipping away what wasn't David. This is what Charol did for my first book. She found my voice and chipped away the rest. What was left was amazing. My expectations were far exceeded and I am beyond thrilled and what we created together. She will be the first person I call when I finish my next book!"
First round of heavy editing: “I want to update you and let you know I am working my way through the editing process. What a ride! I am having fun with it. Thank you for all of your suggestions and the time and energy you put into the first draft. I clearly see what you mean – this is a first draft.” Molly Fiore, Opting In!
Award-Winning Client Ocean Palmer
"All stories have a beginning, a middle, an end, conflict, story arcs, and resolution(s). How well you blend these things together will determine how good your story is.
"Writing is easy. Writing well is hard. Everyone has an editor or editors. Hemingway had two. Michener three. You will never—and I mean NEVER—sell a book that hasn’t been professionally edited. No one will even look at it. Nor should they.
"The editor is a ... necessary investment. Editing is not an expense. Paper is an expense. Ink is an expense. Postage is an expense. Editors are MANDATORY. Charol is a good one. She will, in all probability, dissect your work to the point it hurts your feelings. That’s good. That’s what you pay for....
"Remember: You are competing against professionals. People who write every day and have for years; people with agents, editors, and a command of the language and mastery of the art and craft of storytelling. No one will give you a dime for anything less than that level of work. I have seen a lot of people thinking they are good enough to compete on their own.... No one is that good. JK Rowling has a team of editors.
"I work with Charol because I trust her and we work well together. My work is better because she insists on my very best and settles for nothing less. I don’t hire an editor to like me; I hire one to rip my work to smithereens. I hire one to help me make my writing stronger.
"In the end, there’s no guarantee anyone but you will ever care about your book. But if you believe in it and care enough to pay the price—emotionally and financially—don’t cheat yourself or your readers. Use every possible resource to tell that story the best it can possibly be told; pursue the project with dogged conviction. Remember: All great stories start with a blank screen and an idea. What it becomes is up to you."
