Brianna Fenty, Writer’s Digest Award Winner
If you’re looking for what your book is missing (or needs less of), look no further. Sam has been an absolute treasure in the editing process – she has legitimately changed how I look at my own writing style, for the (much) better, without sacrificing my voice. Incredibly thorough. Will not knock you down. Constructive criticism at its best, with the cranes and the yellow-hatted workmen, too. Your writing will never sound better. What are you waiting for?
Joan Curtis, Royal Palm Literary Award finalist
I cannot recommend Sam’s services highly enough. I’ve used other editors, but never one as thorough and clear as Ms. Kruit from Bowler Fern. I used her full service: First, the reading for content and characterization and second for line-editing. Sam gave me clear ideas on how to handle certain rough spots in the manuscript. She praised the things she liked and noted where characters behaved as she imagined they should. The line-edit created a consistency in punctuation and eliminated all typos and other often-overlooked errors. After Sam’s work, I had a clean manuscript ready to be read by agents and editors. Other editors give vague directions, such as, “this character doesn’t ring true.” But they don’t tell you what about the character doesn’t ring true or how to fix the problem.
Sam not only explains why something doesn’t work but she also suggests clear options to fix the problem. I will definitely use Sam again. Incidentally, she also gave me some great feedback on my query letter. I now feel comfortable sending out queries and actually had an agent ask for the full manuscript after the initial query.
Sam is level-headed and easy to work with. For the amount of work she puts into a project, her fees are minimal. I’ve recommended her work to others and will continue to do so.
Tony Fyler, editor-in-chief, Jefferson Franklin Editing (rtd)
Editing is the business of being able to dislocate your brain, of being able to see at both a microscopic level, a human level, and the level of an omnipotent creative force, all at the same time. Sam Kruit, Editor-in-Chief at Bowler Fern, is one of the most impressive editors I know – she can tell you where you need a comma, where a semi-colon gives you the relational juxtaposition you need, where a hyphen’s the right tool for the job, to make sure your writing is technically as precise and polished as it should be. At the same time, she can also tell you on a human level when your characters feel right, whether they act from an understood psychology or backstory, and how to fix them if they don’t. And then she can look at your world, your timeline, your plot, and see where it’s arbitrary, where it doesn’t quite work, where it does and why, and she can steer your world gently into place, so your characters and their journeys not only make sense, but deliver the emotional impacts and the compelling stories you want them to, to keep your readers reading.
I always love reading a Sam Kruit edit, because you can read them as a miniature guidebook to better writing, personalised to you and your work. With Sam, you can be sure she understands why she’s made every change she’s made, and can explain it to you. In a word, a Sam edit gives you confidence. That’s why, where it comes to my own creative work, Sam’s my go-to editor of choice.
Gail Williams, author of ‘Locked’ Series
Sam began editing my novels when she worked for Jefferson Franklin Editing, and, without her, I would never have had the confidence to publish. She corrected my punctuation and grammar, clearly explaining where I was going wrong, so I no longer make the same errors. Her close attention to plot details helped me sharpen for clarity as well as tighten my prose and improve the pace and structure of my work.
What I have been most impressed and delighted by is Sam’s ability to recognise and work within the tone and atmosphere I strive to create in my novels. She offers a very professional yet personal service and always returns manuscripts on time. Will recommend.
Belinda LaPage
I think mostly the problem I have with editors is they remind me of trolls. Huddled beneath their chosen bridge waiting for gentle authors gruff to trip-trap over the top, whereupon they’ll leap out with their sharpened blue pencil shrieking DANGLING MODIFIER, DANGLING MODIFIER, and tear your manuscript to pieces.
Editors are scary. Offering up your newborn fiction to a critical eye–an eye that you’re paying to find mistakes–is no easy thing. If “big blue” does get wielded with inquisition-like efficiency, you’ve got two likely outcomes: meekly acquiesce in all instances (in which case your novel is now your editor’s novel), or defend to the death (in which case you’ve just paid by the word for a lively argument).
Sam from Bowler Fern has edited several of my works. And yet I don’t feel ‘edited’. That’s not to say she didn’t do a wonderful job–good God, she did–it just didn’t feel like I’d been attacked by a troll. Sam is to editing as warm hands are to gynecology. Her secret, I believe, is what she calls the ‘good bits’. Yes, she’ll shine a light on your dull meanderings, your plot holes, your inconsistencies, but at the same time, she’ll celebrate the clever turns of phrase and the deft use of emotion that connects with a reader. These little pearls littered through your critique are more than just spoonfuls of sugar that help the medicine go down (or is that spoonsful, Sam?), they help reinforce the things you’re doing right, which is every bit as important as fixing the stuff you’re doing wrong.
Selena Kitt, award-winning author and owner of the Erotica Readers and Writers’ Association (ERWA)
Very soon after I took over the helm at ERWA, the editor-in-chief position opened up. Sam was my first choice, and frankly, the only one I felt could really fill those very large shoes. The duties of our head editor are varied and most definitely time-consuming. Sam reviews the stories that come through every week on our Storytime list, spending hours critiquing both newbies and old-timers, and picking out the best of the best to be featured in our monthly newsletter and on our site. Her responses to the ERWA authors are detailed, helpful, and professional. I don’t think many of our members even begin to comprehend what a huge benefit they’re getting from Sam, all at no cost to them. She is truly an invaluable part of ERWA, and since she’s taken over the head spot on the team, I don’t know what I’d do without her. I hope she never gives us up. That said, she is an amazing author, and I wish she was more prolific. The world needs more editors, authors—and people—like Sam.
Henry Corrigan, author of ‘A Man in Pieces’
I was lucky enough to find Sam through the Erotica Readers and Writers Association. From the moment we started conversing, I knew Sam was not only incredibly intelligent but wonderfully supportive. This combination is what convinced me to hire Sam as the editor for my first full-length novel, A Man in Pieces. Throughout several rounds of edits, Sam was not only spot on in detailing my book’s strengths and weaknesses, but she was also readily available for any questions I had. Because of Sam, my book became that much better, which led to its publishing earlier this year. I really can’t say enough nice things and I can’t recommend Sam highly enough. You won’t be disappointed.