Michael’s support in the developmental edit was invaluable to my story. He took the little places where I missed an opportunity in my writing to new levels, adding conflict, characterization, and imagery.
My book would not be the same if it weren’t for his edit. Initially, one of my hesitations in hiring Michael was that my book is set in the Deep South in the US and is full of typical Southern behavior & beliefs; I worried that the regionalism of the story would be missed because I wasn’t sure how familiar he was with it. In the end, I’m so glad I chose him though. That was never a issue and actually, he helped create an even more authentic story. I highly recommend his services.
Michael Pilgrim’s edit helped me clean my horrible grammar and catch a few places where my words lacked good common sense. I recommend Michael Pilgrim’s edit as he was thorough.
Michael’s level of professionalism is outstanding. His expertise with editing is off the charts. Michael dug deep into the pages of my book, Order of Succession. He sorted through the good, the bad, and the unnecessary to help me create a masterpiece.
His bedside manner has just the right amount of compassion mixed with a generous amount of instructional advice. Which is exactly what we delicate author’s need. Michael also delivers on schedule as promised. I couldn’t be more pleased.
This is the first time I have asked an editor to help with my work. It certainly won’t be the last! I could not be happier with the assistance I received from Michael. The editing service he offered was exceptional from start to finish.
Michael rapidly edited my children’s book; identifying errors and inconsistencies, and suggesting alternatives. His advice regarding phrasing, unnecessary words and ‘POV’ issues were all incredibly useful. The result is a much more polished and professional manuscript.
I will certainly be booking Michael’s services again for my next book.
If you are reading this because you are wondering whether or not to ask Michael to help with your book, stop reading. Just do it.
As a new-to-everything-in-the-writing-industry writer, he was incredibly patient. He spotted my mistakes, and there were many, and gave helpful insight on how to correct them. I really couldn’t have done this without him!
Michael was very professional in all his work. Initially, he helped me understand what the services would cover and what I could expect. He kept me updated with the turnaround time and I never felt as if he had forgotten to get back to me. His response time was great when I had any questions.
I liked working with his editing style and reporting as he was able to point out things that I was doing wrong and also explained why. Overall, I’d recommend Michael’s editing services to anyone. He was a pleasure to work with.
When I set out to find an editor, I wasn’t sure what my books needed. Michael’s approachable manner made it easy for me to ask questions, and I asked a lot. His quick responses and timelines convinced me to take a chance. I’m so glad I did. His feedback and edits are spot on.
I’ve been fortunate to have worked with Michael on fourteen books. His professionalism and eye for prose keeps me coming back again and again.
I booked a critique and proofing service from Michael, and I was blown away with his assessment and feedback. He rocked it! He caught something none of my beta readers did and I truly believe my book is better because of him. It was a pleasure working with him and I plan to work with him again very soon.
Having written three novels I have had my fair share of editors. Some made me laugh, some made me cry… I found Michael through a writer’s group on FB. What a pleasure he was to work with!
Absolutely professional. Firm, fair and critical but not harsh in his appraisal of my work. I felt he really cared about my story as he walked me through what could be improved and how.
Michael was a pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend him to any serious writers who wish to reach the ultimate goal of being published.
This is the second book Michael has worked with me on. Most editors bring you to your knees in tears with their comments, but Michael works with you, ensuring your story is perfect. I can highly recommend him!
Fast, efficient, and highly effective. Michael Pilgrim does what he says on the tin (or rather, on his website).
I asked Michael to critique my latest novel before I sent it to my beta readers.
He pointed out a number of areas where I could improve the pace of the narrative and, as an added bonus, he found dozens of dastardly typos along the way.
In brief, he helped me write a better book.
I have no hesitation in recommending his services to any writer who wants to succeed.
If not for Michael, my debut would have been a mess. I was considering just chucking it on Amazon. Thank God I had the good sense and fortune to hire Michael instead.
Michael Pilgrim has been a great help to my work from the very start. Supportive, communicative, responsive and he’s usually right too. Like any good editor that means you want to punch him really hard most of the time. That being said, I could not have finished ‘Four Men and the Sea’ without him. Plus, he took it upon himself to format the book and he did a marvellous job with that as well.
No one can write a novel for you. It’s solitary work. But once it’s done and the last word hammered into place, a good editor can do wonders to improve the final product. Michael provides the experience and the guidance a writer needs to make a good manuscript even better. I value his contributions highly.
The edits provided were very easy to read and follow even for someone who could be dense sometimes (like me). As a new writer, I have a lot to learn, and Michael was very patient.
Hopefully, the next time I use the service (and I plan on it), I’ve learned enough that he won’t have to spend so much time on it.
I was lucky enough to have Michael as a beta reader for my book Trojan. I genuinely thought my book was ready to go and was expecting a few notes, perhaps a couple of typos and some general feedback. What I got was an extremely detailed breakdown of what was and wasn’t working at a fundamental level. He didn’t just point out plot holes and story flow, he highlighted issues with characters and suggested how to fix them. He also identified that a late game plot twist was too sudden and needed more lead in, and that I needed to add more conflict to build tension.
This resulted in an extensive rewrite of Trojan, certainly far more than I had anticipated, but deep down I knew he was right. The feedback I have received from readers since has been dramatically different. While readers rarely mentioned my characters before, now they rave about them. That plot twist is also talked about a lot, with several readers kicking themselves that they should have seen it coming earlier. It no longer sticks out as too sudden, it’s now a pivotal part of the experience.
Overall readers are just enjoying my book more, and Michael played a fundamental role in that. Now that he’s editing books I will be using him for all the future books in the Tempest series!
Michael has given me more than I can ask for when it comes to a complete copy edit of my manuscript. Not only has he made very helpful suggestions regarding character POV, but he has also given me enough to work with to make my science fiction novel the best it can be.
Beyond Life will be publishable once I have incorporated his edits into it. A great man, with a passion for what he reads and the ability to make the right decisions. I highly recommend Michael and will be using him again in the future.
Mike did the copy edit and final manuscript review for my book. The book was quite lengthy (350+ pages). Yet Mike came back with his constructive comments on time. The turnaround was fairly quick (and faster than committed in case of final manuscript review). The quality was very good. Thanks Mike for the enjoyable and constructive experience. Looking forward to work with you in my future projects as well.
Working with Michael has been fantastic! As a first time author, I wasn’t sure how to go about choosing an editor. I’m so glad I found Michael! He made the whole process very easy and delivered quick results. He is very professional and a wonderful editor.
I obsessively edit my own manuscripts, to the point where beta readers rarely find typos. Michael found dozens of typos missed by myself and readers. He has a laser-eye ability to spot errors, allowing me to feel more confident that my finished novel has a professional polish.
In the same pass, he marked exact locations where the story needs tightening, including issues of clarity, and potential problems with the way characters come across. I don’t have to guess what he meant.
He’s very clear, and if I have questions, he’s accessible and easy to communicate with. I’m grateful for the work he did.
By the time my manuscript got to Michael, it had already been critiqued, beta-tested, and professionally edited. I knew it was mostly clean, but I needed one more professional to look it over before submitting. However, I hesitated because occasionally a proofreader will search for problems to justify his work. Sorting through a lot of extraneous comments would have slowed me down tremendously as I faced a hard deadline.
Fortunately, that was not my experience with Michael; he was fast, accurate, insightful, and honest. He polished my manuscript with skillful suggestions about phrasing and repeated words, while keeping a light touch on unnecessary changes. This was exactly what I needed and wanted.
I’m certain I will be a repeat customer.
Michael is helping me with my comedy series, The Big House. I really couldn’t be happier with the editing services he provides. It’s a series of 6 books and we’re currently on book number 3. So far, he has critiqued all 6 books, even though the last 4 at the time were not much more than notes. After that he’s provided a developmental edit for the first 3 books and a proofread of the first 2. I’m working with him on all 6 books and they should be published by the end of the year!
He has not just improved my work but he’s made it shine. He’s helped make my characters better and more distinguished. He’s improved the flow of the stories and has contributed to jokes. He’s funny and talented. I thoroughly recommend Michael to any author who is lucky enough to work with him.
I hired Michael for three rounds of editing with a primary focus on developmental editing. I was impressed by Michael’s thorough feedback. He was encouraging as he challenged me to bring out the full brilliance of my message. Michael’s edits include detailed instructions that allowed me to navigate what could have seemed like an overwhelming task. With each round of edits, Michael guided me to strengthen and fine-tune my message. I am quite pleased with the final manuscript, and I have Michael to thank for helping me bring it to fruition. Sheila Applegate
I was very nervous to be giving my manuscript to anyone, but I am happy that I found Michael. He did an excellent job and went above and beyond with helping give me some suggestions at things he thought didn’t make sense, despite that not being a part of the contract. Thank you for doing such a great job! Looking forward to working together in the future again.
I’m really glad that I hired Michael to edit my middle grade novel. This was my first time to work with an editor. Michael was patient with my newbie questions. I really appreciate how he helped me polish my manuscript without changing my voice. He was great about clarifying when I had questions. I would recommend working with him in a heartbeat and look forward to working with him again.
M. Pilgrim’s services are helpful to writers from all levels of experience.
I signed up for his services for my first fictional piece. I was ecstatic at how detailed his feedback was and how many solutions he offered to address the areas he noticed I needed to make revisions on. He respects your work. I highly recommend him.
I contacted Michael for a critique and then a copy edit for my short story reader magnet. This was my first venture with an editor and I found the experience very positive. He helped me eliminate purple prose, errors in POV, and bolstered my confidence, keeping me regularly updated as to when the manuscript would be worked on and returned (approximately ten days for a 6000 word short story during a busy period for him).
I spent many hours deliberating over which editor to trial. I’m suggesting you save yourself that effort and just contact Michael.
The constructive feedback and friendly suggestions I received to supercharge my manuscript means I will work with Michael again.
I employed Michael to edit my upcoming science fiction novel – The Ship of Death (A fast paced sci-fi thriller). I must say, Michael did an absolutely superb job. I thought it was ready for publication but Michael showed me that there was actually a rather large plot hole and that most of my characters sounded too similar. At first, it was a bit hard to accept but the more I thought about it, the more I knew he was right. I am working on the suggestions and everything he said is making my book ten times better. My characters now feel like real people and my story is more complete. I am very happy.
When I began the selection process, I received over a dozen sample edits from different editors. I was blown away by the thoroughness of Michael’s report on just the sample edit, and the promptness at which he returned the edit. Additionally, he caught several cases of problems (such as head-hopping and characters sounding the same) that were things I’d specifically been trying to avoid. And then, when I compared his rates against other editors for comparable work, there was no question.
Having selected Michael as my developmental, copy, and proof editor, I’ve been extremely satisfied with his work. Scene by scene breakdowns of my entire manuscript, talking about what’s working, what’s not, and why. Additionally, great advice on the structure of the book overall, and helping me shore up some of the weaker sections. I’d strongly recommend Michael on terms of quality, promptness, and value across the board.
Want to see my editing style first? I offer a free sample edit of your book.
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