Testimonials

I came to Gale on a recommendation and was blown away by the amount of work and thought she put into editing and commenting on my suspense novel. She clearly knows the business and her suggestions, always thoughtful and kind, were invaluable in helping me clarify exactly what kind of novel I was writing and what I needed to do to make it appeal to readers. I came away much more confident with the book I am writing. Gale has the clear eye of a reader and the objectivity that every writer needs. But she always emphasized the important thing was that I was happy with what appeared on the page. I am much more so now.

Shirley Skeel, author

Gale was the first professional editor I'd worked with and she set the bar very high indeed. Her knowledge of the publishing industry, her ability to whittle away until my novel had a punchy opening, her brilliant solution to signalling the time shifts in my book and her forensic approach to the smallest detail were all amazing. On top of this, she was lightning-fast and always responsive. Every message of mine came back answered within hours if not minutes. I can't recommend her enough, and I'm so looking forward to working with her again.

Kathy Hopewell, author

From structural editing and copyediting to the final proofread, Gale ensured my manuscript was polished to a very high standard. Her constructive criticism was invaluable while her kind words encouraged me to believe in myself as a writer. She was prompt and reliable – a true professional, who I will certainly hire again for my next novel.

Margot Shepherd, author

Gale Winskill is a kind, clear, gifted editor who took me from a so-called ‘vomit draft’ to a nomination for a major Australian unpublished-manuscript prize in one challenging, but precise, hop. I’m very grateful for her input and would access her guidance again in a heartbeat.

Verity Laughton, playwright and author

Gale is such a joy to work with, and I always look forward to giving her one of our manuscripts. When I give Gale one of our books I know it's in good hands and together we have had a couple of chart-hitters at HarperCollins!

What I most appreciate about Gale's approach to editing is her ability to ask the questions on a manuscript that most editors and proofreaders will not ask. She has an incredible eye for detail when it comes to the context and presentation of a written piece of work, but most importantly she has the audience in mind and can cross over well from a fiction work and then tackle a non-fiction one just as easily.

I really value Gale's insight when it comes to the nuances of language and style, and her incredible and joyful sense of humour.

Rose Sandy, Publishing Director, HarperNonFiction

Gale is a pleasure to work with. Her expertise ensures that everything we write is held to the highest possible standard. From grammatical accuracy to consistent character portrayal, her keen eye has caught even the smallest errors and inconsistencies, resulting in a polished and professional final product. Her thoroughness has been invaluable, ensuring that each book is a joy to read and a delight for young minds.

Philip Bowne, award-winning author & Head of Books, The Wombles

Thank you so much for this attentive, detailed work, which was exactly what this book needed.

Lily Cooper, Commissioning Editor, Hodder & Stoughton

Gale revised two of our most popular Publishing Training Centre (PTC) e-learning modules, Editing Fiction and Editorial Style. She did an excellent job. Gale is thorough, reliable, thoughtful and quick to respond. It was a pleasure working with her.

Petra Green, Head of the Publishing Training Centre

I am grateful to Gale in ways I could never adequately express, not simply for her care and thoroughness with my manuscript, but also for her wisdom, keen eye, attention to detail and obvious brilliance as an editor. She is that rare brand of person who is gifted at constructive criticism and compliment, formatting and content, the minutiae and the big picture. Her professionalism and insight are matched by her humour and warmth, all of which is to say that if you’re thinking of hiring Gale, you should have done it yesterday. Thank you, Gale Winskill, for making me believe in myself, for your loveliness as a human, and for your recommendations that will make Esre’s Bones the book I want so much for it to be.

Sarah Dickinson Little, author

Gale worked on two of my books, The Storytelling Entrepreneur and Merchandise for Authors, while I was Writer in Residence for the British Library. I had very tight deadlines which Gale was great about meeting and I really valued her feedback and professional eye on my work. Her insight allowed me to think more clearly about how the books were structured and improved my writing overall. I always recommend Gale when I run creative writing workshops for other writers.

Melissa Addey, author, writing coach, ALLi Campaigns Manager

Publishing professionals

Gale's focus and accuracy are outstanding. Her contribution to our publication provided the professional polish we sought and more. Her patient and painstaking proofread helped us to publish a complex, fully illustrated, high-quality book with complete confidence. The result speaks for itself.

Alan Boyle, Leannta Associates

Client endorsements

I am truly grateful to Gale. She made sense of my somewhat incoherent plot and helped turn it into a novel I can be proud of. Not only was her feedback honest and insightful, but Gale also made me aware of my habitual punctuation and grammatical faux pas. She sent me a clearly marked-up version, as well as a clean, corrected version of my novel, which was extremely helpful. She’s been a true professional and kept her promises on delivery times. An online meeting following Gale’s written edit was tremendously useful and gave me an opportunity to bounce ideas and explore ways to fix plot holes. I can’t wait to get Gale’s input on my next project and would highly recommend her to anyone who wants a high-quality editor.

Jay Jones, author

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Gale’s excellent advice goes far beyond the bare necessities of editing. With her extensive literary background, knowledge of the publishing world, and inherent love of good books she offers invaluable assistance. And vitally, she proffers honest opinions, which help me as an author to step back from my writing to critically appraise my efforts.

Arnie Arnstein, author

Punctual, inciteful, honest. Her advice transformed my manuscript into a novel.

Debbie Robertson-Bond, author

For prospective fiction writers, Gale combines an unerring eye for grammatical detail with the ability to offer perceptive critiques covering plot, structure, characters, pacing and all the other vital elements. She is also quick to respond, clear in the way she communicates and very tolerant of follow-up questions.

Stephen Gardner, author

Gale Winskill is a highly professional and massively experienced editor. Her criticisms can be challenging but are accurate. If we are wise we will listen to them and act upon them. She is always helpful and encouraging. In the mystifying world of the new writer she is an excellent guide.

Lesley Paton Cox, author

I've read your critique. It is what I wanted and needed. I much appreciate the time and serious attention and thought you've given to my draft, the well-structured way you've done it and your tone – that your advice (wise words borne from your intelligence and experience) isn't the last word, but for me to consider.

Whether or not, in the end, my book is a commercial proposition, your involvement will have made it better. Most helpfully, where you have pointed up problems, you have offered solutions. And the contextualization of your thoughts, within your meta-analyses of fiction and including reviewing criteria, is appreciated. I feel I have received great value for money from you.

Jeff Probst, author

Gale did a fantastic job on a structural edit for my first novel. I wasn’t sure about spending money on an editor, but Gale has absolutely convinced me of the merits. It was money well spent. I now have more clarity around the story I want to tell. I received a detailed critique, which has been invaluable to me, in addition to the corrections and commentary that you might expect.

Gale clearly took the time to understand my story and the characters, and has given me the tools I need to revise and hopefully advance to a publishable state. I’m very grateful for Gale’s expertise and will definitely contract Gale on future endeavours. I would highly recommend using Gale’s services.

Colin Storrier, author

Gale's critique confirmed some of what I suspected, but the value is in knowing that I have a story and characters I can work with and that, with effort, I can turn it my text into something worth publishing. I intend to continue to work with Gale until publication.

Mike Phillips, author

Award-winning authors

Reading through your comments I realized what a skill critiquing is. You pointed out a few things others have suggested in the past, but the way you expressed it was so different, I was inclined to listen and not get defensive.

Ulka Karandikar, award-winning author

More author comments

Gale is the ally you need when writing a book. Her style is friendly, her customer service is excellent and her work is highly professional. I trust and value her opinion because she spends the time to get right into your manuscript and then gives well-formed, clear, useful, direct, realistic feedback, which she delivers in a kind, honest but positive way – just what is needed. Her aim is to make your work the best it can be. It is a pleasure working with her and I would l recommend her strongly.

J.B. Holman, author

Gale was recommended to me by a fellow writer, and hiring her to edit my mystery novel was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Gale works to the highest professional standards; she always meets deadlines; provides quick turnaround times; is clear, direct and constructive in her feedback, and spots the tiniest inconsistencies in the flow of a plot. I also appreciate Gale's great sense of humour, and I hope she'll remain my editor for many works to come.

Regina Moucka, author

I first came into contact with Gale when she edited two books I had written, which were published by Black & White Publishing. I was so impressed by her helpfulness and professionalism that when I self-published another book, I didn't hesitate to make contact, and received the same very high standard of service.

Philip Paris, author

I was very fortunate to find Gale having used numerous copy-editors in the past. I didn't expect her to adapt so well to the challenging timescale, my awkward writing style and the unusual content of the text. She understood precisely what was required from the onset, her communication not just excellent but empowering throughout. She made a joy of what is, normally, a very stressful experience for me. I think it's down to her vast experience, but where other copy-editors struggle, Gale, excels.

Anton FitzSimons, author

Gale is a very professional and helpful editor with a superb understanding of the English language. She provided me with very insightful and logical suggestions about my characters and story. I highly recommend Gale to anyone who is looking to improve their story.

Nick Bradley, author

Her critique and comments on my manuscript have been impressive; she has made it easy for me to make little changes that lead to a more professional result. I wish I had known her before I wrote my last two books!

Zandra Macpherson, author

Gale's brilliant advice and assistance was invaluable in getting my novel into print. A truly remarkable service. I cannot recommend Gale enough.

Cyrus Chainey, author

If I didn't fully appreciate the benefits of having a manuscript looked at before, I definitely do now. I've read your critique and my mind's already whirring with possibilities.

Nadine Grandison-Mills, author

Gale has a wonderful ability to polish a writer's prose without changing its creative shape. She's a brilliant editor in the true meaning of the word brilliant.

Sonja Lewis, author and vlogger

Gale edited a full-length novel of over 110,000 words for me. Her work is very thorough and insightful. She provides very comprehensive feedback and suggestions for improvement without being discouraging and I would be happy to recommend her as an editor to anyone that needs those services.

Heather Katsonga-Phiri, author

Gale's work is thorough, professional and confidence-inspiring. Prompt, constructive communication at every stage. Excellent service.

Rachel Vevers, author

I thought the service you provided was very professional, It was completed exactly on time and the insightful comments were excellent.

Dr Rick Norris, CPsychol, author

Gale Winskill, of Winskill Editorial, deserves a mention for her forthright feedback and fast turnaround. She's as professional as she is helpful.

Mac Logan, author

I was referred to Gale to help me edit a 20k word thesis as part of my MSc. She reviewed the work in great depth, working over the Christmas period, and delivered her corrections earlier than I had expected. She enormously improved the quality of the draft I had provided her with and I would not hesitate in using her services again.

Dominic Morley, author

Training testimonials

Gale and I took part in a seminar organized by the Scottish Branch of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). I was immediately impressed with her warm and positive disposition, which she combines with complete pragmatism about the publishing industry and obviously long experience as an editor and project manager. She offered delegates a tempting blend of experience and pragmatism, and I find myself quoting what she said about the editorial process still.

Professor Alison Baverstock, author, Director of Research, Business and Innovation, School of Creative and Cultural Industries, Kingston University London