TESTIMONIALS
It's important to me that you're satisfied with my work. But it's not my opinion that matters. Take a look at what my clients have to say.
NON-FICTION BOOK WRITING & DESIGN
Brad Ledwith, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™:
“I wanted to create a cookbook as a gift for my friends and clients. But I’m a financial advisor, not a writer. Donna took my words and images and turned them into a beautiful piece of art. Over a series of brief interviews and conversations, she was able to bring my ideas to life more eloquently than I could have. Even when I struggled to express my thoughts, she conveyed exactly what I wanted to say. This project had a deep personal meaning for me. Each time I read a proof, I found myself tearing up at how well she captured the emotion and attitude I wanted to get across. I’m so proud of the book she helped me create. Her skills helped make it a gift to cherish.”
PROOFREADING (FICTION)
Robin Martin
Owner, Two Songbirds Press:
"I’ve hired Donna to proofread two of my client projects and she is very thorough, and her work is consistently strong. She is sharp and detailed but also very friendly, flexible, and patient. A pleasure to work with!"
FICTION EDITING & GHOSTWRITING
Justin Mitson, Publishing Director, Amberjack Publishing: "Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Donna on numerous projects across several diverse genres, from sci-fi to thriller, military to children’s books. She is an accomplished editor who can do both simple proofing and in-depth developmental editing. Her skills also include a deep level of story mapping and pace management, to key issues management, such as addressing delicate topics, and overall flow revision management for multiple books in a series. Donna’s capability to edit, improve, and, when necessary, ghostwrite key sequences has helped us solve some major struggles in more than one languishing manuscript. I trust her judgment and capability to drive the message behind the text. She is very capable, consistent, and hard working."
PROOFREADING (NON-FICTION BOOKS)
Edee Kulper, Life On Orcas Island: Donna had been recommended to me by a long-time acquaintance who had just published a book. I have been a writer all my life, but the person who recommended her is in a completely different field, and a very busy one at that. He praised her highly for all she did to help turn his thoughts and words into a lovely product that he is so proud of while he was in the midst of working long work weeks in his primary profession. That showed me that Donna is a capable writer and editor, and his recommendation also implied that she is a wonderful person to work with - positive, kind, organized, and efficient. I had never written a book and I knew I wanted mine to be as close to perfect as possible. My main concern over many years of imagining the book in my head was the idea of error - I didn't want any typos or other mistakes. I immediately noted that Donna's website said she aimed for any of her finished products to be error-free. Not only was accuracy an issue for me, I needed my book to look aesthetically pleasing in all ways. Being new to self-publishing, I didn't want my first product to look mediocre. It needed to stand strong on bookstore shelves next to other coffee table books from major publishing houses. After speaking with Donna, I hired her right off the bat. Once I hired a graphic designer and the deadlines and layout were established, Donna did three rounds of editing. I feel like I have a pretty good eye for mistakes, having been a paid writer and editor in the past, yet Donna caught things that didn't even cross my mind, like the widths of different kinds of dashes, and the consistency of using spelled-out numbers versus the numerals themselves. She caught not only mechanical things but also wording that was incorrect, spelling that I was sure I had nailed, and phrases that didn't add up. I loved working with Donna - she has a fabulous personality, a strong work ethic, a lightning turnaround, and I could always feel at peace that she would catch what I didn't. That is pivotal in hiring an editor. Experiencing Donna's work makes me want to publish more books with her.
COPY EDITING (FICTION)
C. W. Kennedy, Author: “Donna Lane is the answer to my prayers. I have always wanted to self-publish my writing, but my grammar is far from proficient. After years of agonizing over it, I met Donna through social media, and after hearing about her vast wealth of experience, I put my work in her hands. I am so glad that I did. She is smart, insightful, detail-oriented, and she provided really strong reasons for any changes she suggested. Her observations helped me to streamline and perfect my work without robbing me of my voice or changing the pace of the story. I am so grateful for her help and I would recommend her to anyone looking to get their story out. She is absolutely fantastic.”
COPY EDITING (FICTION)
Melyssa Williams, Author and Blogger: "Donna is quick (which is priceless when you're trying to get a manuscript in by a tight deadline), has a great eye, and is warm and friendly to work with. I found her sound and knowledgeable in her judgement and decision making while editing my work: to the point where I trusted her implicitly and didn't feel the need to scrutinize every change she made. If you're looking for a proofer or editor, I strongly recommend Donna."
COPY EDITING (FICTION)
Rick Jones, Author: "Let me tell you about Donna Lane, or as I refer to her, Creative Oasis. Having made a living as an actor, children’s TV presenter, puppeteer, voice artist, lyricist, and composer, I decided to become a writer. Since that time, I’ve amassed an absolute glacier of typing paper, all brilliant stuff, of course, now threatening to shove me out of my studio. Enter Donna Lane. She takes a hand-grinder to it, sweetens it, polishes it, slaps my wrist a few times (but I like that) then sends me back some stuff that looks like actual writing! So, if you’re like me and need guidance, constructive suggestions at a price that won’t send you back to dog-walking, and an intelligent guiding hand, send Donna your stuff. It’ll get better.
She’s a writer herself, so she knows your needs."
MAGAZINE WRITING & ADVERTORIAL
Gilda Fracchia, Publisher, Bay Area Parent: "Donna is an excellent writer and reporter. She has the uncanny ability, through questions and investigating reporting, to relay the essence of a person or a business in an engaging and eloquent way. If you need a business profile done on your company, Donna is the person to contact."