Testimonials &

Frequently Asked Questions

What Genres Do You Edit/Coach?

Editing
I am open to editing (line, copy, proof) all genres (in both fiction and non-fiction) and age categories. Contact me if you have a question about a specific genre.

Coaching
I coach the following categories:

• I specialize in...
  • young adult
  • adult
• I accept...
  • new adult
  • middle grade​​​

I coach the following genres:

• I specialize in...
  • general speculative fiction
  • low, contemporary, and urban fantasy
  • dystopian sci-fi
  • magical realism
  • contemporary/coming-of-age
• I accept...
  • high fantasy
  • low, contemporary, and high sci-fi
  • mystery
  • romance
  • LGBTQ+ (I specialize in focus of asexuality)

I do not work with:​​​

• ​AI generated writing

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Interested in working with me on a genre not listed here? Let me know and we can decide if working together would be a good fit.

Can You Guarantee I Will Get Published?

Unfortunately, that is not something I or anyone else can guarantee. The traditional publishing process involves many unknown variables that are out of our control. Much of getting published is luck and timing. However, if you put in the work, I can guarantee that we will make your manuscript the best it can possibly be.

If your goal is to self-publish, then I can guarantee to get you to that point and to assist and support you through the process. But I cannot guarantee you will make a certain level of sales. Just like with traditional publishing, the market is always changing, and luck and timing will always play a part.

WHY SHOULD i TRUST YOU WITH MY STORY?

I am dedicated to working with integrity. I will always be as honest and truthful with my feedback as possible. I take my clients and their work seriously, and want to help each writer become the best they can be, and get their manuscripts to the highest level of quality possible.

I have also gone through Author Accelerator's Book Coach Certification program to be able to do this work. I am professionally trained in coaching and using various tools to help writers achieve their goals and dreams.

I also guarantee confidentiality. Any work you share with me will remain solely between us, unless you explicitly state otherwise. Work you share will not be shared, distributed, or plagiarized in any way. You will have this guarantee in writing.

As a published author myself, I know how important a story is to a writer, and how much the process means to them. I will do everything I can to help writers get where they want to go, because I've been in that position, too.

HOW DOES PAYMENT WORK? DO YOU OFFER PAYMENT PLANS?

I try to be as flexible as possible with pricing, as I know editing can be costly. So I do offer payment plans. Check out my full payment policy here.

i'M UNDER 18. CAN i STILL WORK WITH YOU?

You must be at least 13 years old to work with me. If you are under 18, you will need signed parental permission.

​I’ve worked with Kayla on past projects, and she continues to impress. On a previous manuscript, she went above and beyond by offering a coaching consultation that added tremendous value. On this latest project, she was once again thorough, attentive, and insightful. She caught inconsistencies that slipped past other readers. I highly recommend her to other authors and remain extremely satisfied with her work.
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~ Leila M., fantasy author
(manuscript review)

​Kayla did amazing work for me. She beta read my work in progress and went above and beyond in her commitment and analysis of my book. She also did so in the agreed time frame and showed clear engagement with my book. I would happily choose her services again.
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~ Emily Scott, contemporary fiction author
(manuscript review)

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​Kayla is a wonderful book coach and editor! She is patient, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, supportive, and kind. I'm so happy I found her. I learned so much from working with her and would do it again in a heartbeat.
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~ Amanda Rountree, contemporary romance author of ​Low-Key Collage
(coaching, manuscript development, proofreading, publishing)

Working with Kayla on my multiple non-fiction books (self-help niche) has been a blessing. I requested her professional copyediting/line-editing services and she over-delivered value. She promptly yet thoroughly edited my manuscripts for style/voice, clarity/coherence, flow/readability, and grammar (as needed)—at the sentence and paragraph levels. Kayla’s communication skills, including accessibility and response time, are top-notch. Her helpful input is always thoughtful and detailed, honest yet courteous. As an author/independent publisher, I consider Kayla a trusted, integral part of my publishing team. It’s a relief knowing that I can rely on her for all my future writing/editing projects. P.S. If you’re still reading this, I wonder why. Stop reading, scroll up or down, and click Contact. You’re welcome. 😊
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~ Phoenix Macleod, non-fiction author of survival wisdom books
(copyediting, proofreading)

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Kayla was an absolute pleasure to work with. She has a system and a well-executed plan. There was little to no need for discussion and she gave extremely detailed advice and I could tell she read every word I wrote. Very friendly and very punctual!!!! She knows her stuff. I look forward to working with her again!
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~ Mabert Mazyck, mystery romance author of 404
(coaching, copyediting, proofreading)

Kayla was incredibly thoughtful and kind. She left insightful suggestions and really helped me clean up my novel. She pointed out errors I wouldn't have even recognized. And when I was editing my final draft, she even showed me how to format. Kayla was always patient and such a thorough editor. I'm so, so glad I worked with her.
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~ Haley Kleinman, young adult dystopian author of ​A World of Shadows
(line editing, proofreading)

​Knowledgeable, personable, and an absolute pleasure to work with. Kayla has the ability to make an otherwise complex and opaque task clear and manageable. She asks the right questions, elicits the right information, and provides feedback carefully, just enough to guide but not so much as to overwhelm. I don't use the word "coach" lightly when I say she's a natural coach. Highly recommend.
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~ Anna Madorsky, literary fiction author of ​Gutted
(publishing)

As an indie author, finding highly skilled and dependable partners with excellent communication and reasonable rates is essential--and kind of like finding a four leaf clover. That's why I feel so lucky to have found Kayla. We've worked together on six of my novels so far, including two bestsellers, and she has always communicated early and often, delivered on time, and reviewed each manuscript with an eagle eye. I worry about a lot of the moving pieces when it comes to releasing a novel, but I never worry about the proofreading phase of the process. I highly recommend Kayla's services to any author looking for a consummate professional for his/her team.
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~ Cate C. Wells, romance and paranormal romance author
(proofreading)

Working with Kayla truly turned my manuscript around in an entirely new and exciting direction. She was thoughtful and thorough with her revision ideas and truly cared about the story I wrote. She also gave me confidence and helped me immensely with the querying process and editing. The state of my manuscript today—having had more success than any of my previous manuscripts—is largely due to Kayla’s help. I am forever grateful.
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~ Bri Williams, fantasy author
​​(coaching, publishing)

I took help from multiple readers but Kayla is the best. She provided helpful comments throughout the manuscript, pointing to the plot holes, what works and what doesn't. The best part about her feedback is that it's actionable. She didn't simply write a comment that this section is good or bad, but she also explained why it is so. And the 'why' for each comment helped me decide how to modify my manuscript to make it better. Every manuscript has faults, but every manuscript has something good about it as well. Some readers forget to mention the good part, thinking they just need to critique. But Kayla did justice to the feedback. She made sure to highlight both the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript, and the way she provides feedback is quite encouraging. She is honest in her opinion as well. After receiving feedback, I was excited to work on each comment and improve the plot holes. And it has really helped my work shine. Thanks to Kayla for the great job!
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~ Urvi Pahwa, mystery author
​​(manuscript development)

Kayla gave timely, thorough feedback. She responded to the manuscript as she was reading, which gave a real-time feel to her comments. Her end-of-chapter feedback helped to clarify areas where I needed to pay more attention as I rewrote.
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~ Heather Hallman, historical romance author of Talk of Tokyo
(manuscript development)

Kayla was amazing. She delivered in-line comments, end of chapter thoughts, and a separate report. Her comments were pertinent and will help better my story. She even caught a few typos despite my being careful as to not have any. Overall, I am completely satisfied with her service. Her friendly yet professional approach made the process effortless and pleasant. I highly recommend her and will not hesitate to turn to her for my future projects.
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~ Scheherazade Legault, romance author

I truly enjoyed working with Kayla. Although I only requested line editing, I also received plenty of comments and suggestions regarding the plot, which was very helpful. She is positive and encouraging, something I appreciate in beta readers and editors. She met the agreed timeline. I would recommend her to other authors. I expect to work with her again soon on my next book.
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~ Cordelia Ripley, science fiction author​ of I Remember You

She was very polite and positive throughout our conversations! I thoroughly enjoyed working with her. Her feedback was very useful and on point, and made me see the strengths and weaknesses of my WIP a lot clearer.
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~ Fiia Salomaa, fantasy author

Kayla provided very detailed and thoughtful feedback. Her input allowed me to see many aspects of the story in a new light. She was responsive and provided candid feedback while balancing it with generosity. It was an enjoyable endeavor, and I would recommend her to other authors. I was perfectly pleased with the service.
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~ Jenevieve Gray, contemporary author

Kayla does a great job with giving detailed feedback on literally EVERYTHING. It makes you think about stuff in your manuscript that you might not have thought about before. It's also great to hear her thoughts as a reader. It feels good to know that someone is intrigued in the book. I loved how she would write her predictions and how she thinks the plot is going. It made it so fun to read her feedback! She was great!
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~ Kayla McDowell, fantasy author

I love the 'stream of consciousness' method of commenting during the story. It gives you specific, minute-by-minute feedback of what she is thinking while reading the story. Also liked the feedback at the end of each chapter on what worked, what didn't, etc. I don't have any criticisms at all.
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~ Jeffrey Thomas, sci-fi author of Osiris and ​Seige of Avalon

Thanks so much for your help. Your insights are very in depth and thoughtful. I've had a few readers before and they've kind of just written the bare minimum and gave generalized feedback. You've gone far and beyond anyone else and the info you've given me is really meaningful to me. Your opinions are honestly invaluable and help me a lot.
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~ Jackson Mattocks, contemporary author

Thanks for the feedback! It's amazing! If I was to give you feedback on your feedback, I'd give you 10/10! You answered the questions I needed answering, and in detail. And you gave additional feedback beyond that. This is all very useful stuff. I can't thank you enough for doing this.
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~ Kirk M, fantasy author

I'm not even exaggerating, but you've been my favorite experience so far! I give you ten out of ten. Your feedback has been both fun and in-depth. Entertaining and addicting. Thank you so much for reading my story! Yours is the first experience I've had where a summary is posted for each chapter, and I really enjoyed it. Your style provided such an amazing insight into how you felt about each chapter. It was very refreshing to witness your impressions through the chapter summaries and notes.
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~ Goodness, contemporary author