Testimonials
“With insightful overarching comments, incisive line edits, and detailed feedback on everything from character development to tone to dialogue, Katherine Don became a fellow caretaker of my novel. I am grateful that I had her help, patience, and advice. The outcome? Even though I sent through the slush pile, and even though I had no previous fiction publishing credits, that novel got placed with a top agent. This result speaks for itself. What’s more, I think Katherine helped me see things in the book that the book itself wanted to express but that I had trouble seeing. Also, beyond her ability to work with the artistic side of things, she has experience with query letters, editors, and the publishing world in general. If you get a chance to work with the Don, take it.”
– Mark Lawley ~ author, educator, composer ~ marklawley.com
“Katherine Don is a Book Saver! From assessing my manuscript, to developmental editing, to getting my book proposal and query letters done and more, Katherine’s skill, wisdom, care and hard work made all the difference in the birthing of my book, Shut It Down: Stories from a Fierce, Loving Resistance. With the book proposal I worked on with Katherine, I heard back from my publisher within a few hours! I honestly don’t think I would have gotten it published without her. Even as I write this, I’m pretty sure Katherine will be cleaning up my typos and grammar! Her generosity, kindness and good humor made working together a joy. I am so grateful the stars aligned and we got connected on this project. I strongly recommend her and I am sure you will be as thrilled as I was to work with Katherine, The Book Don.”
– Lisa Fithian ~ social justice activist ~ author of Shut It Down: Stories from a Fierce, Loving Resistance
“A long time ago I sent my second novel to an agency, which did not take the novel: but the reader for the novel, who was an agent’s assistant at the time, Katherine Don, kept sending me very encouraging comments on it. For me, that was my most pleasurable book to write, but I will admit—it had footnotes, a plot about an unknown war (the Philippine revolution against Spain), and lots of crazy stuff about Jacques Lacan. It gave me heart that Katherine had read that nutty novel so closely—and with such enthusiasm.
That novel, The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata, was eventually published not in the US but in Manila, where I am from. It won the National Book Award there. Years later, in 2018, it was a huge delight to me that this crazy but, I believe, fun and rewarding book riffing on concepts of nationalism, art, translation, and revolution, got bought by a US publisher (Soho Press).
So how did I go about reworking the book for a US audience? I went back to the reader’s notes that Katherine Don gave me almost a decade ago. As I worked on the novel for my US publisher, I checked off each of her comments to do the revisions—she is that whip-smart, that reader-friendly, that empathetic of a book’s needs. All I needed to rework it was her eye: I completely trusted her ways of reading. Anyone should be gratified by having one’s book under Katherine’s keen readership: she is structurally minded, extremely attuned to a book’s inherent needs, and super-sharp: she gave me a way to imagine the book’s public, general reader and yet remain true to the book’s artistic demands. I highly recommend Katherine as a reader to any writer—her reader’s eye is a gem, a friend, and a gift.”
– Gina Apostol ~ PEN/Open Book winner for the Gun Dealers’ Daughter (W.W. Norton) ~ Publishers Weekly’s Ten Best Books of 2018 for Insurrecto (Soho Press) ~ Winner of the Phillipine National Book award for The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata ~ ginaapostol.com
“After several unsuccessful efforts to find a professional editor for my memoir, I was fortunate enough to come across Katherine Don’s name on the Funds for Writers website. Katherine is an extremely creative, highly intelligent and insightful editor. My major concerns were that she not compromise my voice, that she detect stylistic problems, and that she be attentive to correcting any grammar and syntax issues. In all these areas and more she was thorough, meticulous, timely and very helpful. She is the consummate professional and I highly recommend her.”
– PC ~ Eastham, MA
“I hired Kat to help me during my initial awkward attempts at adapting my screenplay into a novel. Luckily, Kat is an expert in both scriptwriting and literary prose. She was instrumental in helping me finish my first novel, giving me much needed deadlines along with a series of organized manuscript critiques that detailed where I was going wrong and exactly how to fix it. I highly recommend her to writers looking for expert feedback, editing and guidance that yields results.”
– Caroline Flarity ~ author ~ NY, NY ~ http://www.carolineflarity.com/
“Katherine did an amazing job with my manuscript. She helped put the story in a cohesive, beautifully organized format that retained my voice while making my message clear and authoritative. Katherine held my hand during every step of the process from idea creation all the way to making the finest editorial adjustments. I would recommend anyone who is struggling to form a message that cuts through the clutter to work with Katherine.”
– Jovanka Ciares ~ author, speaker, wellness expert ~ jovankaciares.com
“I had the privilege of working with Katherine on a book of investigative journalism that took years of research, reporting and writing. Katherine’s help in both research and editing was invaluable. While working on a first draft that was overflowing with too much information, Katherine’s perceptive edits helped me wrangle the narrative back into shape. She’s a sharp thinker with a keen editorial sense of a book’s bigger picture, and she’s also a delight to work with. I highly recommend her to any writer who’s serious about improving their book.”
– Kathryn Joyce ~ journalist ~ kathrynjoyce.com
“A voracious reader from an early age, highly intelligent, and schooled at elite universities, Katherine brings superior skills to the crafts of writing and editing. I partnered with Katherine on one book and recommended her as an author to two publishers, who were overjoyed with her writing and professionalism.”
– David Aretha, author of 70 books, editor of 200 books in partnership with over twenty publishing houses
“After years of trying to figure out how to take my writing to the next level, along came Katherine Don. She gave me concrete examples of where my writing needed work and how to make it better. Her suggestions and editorial notes gave me renewed confidence in myself. She strengthened my voice without changing who I am as a writer. I feel incredibly blessed to have found her and would recommend “The Don” to anyone who is need of that little extra something that takes your work from good to great.”
– Mary Ann Loesch ~ author of Nephilim and Butterfly Suicide
“Katherine upped my writing game substantially with her developmental edit of Unspeakable Grudges, a crime fiction novel. Her manuscript critiques ferreted out the weaknesses, and she offered suggestions to improve the narrative. I highly recommend Katherine to writers for her fresh eye, keen intellect, and guiding hand.”
– P.H. Turner ~ author of The Nation book series
“When looking for an editor, I’m looking for a partner who can take my rough words and polish them into a shiny jewel. Katherine was just such a partner. She helped bring clarity to my ideas and my writing, and the finished product is so much better than it would have been without her involvement. She knows her stuff, and more importantly, she is great at communicating that knowledge in a clear, supportive, and effective manner.”
– David J.P. Fisher ~ business coach, author, speaker ~ davidjpfisher.com
“I’ve had the pleasure of working for Katherine to edit and shape book proposals as well as publications for non-profit organizations. Katherine has a keen sense of the audience of each project and is talented at helping her clients adapt to each audience’s expectations. She’s an extremely efficient researcher and organizer. Your project will definitely benefit from Katherine’s input on how effectively your ideas are being communicated.”
– Cynthia-Marie O’Brien ~writer, editor, educator ~ cynthiamarieobrien.com
“I submitted my manuscript to Katherine for critique after she came highly recommended by another writer. After revisiting some of the memoir’s key locations and incorporating many of Katherine’s ideas, I rewrote a few more drafts before sending the final one back for another critique and copy/line edit. I believe that with Katherine’s input and inspiration, my memoir became a better, more compelling read. She is professional and focused, as well as reliable and delightful to work with. I highly recommend the Book Don, especially to writers with first drafts who will benefit from her honesty, vision and experience.”
– Linda Jamsen ~ teacher, musician, writer
“I was fortunate enough to work with Kat Don for developmental editing on my first poetry chapbook project. From the first paragraph of the manuscript critique, I knew I had found someone willing to dig deeper into my work. Kat has an ability to distill words to their essence, sift through the cluttered grammar, punctuation, clever phrases, and accidental cliches, and reveal your true voice. After working with Kat, my chapbook was a finalist in a competition, and two of my poems have been accepted for publication in my dream magazine! I have grown immensely as a writer through Kat’s empowering editing.”
– Saleem Hue Penny ~ early childhood advocate ~ interdisciplinary artist ~ hueart.org
“Katherine took my book and made it worthy of being published. I appreciated that she could read between the lines and pulled out of me the entire story, thus filling in the gaps for a reader. Katherine was so fun to work with, totally professional every step of the way, being prompt, accurate and quick with response. I will now have to write another book just to enjoy spending time with her, she made the whole process that much fun!”
– Mitzi Carroll ~ legal administrator and writer ~ Louisville, KY