I’m required to provide client testimonials for this new editing network I’ve joined. Theoretically these will funnel jobs my way. So, I’ve had to contact a bunch of people in the last week and ask them if they would be willing to say something nice about my work. I am simultaneously humbled by the responses I’ve recieved and ready to crow from the rooftops. So here I go…

Cock-A-Doodle-Fuckin-Do! Client Testimonials
I’ve removed all attribution to preserve my clients’ privacy … mostly.

“Thanks for doing such a terrific job copyediting XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. I’m so glad you were able to keep track of all the types and names of the dozens of different weapons; it made my proofread so much easier. You’re so skilled and always fun to work with! I would recommend you to anyone who needs any copyediting work done. Again, thank you so much! I can’t wait to work with you again.”

“Thank you so much for the great copyedit you did on XXXXXXXXXXXXXX. That book was under such a tight deadline, and having you as the copyeditor on it made things flow much more smoothly. I worked with you before on some military sims, RPG titles, and sci-fi strategy titles, but this one was an oddball zombie action title, so I was unsure of how it would go. But it was great, and you preserved the author’s very specific tone and voice. The author loved the work you did, and the licensor gave us a ton of praise for the guide.”

“Sara Wilson has become a regular copy editor and proofreader for our magazine because we have so much confidence in her work. Her broad knowledge base and her eye for detail, combined with her flexibility and adherence to deadlines, make her an ideal freelancer for us. Plus, she has a warm personality, so we enjoy working with her.”

“I have a unique communication challenge. We are a XXXXXXXXX firm and we have to make sure that we are able to present XXXXXXXX concepts in a manner that is readable, understandable, and approachable to our customers. It this regard, Sara Wilson’s help has been indispensable. She has a discerning eye that takes my customers’ point of view into consideration. I have seen a true value to using her services in my proposals, contracts, letters, and newsletter. Because of her editing and proofreading skills, I have been able to get better jobs. Good quality in my communications adds a credible, competitive edge to my business. And I can’t image doing business with out her.”

“Sara, thanks so much for helping to make XXXXXXXXXXXXX letter perfect (and comma, semi-colon, em-dash, etc. perfect too).”

“I’ve found Sara Wilson’s insightful queries enormously helpful in all the projects we’ve worked together on. She had a knack of keeping all the specialized terms straight and querying to ensure the author’s use of them is clear to the reader.”

“Just wanted to write you a short note and thank you again for the wonderful job you did with the XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX copyedit. I know that the project presented some logistical challenges with the amateur author and huge gaps in storyline, but you were more than up to the task of pulling it all together. I greatly appreciate your accessibility and diligence in getting the job done.”

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Sara Wilson since 1998 and have always felt confident that my words were in safe hands, carefully pruned to arrive in print in better condition than when they left my head. Even under the stress of tight deadlines, Sara is professional, supportive, insightful, and meticulous. Her contributions are invariably thoughtful, her queries concise, and her criticisms deserved but respectful. While smart and funny aren’t mandatory traits for an editor, Sara possesses both in spades and, possibly for this reason, she deserves the highest compliment I can pay to an editor: I neither dread her calls nor fear her e-mails.”

“Just wanted to thank you for the excellent job you did on the copyedit for XXXXXXXXXXXXXX. There were so many character names and proper terms to keep track of, you made my job so much easier by keeping track of them so nicely. It was worth every penny and more! The author was so pleased with the way you cleaned up his rough text, and was grateful for your insightful queries that helped clear up some grainy issues. Thanks again!”

“I’ve worked with Sara on a wide variety of titles, from military-based XXXXXXX to pop-culture fan books, and her attention to detail has helped me complete many wonderful products. It’s always great to work with a copyeditor who is conscious of the importance of maintaining the author’s voice, but who also understands the needs of the reader.”

“I want to thank you again for all of your help over this past year. You have become an invaluable part of our public image—from writing and editing our employee training materials, marketing materials, parent support elements—even editing XXXXXXXXXX. The level of professionalism that you have brought to our printed materials, and thus to our agency, has made a measurable difference in the public perception of abilities. I can no longer imagine having a single piece of written material leave this office without it first crossing your desk. Knowing that you can do that for us takes a great deal of worry off my plate.”

“Our nonprofit organization hired Sara Wilson to copyedit a complex and lengthy handbook with a good deal of specialized language, charts, and forms. She did an excellent job not only in catching errors, but also in helping improve the readability and usability of the publication. Her work was thorough and professional, and I would definitely use her services again on future projects.”

“I have had the opportunity to work with Sara Wilson as my editor many times, beginning in 1997. As an author of 70 published books, I have worked with a number of different editors. Sara is one of the best with whom I have worked on a project. Sara always kept in close communication to provide assistance and support as needed, which was vital for completing projects with a short turnaround time. Furthermore, I was always confident that the finished product would be something I would be proud to have bear my name. I am happy to recommend Sara Wilson without any reservation.”

“Thank you for making my job easier by doing a great job on XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. I appreciate that you did the Star Wars research to confirm the proper spelling and capitalization of each Star Wars term. I also appreciate your attention to detail—you were careful with the author’s intended meaning and queried confusing text, rather than guessing in error. In those situations, it was so helpful, however, that you provided the possible change for me, which made my job so much easier later!”

“When facing a tight deadline, as I often do, a meticulous and punctual copy editor is essential. That’s why I specifically request Sara whenever I start a new book. I’ve worked with several other editors, but Sara is by far the most thorough, carefully poring over my rough manuscripts till they’re clear, concise, and ready for publication.”

“Sara Wilson has provided copyediting and proofreading services for XXXXXXXXXXXX Corporation for several years, working on our core monthly XXXXXXXXX and the annual publications we create through our custom publishing division. She brings a balanced eye to our publications, understanding the need for us to produce the highest-quality magazines possible in the time frame we have available. With a pleasant, never-condescending manner, she marks the “right” errors, asks the “right” questions and makes the “right” suggestions, and the addition of Sara to our editorial production team has made a tremendous difference in our level of quality and the speed we’re able to move files through to the printer.”

“I recommend Sara Wilson for your copyediting needs. Having been in publishing for over thirty years and director of my own book production service for the past sixteen, I have hired and worked with dozens of freelancers. Sara offers qualities that are the most valuable—intelligence, conscientiousness, and keen attentiveness to detail. In addition to meeting or beating deadlines, her fees match the project’s budget. She is willing to make the extra effort that distinguishes her from the ordinarily competent and makes her services truly desirable.”

“Thanks for your attention to detail on XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. Not only did you manage to keep straight the many Asian names, you managed to complete your copy edit within our hectic deadlines. Prima places unusual demands on its copy editors, so thank you for being so flexible and open to doing what we need to get the job done, and done well. Through it all, your friendly, easygoing personality made this process enjoyable. Prima made a great impression on the licensor by producing such a clean product, so thanks again!”

“For me, working with Sara allows me a certain amount of comfort. Though I’m proud of my work and own personal style, I know that once it passes through her hands, my text will come out ten times better. While working on XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, my paramount concern was that I would get an editor who knows when to trust me and when to reign me in, one who would edit the text while preserving its unique voice. Sara was the perfect choice. She’s fast, professional, and is probably editing this as she reads it.”

“Sara Wilson has worked as a subcontracted copyeditor and proofreader for me. She has copyedited two books: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. She has proofread five books: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, and XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.
“Sara has demonstrated her ability to keep track of numerous glossary terms, credit lines, references, typesetting codes, editorial styles, levels of heads, list styles, and the like. She works to maintain consistency in styles and terminology. The editorial style sheets that she has written for each job are meticulous and comprehensive. Her queries to authors are always worded very tactfully and reasonably. She is skilled at preserving the author’s voice while clarifying text to make it understandable for the reader.
“Sara has also demonstrated her ability to meet deadlines, even on short schedules. She is very good at communicating, both questioning directions that seem unclear and offering suggestions for improving text. With her proven record in subject areas such as computer software, criminology, communication theory, and history, along with her interests in sociology, religion, women’s studies, and more, Sara has displayed a versatility that makes her a valuable copyeditor or proofreader.”

“As a freelance proofreader, Sara Wilson has brought a savvy set of editing skills to our XXXXXXXXXXXX and has become a valued visiting member of our editorial team. She is thorough yet efficient, professional yet personable, makes great catches and approaches whatever tasks we throw her way with a great attitude and aplomb. As such, Sara is a true team player, eager to share her take on things without letting ego get in the way. Working with Sara is both a professional and personal pleasure.”

“Sara Wilson worked for me at XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX for six years. As an Editor and a Senior Product Manager, Sara was an asset to Prima throughout her tenure. Her organizational abilities, editorial skills, project management capabilities, and complete professionalism were keys to her success…. Typically, the most challenging projects were assigned to Sara, due to her outstanding attention to detail and her versatility in adapting her editorial style to comply with rigid and varied licensor requirements. XXXXXXXXXX continues to use Sara’s talents to our benefit by contracting with her as a freelance copyeditor.
“Sara Wilson is an excellent editor and an exceptional project manager. As a Senior Product Manager for XXXXXXXXXX, Sara managed the creative vision and production schedules for roughly 50 titles per year. Because of Sara’s communication skills, focus, and commitment to project excellence, she managed XXXXXXXXX’s high-maintenance licensing relationships. She was responsible for overseeing an in-house team of editors as well as numerous freelance authors, designers, and copyeditors.”

“I can’t tell you how many calls I received on the piece that you did. All positive, of course. I didn’t even know the piece was out until late July when several colleagues and patients commented on how much the loved the article. You really captured the essence of the importance of exercise in the community. Bravo.”