Happy clients
Being relatively new to writing fiction, and wanting to polish my short story for submission to literary magazines, I researched the website of the Institute of Professional Editors and found Jessica as one of the editors who fit the profile that I was seeking. Once I contacted her and received her responses to my questions, I had no hesitations in hiring her. I appreciated her honesty about whether or not something was working, and also that she was gentle with a novice like me. She was able to get me to dig deeper and produce a much improved piece that I feel comfortable submitting. I will be contacting her again to help me with other short stories and a novel I am working on.
Carlisle Richardson, author of Island journeys: The impact of the island way of life at home and abroad
As a first-time author and a lifelong control freak, I was nervous to let someone else touch my manuscript. I was afraid that an editor wouldn’t “get” me and that the editing would negatively affect how my message would come across. But after reading a sample that Jessica edited for me, I felt at ease about hiring her as an editor. Throughout the process she was extremely easy to communicate with and kept me up to date with her progress. And now that I have my edited version in front of me I am happy to say Jessica “got” me. Her editing, guidance, advice and suggestions on the flow, clarity and structure have made my rough manuscript truly feel like a book. I am extremely grateful for all the work, thought, care and attention to details small and big that Jessica put into editing and improving my book. And, yes, the book still sounds authentically like me.
Joonas Heikkinen, personal trainer and author of Spandex not compulsory: How to get (and remain) fit, strong and confident without restrictive rules
I came to Jessica for a manuscript assessment for a young adult novel I had been working on for a few years. I wish I had done it earlier! Jessica was approachable and incredibly supportive throughout the whole process. She picked up not only those niggling errors we all make when we are too familiar with our own work, but was also able to offer carefully considered suggestions for character arc and plot issues I had been struggling with. I’m now on my way to a much stronger manuscript. She helped me see my work not just from a publisher’s perspective but also, and most importantly, from the reader’s. My novel is all the better for having Jessica’s prudent eyes read over it and, I have to admit, I am a better writer for it too.
Hannah Forrest, writer
The English language is constantly changing and evolving and it's for this reason having Jessica copyedit my manuscript was a relief. Who can keep track of whether you write out numbers, spell them, what you put in italics and what you put in or out of brackets! There's so much to get wrong and once you've written a book, the last things you've got the attention and effort for are those pesky finer details. This is where Jessica's knowledge, eye and expertise were vital. I only wish I had Jessica sitting beside me everyday, helping me pick up the most contemporary and sensible way to say, spell and punctuate things. Big applause and thanks to a vital member of the team.
Lynne Cazaly, author of ish: The problem with our pursuit of perfection and the life-changing practice of ‘good enough’
I gave Jessica two hundred and sixty six thousand words from my heart. Plenty of that was trash. In two weeks Jessica produced an insightful, caring and critically necessary manuscript assessment. I’m confident that the product now exists in a form worth reading due significantly to the advice and perspective offered by Jessica. She is clear, kind and a fluent communicator. I remain impressed.
Michael Neild, public speaker and writer
Jessica was super to work with. Timely, flexible and very approachable. She did a structural assessment that helped me to see the holes in the manuscript and then was able to drop down into the details super well too in the copyedit. Her style was open, honest and practical and her insights have helped me to refine my thinking and present our ideas in a more relatable way.
Nikk Hughes, Inspire Tribe (mindset mentoring and developmental coaching)
Jess did a copyedit of the first three chapters of my literary crime fiction manuscript prior to submission to a competition. She was not only super quick with her turnaround, but also incredibly thorough in her work. Jess’s communication was always professional and prompt. She asked all the right questions before she started – ensuring she had any extra details she might need to do a great edit. As well as the completed copyedit, I received a style sheet that has been incredibly helpful for creating consistency in the rest of the manuscript. She also had a couple of general queries which have greatly improved the work. I highly recommend Jess.
Andrea Gillum, writer
Not only does Jessica have a great eye for detail, but she’s approachable and easy to work with. My manuscript is definitely a better quality product following Jessica’s proofread. I’d recommend her services to anyone who wants to get the best out of their writing and not bog their readers down with grammatical errors and other inconsistencies.
Nichola Scurry, author of With the music
Jessica has been proofreading Tincture Journal since 2013 and has proven to be efficient, reliable, professionally trained, and with excellent attention to detail. She has a keen eye for prose editing and has an innate sense of how a piece of writing can be improved. Jessica has helped to develop and maintain our style guide and ensure that we remain consistent to it. She’s always returned work to me in advance of agreed deadlines. I highly recommend her services.
Daniel Young, Founding Editor Tincture Journal
