Developmental Editing & Book Coaching

December 2023 | @haley.hix

Francesca (and this entire experience) way exceeded my expectations. I knew based on Francesca's background and experience that she would provide me with excellent/actionable feedback, but I did not realize I was working with one of the best editors out there.

I was thrilled when I received her notes, edits, and suggestions. She answered all the questions I had in great detail, and posed many that I hadn't thought of, as well as pointing out some (now glaringly obvious) structural issues I needed to address. She diagnosed the issues, and she's helping me formulate a plan to address them. I can't imagine even editors during the publishing process providing this level of expertise/diagnosis.

I feel beyond lucky that I get to work with her - she has saved me from what would have been premature submission to agents. The MS isn't ready, but it will be. Because she handed me the tools to fix it.

So, thank you so much for creating this resource for writers and for connecting me with her. This has been a wonderful experience.

March 2024

Randall was exactly what I needed in order to get this book across the finish line: He's direct and sincere, so I wouldn't recommend him for someone who can't take hard feedback. But, if you can take it and are truly committed to writing an exceptional novel, I'd recommend him 200%. I've had over a dozen critique partners and several beta readers give feedback on my manuscript and, although they were helpful, Randall was able to diagnose the true challenges with the book. I cut close to 15,000 words of my manuscript and wrote another 15,000 to replace them -- but I'm truly proud of the final product. And, even when I thought maybe his feedback was wrong... it wasn't. When I thought about his feedback and discussed it with critique partners, I eventually accepted that Randall is always right.

Randall was also an incredible thought partner on some plot ideas: He's brilliantly creative -- in a nuanced, thoughtful way. One of my favorite little subplots emerged from an idea that Randall seeded.

I'll hire Randall again for sure (if he'd have me!). Even if this book doesn't get published, I learned so much from the experience and he's made me a dramatically better writer.

I would have been LOST without you guys - I had no community of writers and very few resources to improve my novel. I'm so grateful to have found you. I only have positive things to say.

May 2024

I loved working with Suzy. She was so kind in her compliments on what was working and especially when she shared what wasn't working in my manuscript. Her suggestions were so helpful and really brought my story together and made it stronger. I felt like we worked well together and she encouraged new ideas I'd had from her own suggestions. She was honest, and straightforward, and answered all questions I had throughout the entire process. She's talented and knowledgeable on the craft, which made me feel like working with her was truly worthwhile. She was communicative on all of her edits and suggestions (telling me why she did something) which was so helpful. I learned a lot from this experience and it's been so valuable to me. It didn't feel like a full book until Suzy came along. I could tell she appreciated my story and had fun with it, which is what I'd want from an editor! I really hope to work with Suzy again on book two if she ends up wanting to! I couldn't have found a better editor, honestly. She was the perfect person for my story.

Getting my edits back for the first time from Suzy — It was so nerve-wracking but I was so thrilled about her feedback that I literally started crying. I was so relieved. It's so hard sometimes to feel like your work is worth its salt when, as a writer, all you want to do is have someone enjoy your story but you're not sure if people will. I felt so encouraged to keep going—to have someone who's in the industry say, as my editor, "This is great! keep going!" It instilled a lot of confidence in me that I just hadn't had with my writing. It made me feel like I'm on the right track and that maybe, I might be talented enough to be published.

Honestly, the process was a little scary to do it for the first time! It was hard to know if I was going to get my money's worth. But Lauren was amazing in answering my questions and helping me to understand how airtight this agency is in delivering its services. Lauren is awesome and I'm so grateful I found her.

I feel like working with Lauren, and Suzy, has prepared me to feel ready for the next steps of the publishing process and to keep my head up when I (ultimately) get rejections. This has been such a cool experience and I absolutely will continue to work with this agency with other books in the future because I just feel like I've gotten every penny worth. Thank you, all. For encouraging, for supporting, and for creating a place for writers to feel like we're not alone and that our stories are worth publishing.

April 2024 | @eugepozas

Marcelle is amazing! She really dove into the editing of my story with the same enthusiasm that I had writing it. I had another editor for the first 100 pages (outside of Lauren Kay Writing) and there was a stark difference in passion and devotion to the project. Marcelle is a very uplifting editor that isn't afraid to give her honest opinions on my writing. It is precisely her upbeat and enthusiastic attitude, accompanied with honest feedback, what motivates me to make the changes she is proposing. She truly understood the core themes of my manuscript and even became a fierce advocate for it - while also suggesting vital changes that would make the story even stronger, filling in the cracks of my first draft. In short, she's everything you would want in an editor!

Overall, in regards to the agency process — Lauren's personal 15-minute call was a great way to familiarize myself with the process, making it much more intimate than just an email. I loved that she sensed my indecision and reached out. I was instantly sold! Lauren is a swift, organized decision-maker that can tell what you need right away. She takes on your project with enthusiasm, and I personally loved how fast she was in connecting me with two great editors. Overall, I can really feel Lauren´s passion and commitment with helping writers like me flourish. After this experience, I feel confident that I can take my manuscript to the next level by querying agents.

Marcelle is the editor every writer dreams about - and Lauren is a dream facilitator for us writers. After this experience, I now feel ready to start my querying journey the right way.

June 2024 | @readwitheffy

Ty exceeded my expectations. I seriously cannot sing enough praises for him. He was exactly what I was looking for and more, even without knowing all the terms of what EXACTLY I was looking for. His feedback was clear, concise (I do LOVE an organized feedback report and his even had a table of contents!) and highlighted areas of improvement and weak points. He was so gracious with answering so many questions back and forth (so on that note, he was very communicative and timely), and even ended up giving my manuscript back a day late because he was sick and offered more time to spend on our wrap up call. He absolutely did NOT have to do that, I am not on a deadline and felt bad he felt pressured to keep to an arbitrary deadline. But his work was SO worth the wait. He really took to heart all the focus areas that I had, and showed me areas that I hadn't even noticed were weak points. I really felt like he was invested in my manuscript and was so patient with me throughout.

And Lauren is absolutely amazing. I have no idea how she has the time to email back and forth with me and answer all the dozens of questions I had. I felt so blessed to have found her when I did! I was so confused and she cleared the process up for me and put me in contact with two really amazing editors, I'm sure my other option would've been wonderful, but I am eternally grateful to Lauren for putting me in contact with the editor I went with!

May 2024 | @johnacoby

Francesca was fantastic. She took the time to meet with me and talk through different ideas to add more depth to my characters and plot. She educated me about different writing tools. I really think my manuscript is significantly better than it was before because of her help.

And I did get my first full request 24 hours after I queried with the materials I revised with Francesca! So that was very exciting!

May 2024

Marcelle did an amazing job with the development edits for my manuscript. She was helpful and encouraging throughout the whole process. I feel as though my story will turn out stronger because of her.

This was my first time working with a professional editor and I loved every part of it.

May 2024

Working with Karli was a pleasure! She was readily available with any questions I had and always left me feeling empowered rather than beaten down. She found problems I had never considered with my manuscript and was a fabulous soundboard for my brainstorming. I was so impressed with her I decided to sign on with her monthly coaching service!

May 2022 | @madissonbm

I loved the comments Rosie had on my manuscript! She understood the direction I wanted to take my manuscript and helped especially with the areas I struggled with on my first draft - most generally pacing and restructuring what scenes should take place when in order to maximize the conflicts and have them hit at the perfect places in the story. She pointed out places where the sub-genre got a little too dominant and gave great ideas to improve the dynamics and tensions between the characters. 

And the agency experience was so easy and perfect! I was worried ahead of time with garnering any interest and finding an editor who would be a good fit, but Lauren paired me with an editor and it immediately clicked!

And the process was so seamless! Lauren did an amazing job of communicating quickly, matching me with the right editor, and following up about my experience. All the communication felt personal, and I felt very cared for throughout the process.

July 2024

Rosie was fantastic. I could tell she took the time to read the whole manuscript and really sunk her teeth into the various characters and dynamics I had tried to set up. She thought critically about what was lacking, and in an encouraging way, provided some ideas of how to move forward and improve the plot. Her expertise in the thriller genre was particularly helpful. Her 12-page report was extremely detailed and instructive, and her comments throughout the manuscript provided great insight as to what a cold reader would be thinking along the way.

Everything was super smooth and seamless, and also timely. I got great feedback and new ideas of how to move forward with my manuscript within a month and a half of reaching out to Lauren. Worth every penny.

July 2024 | @kira.bruner

Truthfully, I wasn't sure what to expect since I've never worked with an editor before, but Katherine's feedback was helpful! She noted what was working and what wasn't, which helped me narrow my focus for my next draft.

The agency process was smooth and felt very streamlined! Lauren was also really responsive and always got back to me quickly. She definitely knows what she's doing.

September 2024

I believe there’s something special about Michael. I’m not sure if it’s a quality he was born with or something he developed later, but after reading just 20 pages of my work, he understood everything. He grasped exactly which sentences in those 20 pages had specific intentions behind them, and there wasn’t a single line where I could say he misinterpreted anything. His reading ability is truly exceptional. He also identified what my writing lacked the most and showed me ways to improve it. For example, Michael suggested a dialogue like, “How about this?”, I thought to myself, “Wow, you’re really good"".

Without this process, I wouldn’t have been able to elevate my writing to the level it is now.

September 2024 | @authormarinalucas

I think Lior did a fantastic job of balancing her feedback in a constructive and positive way that helped spur me on and didn't discourage. She was approachable and seemed to take a genuine interest in my project and that meant a lot. With the tools she's given me, I have hope that I can now get this to the finish line in a fashion that I'm proud of!

February 2024 | @charlotte.medlock

From consultation calls to booking, I felt supported, excited, and confident about my decision to invest in an editor.

Ty went above and beyond my expectations, taking my memoir proposal from a 5 to a straight up 10/10. Because of his depth of experience working at a non-fiction literary agency, he knew all the ways to make my proposal attractive to agents, including an Annotated Table of Contents, Keynote, and Highlights section.

I was so embarrassed to show Ty the messy first draft of my manuscript, but he was so gentle and supportive of my writing, and opened my eyes to the true potential of my book.

March 2024 | @aceys

Jennifer exceeded all expectations when it came to my developmental edit. During our meeting, she took the time to thoroughly explain her suggestions and ideas all while making sure I still felt like I had complete autonomy on my manuscript. She's creative, fun, and supportive; it was clear she took the time to understand my story and characters, which is an encouraging feeling for a newer writer.

Professionally-speaking, she's adept at spotting gaps within a story and being specific when it comes to ways writers can make an arc clearer and more impactful. I would undoubtedly work with Jennifer on any future manuscripts I work on. I trust her work completely; as someone who will never stop writing, her expertise is something I'd want in my corner long-term.

March 2024

Before I found this agency I was lost. A writer with ideas and first drafts but no plan, no direction, spinning my creative wheels. It all came together after meeting with Lauren. I found a dream editor—Marcelle—who has been by my side getting my book to be the best it can be.

I’ve found more confidence and gained more knowledge than at any other time in my writing journey. I know when I begin the query process I’ll be the most prepared that I can be and hopefully I’ll be able to amend my feedback and add it was because of all of this that I landed an agent!

March 2024

Meghan was fantastic. Literally a day after I queried using her updated letter I received two manuscript requests — my first. (Note — Kaitlin sent this email on 3/26. On 3/27, she emailed to say she had received her third full request!)

Needless to say, I’m very pleased, even though we obviously won’t know for a bit if requests lead to an offer of rep. Whatever happens, Meghan was a dream to work with, and I saw tangible results from these edits.

Honestly, there are a ton of these kinds of services on social media and it can be hard to wade through what’s helpful and what’s just looking for your money…and I’m really pleased I found your community and services.

February 2024 | @nurse_br.i

The whole process was extremely easy to navigate & came with so much more than I was expecting. My editor Suzy was great, she really went above & beyond. She was very communicative, we collaborated well on parts that needed to be changed to enhance the story.

Lauren really created something wonderful for writers. As a long-time-writer but first-time pursing editing/publishing, the process seemed daunting. All the communication, work shops & groups have been wonderful.

December 2023

Working with Francesca has been just what the doctor ordered. Francesca has made suggestions in such a kind way, but also a thoughtful one. I love that she likes to get granular with her edits. As a writer, sometimes we want a more specific suggestion and she does just that. I am thrilled to be working with her and can't wait for her to read the rest of my manuscript, so I can learn from one of the best.

Update: Shannon signed with an agent and sent along this followup.

Having you and Francesca has been one of the greatest gifts the universe sent me!

January 2024

Lauren made the process of finding and hiring an editor so simple for me! After explaining what I was looking for she found two good options, provided me with all the information on each one and even offered to set up interviews if I wanted to. I felt so confident in my decision, and my experience with my editor Heather was wonderful. All the parts that felt overwhelming or difficult were taken out for me!

January 2024 | @kourtneyrhowell

Going into the process of working with an editor, I was terrified. What if they hate my story? What if there’s too much to change? Will I feel like my story is worth altering?

Working with my editor, Katherine, I received feedback that transformed my story into something I could not be more proud of. Her feedback made perfect sense, and it made me look at everything in an entirely new way. I am so thankful for the decision to work with her, for now Finding Grace is polished and ready to make an agent fall in love!

This entire process was sooooo smooth! I was matched with an editor in no time, and Katherine provided my feedback in a timely manner. From submitting my information to Lauren to receiving my edits, it took just over a month. I have nothing but positive words!

If anyone has the opportunity to work with an editor, do it! It was the best decision I could’ve made!

February 2024

Ronan's professionalism is exemplary. I now have confirmation of problems with my manuscript that I was too stubborn to address. Ronan identified these immediately and along with other areas gave suggestions on how to fix them. Additional sources for research were also provided. And my TBR continues to grow.

February 2024

I loved the set up of everything as a whole. I really liked that Lauren stepped up to help those who don’t know where to begin! Marcelle was very easy going had a great attitude over everything I presented and I would absolutely recommend her and Lauren to anyone as a brand new author. Whether they are serious about writing or just wanting that extra bit of help this was hands down the best process to work with!

March 2024 | @callmebyisa

For starters, Lior read the book in three days, so she saved me a lot of anxiety time. When we had the online consultation, we did a very fun brainstorming and she asked very deep questions about the story that helped me realize about inconsistencies, information gaps and all the changes I had to start thinking about. I got an amazing insight into my story and it helped realize how I can improve it. I am terrified because that involves starting a whole new draft, but I am motivated because my editor worked quickly and with a lot of respect for it.