Cathie Bucci copy-edited the manuscript for my second novel, Exit 8. She was thorough, professional, and delivered her work on time. Her grammar and punctuation corrections were right-on, but more importantly, she was flexible and came to understand what I was trying to accomplish, and worked well with some of the unconventional ways I chose to tell the story. In addition, she made one suggestion for a re-write of a key scene that significantly improved the flow of that chapter. I highly recommend Cathie, and will work with her on my next novel (if I ever get the manuscript finished!).

"Cathie did an outstanding job editing the manuscript of my memoir. She not only cleaned it up, brought order and coherence to it, but more importantly, she made the kinds of suggestions that made me rethink and ultimately rewrite large sections of it."

"I was introduced to Cathie through a mutual friend. My debut short-story had recently been published by Level Best Books in an anthology entitled Windward. Through that process, I became very aware that punctuation was not my strong suit. I needed help.

What I expected was a reading of my work and corrections made to errant commas and typographical errors. I got that and more. Cathie provided me with insight and advice beyond anything I had imagined, sometimes suggesting re-writes that were far better than what I had originally scribed.

She has reviewed three of my short-stories, one of which was a 2nd place winner of a competition, and did so in an amazingly short turn-around time. I find Cathie’s critiques of my work thoughtful, concise and timely. I am happy to recommend her editing services to any of my writing friends."

"I asked Cathie for honest feedback and that’s what I got. We first met at a “Gather” sponsored by the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance and hit it off right away. I wanted her help after expanding a 55,000-word memoir I had thought was complete to 85,000 words. Stuck on how best to make it all fit together, I needed a fresh pair of eyes and a disinterested review. Within a month I got the structural advice I sought and more for a reasonable fee.

Cathie also pointed out redundancies and made suggestions throughout the text. When twice I asked for a sit-down, she made herself available. Soon I will ask her to scrutinize a 35-page book proposal I’ll be shopping around. If that’s successful, I’ll use her for a close edit on the entire manuscript with full confidence she’ll do a bang-up job in a timely fashion.

I’m very pleased with our work together and will continue to seek her help on future projects."

Cathie Bucci with Red Pen Editorial helped me with a near impossible fiction project. She’s a fine editor and an insightful reader offering solid structural and copy notes on my rough and ragged material; now in way better shape than when she first considered the masochistic torture of reading it.

When you lay down as much rubbish as this scribe does, nerves are eased when finding an editor who is not easily offended or disgusted by steaming piles of stereotypical dead ends. Cathie is direct, honest, and a talented-with-the-craft kinda coach. Cheers to Cathie – a totally rad editor and reader, who lost a week of her life bearing the punishment of my material. She’s also a damn good writer.

"I have worked with a number of editors over the years but none better than Cathie Bucci. Her skills go way beyond correction, condensation and organization. Her sensitivity to the continuity of plot, and the need for enhancing conversation with description and action is remarkable. Her recall of the earlier events in the book was better than my own. Strange to say, but true. I couldn’t have finished this book without her help. She was there when my characters needed her. She was there when I needed her. She will be there when you need her thoughtful, professional, and generous attention to your manuscript."

"A good editor can help elevate a writer’s work to the next level by identifying when more dialogue is needed, or more description or clarity. A good editor can identify a writer’s strengths and weaknesses and help to maximize the strengths and minimize or eliminate the weaknesses. A good editor points out those things you are sometimes too involved to see, words and phrases used repeatedly, weak analogies, and repetitious themes and story lines. Cathie does all of the above, as well as provide the traditional services you would expect in copyediting and proofreading and other services as needed.

What Cathie also brings to the table [she’ll be editing this later] is a reader’s sensibility and insight about where the storyline is weak or confusing or needs a significant change, or what characters are really good and can be further developed,  and even if she thinks a significant plot change is needed.  Those additional skills are what separate a good editor from a great editor. Cathie is never heavy-handed and always respectful of maintaining an author’s voice and style. While you won’t always agree to every change or suggestion, you will find that the majority of her recommendations will help you improve your work and prepare it for publication."  

"Cathie worked as my editorial assistant for many months at Atlantic Publishing Group, LLC.

Cathie was one of the few assistants I have had that can be trusted to take complete control of a project. The publishing industry is certainly fast-paced, and Atlantic Publishing is known for a fast turnover rate and a high book production with few staff members. The pressure was high, and I often relied on Cathie to meet deadlines as well as the high expectations of the publisher.

Ms. Bucci took swift control of each and every project, delivering it back to me at near perfection every time. I quickly grew fond of her, and I even asked her to train incoming staff members for me. I always knew that she would do things correctly — every time — even if it took longer or was less than ideal (from a production standpoint) to do so.

I never worried about giving Cathie strict deadlines or even follow-up reminders as she turned things back to me in the blink of an eye.

I know few editors who work with such a creative eye, mindful of the narrator’s voice and style, yet still very aware of the structure and grammatical rules of great writing.

I simply cannot express enough how fabulous Ms. Bucci is, and I truly give her my highest recommendation."

"Cathie is an excellent editor. Her body of work and skills with proofreading and editing have helped me to review my own work and have opened my eyes to better correct my manuscript. She took her time and was very honest with me from the start. I hired her because of this reason. Her skills in research make her extremely easy to work with and I hope to work with her in the future."