TESTIMONIALS

MY TESTIMONIALS

Peace of mind...

“Red Pencil’s proofreading and suggested corrections of our website content gave us peace of mind. Leanne offers a professional, friendly, quick and affordable service.”

— Maria Gold, The Networkers

On time and on budget...

“Leanne came recommended to me when I needed a proofreader for my latest book. She worked with great care and delivered on time and on budget. I'm glad we had the opportunity to work together.”

— Bernadette Jiwa

Positive suggestions...

“After re-reading the same pages, again and again, I needed a fresh set of eyes. Leanne was very thoughtful and considered about my writing and her engaging professionalism ensured my work made sense, had clarity and was ready to be submitted

Leanne's enthusiasm for her work and positive suggestions to improve my written piece, ensured a better outcome. Leanne has a superb ability to tame the written word, and I am grateful for her skills.”

— Nick Kearney

A literary cleansing...

“Some consider me to be a grammar pedant, but my short story came back from Leanne with numerous grammar corrections and suggested changes.

And it feels oh so good to go through and tidy up all the mistakes and polish the story – like a literary cleansing if you will.”

— Stuart Lee

I highly recommend Leanne...

“I enlisted Leanne from Red Pencil to assist me with a copywriting project in February 2018. I found her work stellar and her rate reasonable. She was professional and delivered before the given deadline. If given the opportunity I would work with Leanne again. I highly recommend Leanne.”

— Roxanne Pienaar, Brand Guardian

I learned grammar along the way...

“A big thank you to Leanne Wickham for proofreading my website! I was amazed at how much the content could be improved and how important it is to get it right. Leanne sent a very helpful overview of her recommendations, which made it easy to correct the content myself. It saved me a lot of time and I now have peace of mind that my website content looks professional. And I learned a bit of proper grammar along the way.”

— Ellen, Balance Bookkeeping

An easy and pleasant person...

“Leanne Wickham proofread my book about my family history. She was very prompt with her quote and reasonably priced quote. Leanne delivered my proofread manuscript back to me well before her date she had quoted to me, which I very much appreciated, well laid out and easy to correct my mistakes. A very easy and pleasant person to be associated with.”

— Paul de Latour

Transformed my business documents...

“Leanne transformed my business documentation into professional ones. As English is not my first language, I am always reluctant with my writing. She is very friendly, helpful and very quick to respond to my request. Her professional skill will be worth adding to your documents. I can't recommend enough with my words! Thank you, Leanne.”

— Asami Wisjnuery, DAP Business Solutions

Leanne was extremely efficient...

“I wrote my book in 2018 and asked Leanne if she could do the initial proofread for me before I placed it in the hands of my publishers.

Leanne was extremely efficient, very reasonably priced, and overall great to work with. Her regular communication meant that I never had to wonder where she was at with the job she was doing for me.

Leanne is passionate about what she does and very much wants to help her clients achieve the best work they can.”

— Carol Chessum, Breakthrough Coaching

Excellent, skillful and responsive...

“Excellent, skilful, meticulous and responsive! Words that describe Leanne Wickham of Red Pencil to a tee and exactly what we want in a proofreader and copy editor. Her attention to detail and rapid turnaround ensures that the marketing content we generate for our clients is always accurate and grammatically correct.

Leanne has proofread and edited a wide range of copy for us including proposals, marketing plans, brand stories, social media plans, blogs and website content. Her proofreading and copy editing service is an absolute ‘must-have’ for our agency and one that I highly recommend.”

— Lee Retimana, Muritai Group

Leanne has a passion...

“Leanne has a passion for correct grammar and spelling. She keeps me on the straight and narrow in terms of ensuring my documentation is correct. I highly recommend her if you need proofreading or editing completed.”

— Craig, Chilli Consulting

A relief to have Leanne proofread...

“It’s such a relief to have Leanne proofread my work. As a dyslexic copywriter, I’m great with thinking up the words but not so great with the spelling. At least I know that someone professional has looked over my work before it goes to our clients.”

— Deb, Big Boy Websites

Worked to my very tight deadlines...

“Leanne was wonderful when I needed my book proofread. She worked to my very tight deadlines, understood my lack of ability with fancy technology, and of course fixed all my mistakes and 'not quite rights'.

I highly recommend Leanne and Red Pencil.”

— Juliette Capaldi, Etta Images Limited

I have Red Pencil to thank...

“I highly recommend Leanne from Red Pencil. You will get a good deal and your work will shine. In the words of a friend, who got the first read of my book, it was well written and very entertaining. I have Red Pencil to thank.

I cannot say more in my praise on how my book project was completed. I hope you give Red Pencil a call and see for yourself how your work will come out.

Thanks so much Leanne, I have been very impressed with your work which has made me look like a real writer.”

— Basil Martin

Focussed and constructive...

“Focused and constructive she always has a path and intention that she is working with/on. I have recommended her already to a number of people because I know that they can trust her—to recommend someone is something that is earned and I do not recommend easily.”

— Emm McCartney, New Zealand Home Loans

An invaluable extra member of our team...

“Leanne has become an invaluable extra member of our team, as an extra pair of expert eyes has helped us to increase our capacity by allowing team members to focus on other things. This is particularly helpful when we are juggling multiple comms deadlines and striving to deliver material to clients as early as possible. It’s very easy to work with Leanne as she will use whatever medium we require her to - word, pdf, google doc and direct through the proofing software we use. No matter how copy is delivered the output is always the same; clear concise marked up changes that are easy to follow and ultimately increase the quality of the copy before it is published. In short with Leanne on board we can get more done - she is flexible and professional and is a delight to work with and I would highly recommend her.”

— Joanna Roberts, Fisher Funds

Professional and skilled...

“Leanne recently edited a personal story for me. From the first contact, I found Leanne to be professional and skilled. Her willingness to spend time with me to understand what I required resulted in a document that kept the essence of my story and my voice. I was very pleased with the outcome.”

— Phillippa Russell

Will work with Leanne again in future...

“Leanne helped me with structural and copyediting for seven manuscripts that were written for children in 2021.

Six manuscripts were written as board books and one was written as a picture book. Two of them are fiction and the rest are non-fiction.

Leanne's service was very reasonably priced and delivered the edited manuscripts back to me on time. I easily corrected my mistakes according to Leanne's comments and suggestions. She also kindly responded to all my questions related to the edited versions of the manuscripts.

I will be working with Leanne again in the future.”

— Ferhan Can

So encouraging and helpful...

“So happy I found Red Pencil Ltd for developmental editing and book coaching on my first novel. It has been precisely what I needed. Leanne is so encouraging and helpful, I honestly can't believe how much hope it has given me to be able to move forward again with my writing.

I like being able to work with Leanne and to bounce ideas off her; her experience with the editing process has been invaluable. We meet every fortnight to discuss what is needed next, and we work together on a few chapters at a time, which works especially well for me.”

— Mandy D

Leanne has helped improve my confidence...

“Leanne from Red Pencil has been great. I have more confidence around my ability to negotiate knowing I am handing in a well written proofread document. Leanne has also me helped rephrase applications and documents in a way the generic spell check apps can’t. I would certainly recommend Leanne.”

— Aroha

Peace of mind for a perfectionist...

“Leanne does a great job editing my professional reports before they go to clients. She completes the editing very quickly. It gives me peace of mind to know that my work is properly edited before it goes out.

Being a perfectionist takes a lot of time. It is good to share the load with Leanne!”

— Anon

Leanne has helped improve my confidence...

“I hired Leanne Wickham to copy edit the manuscript for my novel. I was very impressed with Leanne’s attention to detail and she suggested changes that improved the quality of my work and helped me better tell my story.

When I was looking for an editor, I had several candidates from which to choose, but Leanne’s professionalism stood out from our first communication. I was impressed with Leanne’s willingness to provide brief progress reports as she worked toward the deadline, and she easily met the agreed upon deadline.

I appreciated it when Leanne went above and beyond her contractual obligations to explain some of the particulars of editing or publishing that guided me on this portion of my literary journey.”

— BW

Attention to detail, acute observations...

“Leanne improved my manuscript immensely with her attention to detail and acute observations on some matters needing correction and/or further research.

She met my expectations for a copy editor, particularly in her attention to detail regarding language translation and cultural matters pertaining to Māori.

I was pretty happy with the manuscript when I sent it to Leanne, but she returned a much-improved version that made the copyediting exercise a worthwhile investment.

I am working on my third book. I would have no hesitation in using Leanne’s services again in the future.”

— Alistair Carthew

Leanne has helped improve my confidence...

“Leanne has been a pleasure to work with. She works to a high standard, is super speedy and professional. I would highly recommend Leanne!”

— Lauren

Knowledgeable, supportive and patient...

“Leanne has been really helpful in the completion of my first novel. She has been knowledgeable, supportive and most importantly – patient.

Her editing support was invaluable and I can only recommend any first-time author to ensure that they invest both the time and money before they hit publish. Leanne has most definitely made my writing better and I am looking forward to working with her future projects. She has been a helping hand on my adventure and I can only recommend any potential writer to take every hand offered.

Leanne has been fantastic and I would recommend her to anyone.”

— Duncan Shore

Process was so straightforward and affordable...

“I have recently had Leanne Wickham professionally edit/review my newly published children's educational book called "JC The Bumble Bee with APD''. From the very first moment we spoke Leanne was extremely approachable, efficient, kind and professional! I absolutely loved her feedback and editing process. She made this essential element so straightforward and affordable. She fit me into her busy schedule and I was extremely appreciative of her service and the process from start to end.

If you need an editor I would highly recommend Leanne, a true pleasure to work with.”

— Natalie Bryan

I knew I'd chosen the right person to edit my book...

“Writing a book is a journey and often a very personal one (as in my case) as the genre is creative non-fiction. It is one thing to sit in the comfort of your office or lounge and write to your hearts content, thinking out loud and revising what you have just written. It is another to take your completed work to the next stage by finding an editor. This was a daunting task for me and as I scrolled through the lists, I kept coming back to the picture of Leanne Wickham at Red Pencil which resonated with me more than others.

When I initially telephoned Leanne Wickham from Red Pencil, I was very nervous, but she answered my questions in a warm and friendly professional manner and explained a little more about what was involved in the editing process. Leanne was clear and concise which made me feel comfortable enough to send her my manuscript for appraisal. A couple of days later she emailed me saying that she would love to edit my book. As a novice writer I felt instant validation regarding my work and was more than happy to wait until Leanne had space available to edit my book.

When the day came to meet Leanne, I felt nervous and excited at the same time. I was nervous because this was the next stage in my writing journey and someone else was going to read what I had written about myself and my life and there is a degree of vulnerability in that. I was also excited to meet Leanne and to get to know the person whom I had entrusted with my work. Instantly I felt at ease with Leanne, she was friendly and chatty, she asked questions and answered mine in a natural reassuring way. Leanne also talked a little about herself and her background and from this I could see that she has built up a solid foundation with her business including having repeat clients. This itself was a testimony for me that I had indeed chosen the right person to edit my book.

Leanne is a delight both personally and professionally and I am looking forward to working with her.”

— Sandra Robertson

Leanne has studied her craft and done her homework...

“When I decided to write a historical fiction novel, I took classes to learn the craft of writing and researched the time period of my story. When I began to look for an editor to make sure my manuscript's structure was on track, I wanted someone who had the same work ethic. That lead me to Leanne. She has studied her craft and done her homework. She has provided solid recommendations for my manuscript assessment, as well as copy editing. I am very pleased with her contributions and professionalism. I recommend her expertise to anyone who is serious about writing a quality story.”

— Debbie Draheim

Expert skills and personal dedication...

“We, a mother and daughter authoring team, entered the editing journey of our book with caution. It was important to us that we find someone that would take the same care and commitment in the process of editing that we took in the four years of writing.

Leanne was the perfect person to join our journey. She is passionate, efficient and purposeful in the work she does as an editor and proofreader.

Leanne is highly recommended to any author who cares deeply for their work and is seeking someone that can fine tune meaning and grammar using expert skills and personal dedication.”

— Lorraine and Ashley Taylor

Helped achieve a very tight deadline...

“I found Leanne through a good old Google search when I was in a spot of bother with my new cookbook. The editor I had commissioned to work on this cookbook went completely MIA and with a tight printing deadline looming to say I was stressed was an understatement.

When I phoned Leanne she was nothing but understanding and had a very clear pricing structure. More importantly she was willing to help me achieve this very tight deadline. For those in the industry of publishing you will know that tight deadlines are the only deadlines and having someone who gets this can be a deal breaker.

I could not have finished my cookbook without Leanne’s outstanding work and I will be forever grateful for this and look forward to us working together again in the future. I could not recommend her enough.”

— Julie Bhosale

Fine touch massaged book to its final form...

“To my editor: Leanne Wickham of Red Pencil (www.inredpencil.co.nz), thanks for your fine touch, comments and suggestions that have massaged this book into its final form.”

— Philip Owens

Valuable input and professionalism...

“I asked Leanne Wickham of Red Pencil to proofread the second book in a series I had written. Her attention to detail and sorting our rogue sentences was amazing. As a writer, it helped me distil my writing to lead the reader in the right direction or misdirect them depending on what I wanted to achieve. The book Revelation would not have been nearly as good without her valuable input and professionalism, and certainly wouldn’t have been ready for publication.”

— Mark Innes-Jones