An editing certificate and book covers in an editorial portfolio are great, but to really get an idea of what it’s like to work with me, it’s helpful to hear what my clients have to say.
Client Testimonials
“I looked everywhere for an editor before coming across Carolina’s website. I was impressed with her sample edit, so I hired her. She performed a developmental edit and copyedit on my novel, and she did a great job! Her feedback was in-depth and honest while remaining clear and encouraging, and there is no doubt in my mind that my novel is better having followed her advice. She caught so many little details I’d missed! Her email responses were always timely, so I never had to wonder whether she received my reply—I knew she was on it.
“I’ve been interested in editing as a career for a few years now and have recently gotten more serious about learning the craft. Carolina covered all of the editing practices I’ve been reading about remarkably well. It’s just further evidence of her knowledge, experience, and diligence, and I look forward to working with her again on my novels to come.”
—Ariel Ruthanne
Developmental + copyediting for mystery novel
“I first met Carolina when Capsule Stories published my poetry. I admired her dedication to Capsule, so I asked if she could critique my poetry. Carolina edited a packet of my poetry and provided phenomenal, detailed, thorough edits! She was a compassionate and outstanding editor. She really understand my poetry and the message I was trying to convey with each poem. She delivered one of the best editorial letters I’ve ever received! I felt more motivated to keep working on my poetry thanks to her. Her feedback was incredibly helpful, encouraging, and inspiring. I would highly recommend her to any and all writers looking to strengthen their craft!”
—Eva Lynch-Comer
Developmental + line editing for poetry manuscript
“Through recommendations from friends, I was able to contact Carolina VonKampen for editorial services for my new book of devotions. I had worked with an editor before from a major publishing company and found that experience a bit limiting and impersonal. However, working with Carolina was delightful. She always responded to my emails and helped me understand the steps of the editorial process. Her editorial skills and knowledge of the Chicago Manual of Style for publication sharpened the focus of my stories. She corrected my grammar and made suggestions for content changes. I felt comfortable working with her and would certainly retain her services for future publications. It was important to me to build a trusting relationship with an editor and that happened with Carolina.”
—Gary Schimmer
Copyediting for nonfiction book
“I’ve had the pleasure to work with Carolina on two projects. Both being short stories, the more recent one (Axum) proved to be the story to reference among all my works. Thanks to Carolina. When I hired Carolina to line edit and proofread Axum, it was to refresh a two year old story for publication on my site. Initially a “technical story” that showcases FTL travel, I found it to be the most boring story I have written to date. Not to mention probably one of the hardest to read. However, Carolina’s editing expertise guided me to pull out the “high stakes” of and between the characters. In so doing, balance was given to the scifi piece, and it shines as a facet of world building to a much larger project. I really can’t say enough about how working with Carolina has produced a solid story, with Axum. According to my site’s analytics, since publishing Axum (after it being professionally edited by Carolina), the number of direct hits nearly doubled, compared to the number of hits from announcing the story’s release three days prior. Likewise with the number of engagements on Facebook, between the announcement and release posts. As a result, Carolina has earned editorial top spot in my book, with me having worked with a handful of other editors. Of course, there is a reason I have worked with her more than any other editor, too.”
—Kelly Johnson
Line editing and proofreading for short stories
“It is my sincere joy to write this recommendation for Carolina VonKampen! I recently hired Carolina to provide a development edit for a challenging nonfiction essay I was writing. This service was handled with the greatest professionalism, kindness, and respect. Carolina helped me find clarity on the theme and tighten my focus. She provided many suggestions to improve character development, dialogue, scene, tension, and pacing, to enhance the reader’s experience and help them emotionally connect to the story. It was incredibly easy to work with Carolina. I appreciated her clear communication and timely response. She is so dedicated to her profession. I give my wholehearted recommendation and would work with Carolina again in a heartbeat!”
—Karin Hedetniemi
Developmental edit of essay
“I hired Carolina to help with book formatting my first ever self-published poetry book, entitled Ask: A Collection of Poetry, Lyrics, and Words, through KDP on Amazon. This was a new venture for me and Carolina helped with not only formatting my manuscript to be able to successfully publish it through KDP but she also provided editing and proofreading services. It was amazing to come across someone who was knowledgeable in multiples areas. I was able to afford this all in one service. Carolina was diligent, available as needed, and just a friendly person to work with. My book is complete and ready to be available on Amazon tomorrow!! I am so excited! It looks amazing!”
—Amanda Baker
Copyediting and book design of a poetry collection
“Carolina is not only immensely professional, but she is incredibly thoughtful in her approach, understanding of the artists work, and has an eye for creativity that goes beyond what I could have asked for. I was initially nervous and anxious to hand over my work to anyone, but she was kind and helpful in a way that allowed me to feel my work was in the best hands it could possibly be in. She made the appropriate grammatical changes and encouraged me to think about certain aspects of my work in which later made me feel as if I had grown as an artist. I very highly recommend Carolina and think she is the perfect mix of the professional and creative mind—which truly is an authors dream!”
—Morgan Toll
Copyediting of poetry collection
“I highly recommend Carolina and her editing services. I recently finished revisions on a new science fiction novel and was about to start querying. After I failed to get an agent with my last project, I was feeling very anxious kicking off my agent search. I decided to hire an editor who could take a look at my first fifty pages, clean up any typos, and share with me what was and was not working. Carolina was fantastic! She was very easy to communicate with and clearly laid out how we would work together. She met every deadline she set and was very proactive in her correspondence. Her edits really helped tighten up my first few chapters, delete embarrassing typos, and craft a stronger pitch in my query letter. While I am just now kicking off my querying in full force, I am confident that Carolina has improved my chances of landing an agent. If I ever need another freelance editor for a project, I will definitely be reaching out to Carolina again.”
—Sydney Rossman-Reich
Copyedit of first 50 pages of sci-fi manuscript and query letter edit
“Highest recommendation. Carolina is thorough, skilled, extremely helpful—helped transform my work and, after seeing her samples, picked her above six others. Glad I did. I will absolutely work with her again without hesitation. She’s an editor for life.”
—Alfred Eaker
Developmental edit and line edit of novel
“Carolina exceeded our high expectations. Her work was thorough and on time. She gave good value for the money and was a pleasure to work with.”
—Shirley Baker, former vice chancellor of Washington University
Memoir proofread
“I met Carolina through the independent publishing scene in St. Louis. I had just completed a novel and was looking for a knowledgeable and highly professional editor, which I certainly found. She showed depth and breadth of knowledge on a variety of styles and genres, which enabled her to provide meticulous developmental and proofreading edits on a historical fiction novel in a matter of weeks. The editing was effective, because the novel received six manuscript requests from literary agents in four months. Working with her revealed the balance between holistic skills and problem-solving skills required in fiction writing. I would definitely recommend her to both rising authors and established authors.”
—Ryan Byrnes
Developmental edit on historical fiction manuscript, query letter edit, and proofreading
“I was very pleased with the work Carolina did for me on my book editing. I will hire her again on my next project. Five of five stars!!!!”
—Todd Carlson
Copyedit on church architecture book
“Carolina did the final edit and managed the publishing process for my book. She was great! Very thorough and knowledgeable. I hope to work with her again.”
—Larry English
Copyedit, book design, and book publishing on nonfiction business book
Let’s Work Together
You could be my next happy client! Please contact me to discuss how I can help you get your project published and ready for the world to read.