AUTHOR TESTIMONIALS:

“By the time Randy and I finished working with my first story, all my fears of working with an editor disappeared. I felt like he instinctively understood what my story was wanting (but I didn’t know how to achieve it). As I continue working with Randy, I appreciate the collaborative spirit, judicious eye, and compassion with which he immerses himself into a story. He is generous in sharing his skills and knowledge—from small (but important) details of why something does or doesn’t work, to introducing me to writers I might want to study (whose works are in a similar vein to mine). Just as there is an art to storytelling, I have learned there is an equal and compelling art to editing. It has been so thrilling and humbling to work with Randy. I highly recommend him!” 

– K.M. Stricker, author of a short story collection in progress

“Working with Randy on my manuscript has been both a fruitful and enjoyable experience. His thoughtfulness and attention to the finest detail is invaluable for those who are serious about perfecting their craft. What I appreciate most about our collaboration is Randy's candor. He would not hesitate to push back when a story was not working for him or when a character needed more attention. That forced me to become the best author I could. The outcome is a growing devoted fan base of my work.”

– Yoav Ilan, author of the story collection “The Path of Most Resistance”

“Before Randy edited my manuscript, he told me upfront the level of work required and if there were changes he communicated with me first, so, there were no surprises. His attention to detail enabled him to rearrange, smooth out, and delete repetitive or unnecessary sections. He simplified clunky sentences and added some based on what he understood of the story. He was not afraid to challenge me on sections he removed if they were just fluff and did not help drive the story. From the beginning, his interest was to make the story better and that is why I am super pleased with his work. In the end, he made the flow of the story much more cohesive that seamlessly transitioned from one chapter to the next. Simply he made my work read like a novel. For that, I am grateful for his services and highly recommend him.”

– Mahary Kidane, author of the novel “Under the Light of Fanus”

"As a professional musician who has produced my own music and led my own band over many years, I'm used to executing my vision from start to vision with little help. However, after finishing my first manuscript, I was less sure of what I had created, and needed some overall direction as to what was working and what wasn't. Enter Randy. Right way, he had a direct, yet friendly style of communication and challenged me to find the soul of my book. His early feedback hurt a bit, but I knew I needed to absorb it, as well as challenge myself to dig deeper. By the end of the revision process, I felt like I'd expressed exactly what I always intended to express and couldn't be happier with the result. He is, without question, ‘the real deal.’”

– Matt Reischling, author of the personal essay collection Almost Weightless

“I had no idea what to expect when I started working with Randy. It was my first novel and I was anxious. And I’m a guy that doesn’t get anxious very often. But the prospect of someone with Randy’s experience scrubbing your maiden art/passion/baby can be daunting. Yet it wasn’t. He asked the right questions. He let me ask stupid questions. And he answered those questions without letting on they were stupid. I’m hoping to continue to work with Randy. Because he’s good at his craft.”

– G. Craig Vachon, author of The Knucklehead of Silicon Valley (Genius Books, 2019)

“It was a pleasure working with Randy. His real value is a commitment to working with a text until it achieves the highest standard, giving excellent detailed feedback and drawing on his own literary knowledge to offer valuable advice and direction. My book couldn’t have been done without him.”

– Damien Rudd, author of Sad Topographies (Simon & Schuster, 2017) 

“Randy is an insightful editor with a wide knowledge of American and World Literature and an impressive number of book reviews and interviews to his credit. I miss the excellent literary magazines, The Coffin Factory and Tweed’s, that he published. After publishing two novels, I asked Randy to help me in editing my third one and wish I’d had the opportunity to work with him previously. His approach to a manuscript is thoughtful and thorough and his corrections and suggestions well based. He knows his craft well and no writer would go wrong by putting their manuscript in his hands.”

– Ali Hosseini, author of The Lemon Grove (Northwestern University Press, 2013) and The Place of Stones (Northwestern University Press, 2017)

“I’m not a strong writer, but I wanted to share my story with the public about my deployment as an Army psychologist in Afghanistan. After completing my manuscript, I was fortunate to find Randy on Craigslist. After the first round of editing, my manuscript came back with numerous grammatical changes, 120+ comments, and eight pages of his concerns about my narrative structure (lack of), dialogue (lack of), voice and style. More work to be done. By the end of the second round of editing, there were fifty comments and three pages of concerns. I was learning to write. Randy’s comments are honest and his editing solid. He also provided me a reading list. Not only was it informative, it helped me to craft my story. I would highly recommend Randy for any writing project: he’s knowledgeable, timely, and encouraging.”

– Connie Louie, author of Healing Soldiers Lives (Energy Psychology Press, 2017)

“Randy is one of the best editors I have ever worked with. I am immensely indebted to him for what he's helped me achieve. I cannot describe Randy's contribution to shaping my manuscript to its current state without the use of superlatives and cliches. He shuffled chapters and passages to perfection, like an architect with a passion for minimalist structure. I was touched by the way he entered the minds of the characters and understood them exactly the way I want them to be understood by my readers. I can go on . . .”
– Lipika Pelham, BBC journalist, filmmaker, and author of The Unlikely Settler (Other Press, 2014) and the novel-in-progress “River Without Shores.”

“Randy provided me with a very thorough and thoughtful analysis of the manuscript, offering invaluable guidance on what was working, what wasn't, and where to go from here. Working with him has been so helpful for me. Highly recommend! And worth every penny.”
– Dave Gunton, author of “I Don't Want to Oversell It” (currently being represented by Greenburger Associates) 

“Working with Randy was truly a pleasure; he is thoughtful, engaged, curious, efficient, challenging, enthusiastic, and generous with his time. He covered an enormous amount of editorial ground with me in a very short time and with an acute sensitivity to my limited budget. He addressed so many issues on so many levels -- pacing, voice, momentum, consistency, cluttered language, voice, narrative tension, energy, and grammatical issues -- and always with clear, compelling suggestions for direction. He has given me an excellent road map for what it will take to bring my novel to publication, and I return to the manuscript with renewed energy. I look forward to working with him again."
– Robert Schneider, author of the novel The Guru's Touch

“Mr. Rosenthal is well worth the investment. Not only will he give you thorough edits, but he will also focus on particular areas at your request. He is an honest editor who will reasonably break down the hours that he worked and send you a complete invoice. Most importantly, he makes sure to maintain a strong rapport with his clients—working at his best for customer satisfaction.”
– James Thibeault, author of the novels “The Boy in the Black Dress” and “Deacon’s Folly”

“I feel very fortunate to have found Randy Rosenthal as editor for my novel, “The Emerald Tablet.” He is passionate and dedicated to the literary arts and his many years in the NY literary scene with writing, publishing, and editing are invaluable. He is meticulous in correcting and grooming grammar and all the other elements of language structure and its elements, which are so important. But where he truly excels is in the overall pace, flow and rhythm of the story itself. With a practiced eye toward plot, character development, logic, timing, and suspense, he assisted hugely in bringing the book up to a level of excellence I hadn't imagined. His literary standards are very high and uncompromising and I believe this, along with his experience and skills, are what set him apart as a top editor. I've learned a tremendous amount through the process and my writing skills have elevated considerably as a result. Besides all of this, he's a great guy and an absolute pleasure to work with. Thanks, Randy!”
– Ron Anderson, fine artist and author of the novel “The Emerald Tablet”