Testimonials
“In the 50 years I’ve spent writing and publishing books, the greatest good fortune I’ve known is the pure joy of being edited and published by Becky Cole. Although I’ve had many editors in five decades, I have never felt as accompanied as I did when I was working with Becky. What I needed was a delicate balance of strict literary guidance and a tender editorial heart. I got both from Becky. It’s no exaggeration to say that Becky made me not only a better writer of better books but also a better human being. There could be no greater gift for a writer.”
—Meredith Maran, author of The New Old Me, Why We Write About Ourselves, Why We Write, and ten other books
“Becky Cole is the best of the best. Reading her brilliant, incisive notes on my manuscript, I'd often wonder, 'Is this even allowed? This feels like cheating.’ Becky can hold an entire book in her head at once and flip through it as though the pages were right in front of her. Truly, Becky often saw my story more clearly than I did.
Becky understands that good editing is not one size fits all. She taught me the importance of showing what’s at stake, and helped me figure out how to do it. No matter how messy the words I sent her, Becky could always spot the story underneath them and dig it right out. Time and again. Working with Becky was one of the most enriching and meaningful parts of writing my book. I carry her wisdom with me into my future projects, with gratitude.”
—Jessica Fechtor, New York Times bestselling author of Stir
"Becky was part magician and part therapist as we wrote our first book. We knew we had a story to tell, but we had no idea how to mix our voices to give the words the right impact for the reader. She asked compelling questions, teased out pieces of our own story we were overlooking, and helped us create a book we are immensely proud of. We could not have walked through this process without her."
—Kim and Penn Holderness, authors of Everybody Fights
“Our book would still not be done without Becky’s expertise. The process (and probably the book) would have sucked. She pushed us to go deeper in our writing and be more complete in our storytelling.”
—JEN SMEDLEY, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF #imomsohard
“I’ve worked with Becky Cole on two memoirs and a novel. She employs both a marvelous intuition and a precise eye toward craft to thoughtfully shape each book into the best possible version of itself. Her respect of an author’s voice and vision is remarkable, as is her passion for literature. Having Becky as my editor was one of the great gifts of my creative life.”
—Jillian Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of Some Girls, Pretty, and Everything You Ever Wanted
“I am so grateful for Becky’s capacity to stay the course and for her ever-bright, timely, skilled writing. A better collaborator in storytelling will not be found.”
—twyla tharp, choreographer and NEW YORK tIMES BESTSELLING author of KEEP IT MOVING
“Becky Cole brings a whole world of wisdom, and a ton of wit with her when she commits to a project. She has a remarkable ability to unearth emotion and stories that otherwise may have stayed buried without her incredible instinct. We might’ve logged a lot of hours on the phone, her sitting at her desk out East and me at mine in Waco, but Becky’s sincerity, curiosity, and depth of conversation could always bridge that physical distance. I am forever grateful to Becky for taking up the tricky task of turning my musings and ramblings into coherent words on a page… so bottom line don’t be dumb, hire Becky!”
—CHIP GAINES, new york times bestselling author of no pain, no gaines
“I highly recommend Becky Cole’s editing services. She did a fantastic job of organizing the quite complex material in my books. She has a gift for simultaneously seeing the big picture and keeping an exacting eye on the details. She is comfortable with truly digging in and shaping material, providing the strongest possible structure, and aligning herself with an author's goals. Even when I made some boneheaded writing mistakes, she guided and corrected me in a very kind, supportive way. She is enthusiastic and a real pro at helping good writers become great writers. ”
—James Wesley Rawles, New York Times Bestselling Author of How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It
“Writing a book is brutal—or it was for me and there’s no way I could have done it without Becky. Becky is smart and direct, funny, tough, and wise. She pushed me to go deeper with every story even when I insisted that I was shallow and dumb. Working with Becky changed my writing; she gave it depth.”
—Lauren Weedman, bestselling author of Miss Fortune
“Becky Cole is a writer’s angel. As a first time non-fiction author, she guided me into clear expression, helped with book structure, kept me on schedule with deadlines, and offered encouragement as well as tough critique. After hearing about 'editor problems' from other writers, I was relieved to have a positive writing experience with Becky. She cares about the projects she edits, bringing out the best in herself and the author. Be wise and partner with Becky—you’ll have the consummate editor.”
—Carolyn Conger, PhD, author of Through the Dark Forest
"Becky is fast on her feet and clearly understands how to read authors. Chasing Hope is a complicated, multi-faceted book. Becky helped me develop a strong structure, never my strong suit. She saw what I was trying to do and helped me find a way to make it work. And Becky is fun. I truly enjoyed working with her.”
—Richard Cohen, author of Chasing Hope
“Becky is a collaborator in the best sense of the word. She pushes for improvements, but never oversteps. She honors the author’s vision and voice and elevates while leaving no fingerprints. The humor, kindness, and the joy she brings to the process make the challenges of crafting a book inordinately easier. My first choice when seeking out a freelance editor or ghostwriter.”
—Karyn Marcus, Executive Editor, Gallery Books
“Working with Becky Cole could not have been a better process. She spent countless hours with the authors perfectly capturing their humor and heart, delivered a clean, brilliant manuscript, made the minimal revisions a breeze, and went above and beyond at every stage. She intuitively knows how to balance the goals of the author and the publisher to make all parties happy and heard. Honestly, I just wish I could work with her on every project.”
—Hilary Swanson, Senior Editor, HarperOne
“Becky is the ultimate collaborator, perfectly capturing the author’s voice, and using that to create a book that readers cannot put down. She is at the absolute top of her profession and always at the top of our list as well.”