Marketable Manuscripts
Book Services from Ann Howard Creel
Testimonials
"My novel had lingered in the offices of editors at the Big Six for years. Ann’s editing was timely and skillful and showed an understanding of my work. I used 95% of her suggestions and cut 200 pages from a 600 page manuscript. End result is a book with a clean, compelling narrative that has been called 'a gripping read'. Reader reviews of my book at Amazon and Goodreads have been very gratifying and allowed me to enter the top 100 for science-fiction/fantasy. Kirkus Reviews selected Prophets of the Ghost Ants as one of their Best of 2011. I would recommend Ann's services to any author whose work needs an edit. Cost of the service was more than fair and the end result was priceless." —Clark T. Carlton
“You know if the services of the editor met or exceeded your expectations when you use them for a second time. In this case, I teamed with Ann to review significant changes and improvements to my novel based on her first read through and recommendations. Ann’s work was again, exceptional, thoughtful and very thorough. She has a tremendous big picture view and helped me to better develop my character emotions, conflicts, descriptions and the overall narrative.” – Jeff Will
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“Ann applies rigor in her critiques (as one would expect) while also supporting and encouraging the writer, a critical balance. I have never worked with an editor prior to this experience and was apprehensive about the process. No longer. I now view this as a working partnership: two people committed to the same objective. I am more confident than ever that, with Ann’s deft guidance, I will publish my first novel.” – Katherine Brennan (Developmental editing)
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“Ann did an amazing job! Very thorough. She explained, in detail, the why’s and how’s etc. of what worked and what didn’t. Ana explained what I was missing and gave ideas on how to enhance every aspect of the book: plot, character, arc, etc. The way she used the work correction tools such as strikethrough, comments, etc. was very professional and made them easy to follow, think about, and decide what I wanted to do.” David Poland
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“Ann was tremendous. She completed the edit in a timely manner and gave me just the right level of editing. She did not over-edit (turn my work into her work) and I agreed almost 100% with her comments and suggestions. I have no doubt that I will have a stronger manuscript after I incorporate her ideas into my work.” – Kim Batchelor
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“Ann was very clear in terms of what to expect with her editing style. She responded quickly to my emails. Ann is very professional and provided me a very good feedback/critique to improve my story.” – Edna Duran
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“If I’d thought to special order an editor for this project, I couldn’t have done better than Ann. Her feedback was clear, concise, and just what I needed to move this book forward. She manages to be supportive and encouraging while offering detailed critiques. She exceeded my expectations not only with regards to the time frame, delivering the edits early, but also with her availability for feedback on revisions and my query letter. I don’t know when my money for personal and professional development has been better spent. I can’t say enough good things about Ann.” Vicki Righettini
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“Ann did an exceptional job of editing my novel by offering suggestions that helped me strengthen the main character and the theme of the story. Her goal was to assist me in making the novel more marketable and I think she has done that. Her communication was always excellent, answering my emails within 24 hours.” – Charles Falk (Developmental editing)
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“Ann has been tremendously helpful providing feedback on my project. She is encouraging but honest and truly wants to make the project as good as it can be. She has provided me with several great ideas to weave into the story to help expand the characters and make it more marketable. I am hoping this will be the first of many projects and I hope to have the opportunity to work with Ana again in the future.” – Elizabeth Cook
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“Her insights have made my manuscript more valuable.” Norma Anderson
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“Ann exceeded my expectations. She has a natural gift of guiding the author through the pages without sacrificing his voice or changing the objectives. Her suggestions have made the characters in my novel stand out, while her style of editing assured a smooth transition between chapters. It was a pleasure working with Ann.” – Hans Schlunegger
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“I spent hours scouring the web, and comparing sites. I had several concerns. One: I didn’t want to become a victim of the countless scams that I heard and saw evidence of running rampant in this business. Two: I wanted to find an editor that I could research on real websites, not just their Facebook page. Three: I wanted an editor, that when they responded, I could tell that they took the time to read and ‘get’ what I was saying. And four, I wanted to feel like I could learn something and apply it to my work in my way and still not feel intimidated to ask for clarification or advice. The site answered a lot of my questions. And Ann has been just exactly what I needed. I expected honesty and I hoped for encouragement. She gave me that. I was totally impressed with the time and thought and effort Ana so willingly gave to my project.” (Contact info on request)
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“Ann’s goal was to help me turn my manuscript into a polished final work that could be published. Her critique of my work was honest and professional. Her editing is very detailed and I found the extensive editorial summary she provided very useful during the rewrite. Most importantly, I always felt like Ana cared about the story that I had written and the work that I put into it. I am certain that her efforts have given me a much greater chance of getting my work published. I cannot thank her enough.” – Scott Miller
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“This was my first experience with your network and I found the experience to be quite productive. The process was effective and the consultant that I selected was great. While providing a high degree of professionalism, she gave me the right amount of encouragement thereby allowing me to proceed with confidence, and at the same time, enough of a dose of constructive criticism to let me to move forward in an informed and practical way.” – Carolyne Swayze
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