Testimonials

Lovely people saying lovely things

“I went to Joanna with the eighth draft of my novel and the question ‘Is it salvageable?’

Six weeks later, and I have had 8 full manuscript requests from top literary agents and 2 offers of representation so far. The feedback from agents speaks for itself:

‘I’ve never come across such a polished manuscript.’

‘I had to keep on reminding myself that it wasn’t a published novel – the execution is remarkable.’

‘We would aim to get your novel out on submission in a matter of weeks.’

Joanna guided me through the final draft with unbelievable passion, commitment, honesty and respect. She is incredibly giving of her time, as well as her knowledge, skills and creativity. Her editorial & proof-reading capabilities are impeccable, and she has this unique gift of extracting not only the story and structure, but that often-elusive magic that makes a piece of work truly memorable. Joanna has a natural capacity for story-telling, and instinctively understands the nature of both the writer and the process. She genuinely wants to see other writers succeed, and takes huge pleasure in making their words shine. It is such a rare thing. And to top it all off, we had an absolute blast together doing it.

I cannot recommend working with Joanna highly enough, and I can safely say she’ll be by my side across all future projects. (If she agrees to it!)”

“Joanna’s feedback was everything I needed. Insightful, detailed, and not afraid to challenge and ask ‘why…but why’. She didn’t just give me the feedback I wanted to hear but also the feedback that made me think about what the book was missing. Will I use Joanna again? Too damned right.”

Stephen Mellor

author

“Working with Joanna is like training with an Olympic coach. I bring her raw material that I know is good, but that needs her laser-focused eye to become better. As long as I'm willing to put the work in, she'll point the way to a piece that I'll be proud to have written. She begins with a thorough thoughtful reading, from which she diagnoses trouble spots and discovers areas of strength I often don't even know exist. She's compassionate, and her advice and criticism are truly constructive. I never leave a session disheartened, but am instead fired up to take the work even farther. No matter how difficult or sensitive your work is, she will treat it and you with compassion, grace, and dedication.”

Nan Bauer,

writer & creator of headroam.com

“Wowowow, rhank you so much. You have no idea how brilliant for me you are. Lord you are a star. Seriously, thank you thank you thank you thank you. You make me a better writer.”

Stephen Mellor

author

"When needing an editor, Joanna Hastings is top on my list. Not only does she have an excellent command of language, but a keen ear for dialogue, story movement, and dramatic tension. She brings together all of her skills as an actor, director and playwright to the editing table. Fabulous!"

K Michael Joseph

playwright & singer/songwriter

“Joanna is an incredible editor. Not only does she root out typos, plant or dig up commas, but she also knows when words need pruning, grafting or dead heading. She successfully tended to my weekly newspaper column so that no readers got nettled in the process.”

Judith Watkins

author and blogger