What are people saying?

Here are some of the wonderful endorsements I’ve had from my clients

“Donna Hillyer is a secret weapon that every writer should have. Donna’s work is meticulous, attentive and impressive. She organises, categorises, sorts, and catalogues the nitty gritty of novels, keeping track of characters and details and timelines and style sheets, so that the finished product is a seamless reading experience. I don’t know how she does it but I’m glad that she does because she makes my books so much better. She always has an eye on the reading experience too, which is invaluable. More than this, she manages to be both scrupulous and kind in every correction, always taking great care with the author’s feelings as well as their words. Quite simply, she is a lovely person to work with as well as utterly professional and exceptional at her job. I have learned a lot as a writer from Donna, particularly the invaluable skills of rigour, precision and attention to detail. I can’t recommend her highly enough!”

Edel Coffey, #1 Irish bestselling author, journalist and broadcaster

“Cheerful, calm, no-nonsense Donna: love her. She copy-edited my novel Imagine with the candour of a matron, the appetite of a wolf, and all the glee of a racehorse out of the gate. Her edit came back ahead of deadline, comprehensively marked, annotated with helpful suggestions and packed with extras. She gets right inside a story, and thinks outside the box. She’s neither bossy nor nit-picky. She nursed me through tech challenges. Her enthusiasm for my fiction was genuine, and my final draft sparkled with her fairy dust. I’m dancing my way through another novel, now, so that I can work with her again”

Lesley-Ann Jones – author & journalist

“It’s a scary prospect being editor-less, after you have relied on the support of the in-house copy-editing teams in the past. Donna’s fast and professional eagle-eye was immensely reassuring. Without making gratuitous changes, she pointed out errors and repetitions, and also offered useful high level suggestions. I would certainly recommend her work and will be back knocking on her door if I go the self-publishing route again”

David Michie, international bestselling author, of such titles as Hurry Up and Meditate and Buddhism for Busy People, as well as his popular novel series The Dalai Lama’s Cat

“Donna ensured my debut was in top shape before it went out to agents. She tailored a package exactly for my needs, and in addition to her flexibility, a keen eye, and a quick turn-around, she brought a wonderfully supportive element to our discussions. I would wholeheartedly recommend her to writers at all stages in the editing process”

Evie Dunmore, USA Today bestselling author of Bringing Down the Duke

“I’ve worked with Donna on both developmental and copy edits, and highly recommend her services. Donna has a great understanding of the genre, a tremendous drive to ensure a manuscript is polished and ready for publication, and is a fabulous sounding board for working through storylines”

Rachel Amphlett, USA Today bestselling crime fiction and espionage thriller author

“I have grown immensely as a writer under Donna’s attentive care. Not only do her edits capture basic errors, but also provide fundamental insight that has helped transform my manuscripts and hone my writing skills”

Reni K Amayo, author of The Return of the Earth Mother series

“As a London-based literary agency, we have the contacts to find the ideal freelance editor when one of our authors needs significant help and guidance. Donna Hillyer is best-in-class for such work. She combines an expert editorial eye with a deep knowledge of the publishing business and can be relied upon to coax the best work from a writer with grace and warmth”

Ivan Mulcahy – literary agent

“Donna is an exceptional editor and always gets the best out of every manuscript. Creative, professional, insightful and offering a nuanced approach tailored to every individual author and project, I never hesitate to recommend her”

Lucy Malagoni – Publishing Director, Sphere Fiction – Little, Brown Book Group (Hachette UK)

“Donna is an excellent editor. She’s conscientious, efficient, and clear in her communication. I’d happily recommend her to anyone looking for a copyeditor”

Alexandra Holmes, Editorial Manager, Bookouture

“Donna’s advice is incredibly valuable. She understands both the commercial and creative forces expertly and is able to guide manuscripts to reach their greatest potential. Working with her has been a great help”

Samar Hammam – literary agent, Rocking Chair Books

“It’s always a joy to work with Donna on projects and I never hesitate in recommending her. She’s a meticulous and thoughtful editor who is very thorough, always adding a much-needed final polish to manuscripts and is one of the best freelance editors around”

Katie Seaman, Senior Commissioning Editor, HQ/HarperCollins

“We’ve had the pleasure of working with Donna several times, and she always provides exceptionally detailed and comprehensive reports that identify key problems in our manuscripts along with practical advice for the author. Our books are rated highly across all platforms, in part, due to the thorough editorial service that Donna provides”

Onwe Press, publisher

“I’ve worked with Donna on a few freelance jobs and recommend her to anyone who’ll listen! She is a terrific structural and copy-editor – thorough, reliable and a pleasure to work with”

Dominic Wakeford – Commissioning Editor, Piatkus – Little, Brown Book Group (Hachette UK)

It’s always exciting getting a mention, too!

Thank you, lovely authors

❤️