Testimonials

Clear, honest feedback from authors across science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal romance

I’m grateful to work with authors who are passionate about their stories and committed to their craft. The feedback below reflects real experiences from clients across science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal romance—each testimonial shared with permission.

Epic Fantasy & High Fantasy

V. Rud

Epic Fantasy (200k+ words) “Sue was a beta reader for my epic fantasy MS (over 200k words). It was truly a pleasure to work with her. Never before had I received such detailed and comprehensive feedback. She was quick and responsive in her communication, and her feedback clear and well thought out. For my MS, she gave me very constructive and valuable feedback within each chapter, and a well‑documented summary for the book as a whole. Obviously well versed in fantasy, she helped me immensely in navigating and avoiding some of the common pitfalls inherent to the genre as well as pointing out the strengths and weaknesses for the MS. I especially enjoyed the little personal touches that she included such as her feelings (and POV) as a reader, plot issues, and explaining potential problem areas (too wordy, too slow in development, character issues, plot holes, etc.). She clearly put a lot of time and work into providing helpful feedback and I would definitely recommend her services. Afterwards, I could only send the reply, ‘this is obviously not in my best interest, but you charge far too little for the services you provide.’”

Elijah

Fantasy (145k words) “This past month, Sue helped me parse my 145k fantasy novel. The book is a massive project, but she paid close attention to details and asked insightful questions about character motivation, magical consistency, and plot logic. I was able to see where I needed to be clearer to ensure the reader kept track of many moving elements. In addition, Sue was kind, quick with her turnaround, and accommodating when it came to questions I had about her commentary. I can’t recommend her work enough.”

J.N. Bedout

Fantasy “I first learned about Sue’s services from a post in Goodreads. When I first engaged her, she offered a free first chapter evaluation. The feedback I got from that alone was immensely helpful. The resulting feedback returned in the form of two things: a general report, and specific in‑line comments in the manuscript. The general report was an excellent means of seeing how she perceived the story. Regarding the in‑line comments, they numbered 136 and produced 941 actionable tasks for me to address, covering difficult passages, confusion regarding events, plot holes in the form of details I overlooked or never considered, word choice, and POV mishaps. Some chapters lost words, others gained, with the average net gain per chapter being around +267 words, and the largest single chapter gain being in the 2–3k word range. She exposed tendencies I was not aware of—another huge takeaway. Communications with her were fantastic, and she was always quick to reply. She not only delivered on what she promised, but went above and beyond my expectations. The end result is a book that is better and more polished than before. I highly recommend her services.”

Jaime Urencio

Fantasy “Working with Sue has been a very positive experience. From our first interaction Sue was responsive and professional, always clear about timelines and deliverables. Sue has a sharp eye for details and inconsistencies that may pass overlooked by the average reader. She will normally bring attention to these points by asking a question which suddenly uncovers a disconnect in the elements of the setting or the way the characters interact. Other times she will highlight the specific parts of the manuscript that require a reassessment. Beyond Sue’s ability to identify errors and improvement opportunities, I found Sue particularly good at describing the things that did work for her as a reader. Often betas focus too much on the development points, leaving the writer clueless about which elements of the story helped in building a connection with the characters or maintaining the tension and flow. Overall it has been a pleasure working with Sue and I would recommend her to anyone looking for an experienced beta reader.”

S.R. Masterson

Fantasy “After making significant changes to my first chapter, I needed another set of eyes to read it over with a fresh perspective. Sue’s comments were insightful and helped me spot something that I hadn’t thought of. She left comments in the manuscript and also wrote up a detailed reader report, which identified plot holes and logic, flow/tension, POV, continuity/consistency, main character, and more. I found this super helpful.”

Science Fiction & Space Opera

John Hundley

Space Opera “I just finished working with Sue for the first time, and it won’t be the last. She went above and beyond with her insightful comments in the draft I sent her, and her summary was spot on. Scheduling was easy and the turnaround was quick. There was good, timely communication throughout the process. I highly recommend her services.”

“I contracted with Sue McKerns for both beta and proofreading for my first‑in‑series space opera. She delivered with meticulous professional integrity. McKerns’ services are the best value I’ve found my entire writing career. She goes above and beyond.”

Shifter space opera, urban fantasy, epic fantasy, military sci‑fi “Sue McKerns has become an essential step in my writing and publishing process and a key ingredient in the success of the Spaceship Huey Adventures. Her insights and attention to detail have helped me develop my craft, and she always gets the job done on time. I can’t imagine completing my next project without her.”

Patrick G. Cox

Sci‑Fi / Fantasy “Just working through the critique and assessment of my latest book received from Sue this week! It’s just what I needed to tighten up the story and cut the fluff out of it. Exactly what I needed—Sue, you’re a marvel.”

Space opera, military sci‑fi, alien worlds, mystery “Working with Sue McKerns has been a real pleasure. Having gone over the sample chapters I submitted for her initial assessment, she responded with a clear proposal for a copyedit of the full manuscript. This included looking at spelling, punctuation and grammar — the latter especially useful to this author. The grammar element covers tenses, homophones, sentence structure and word use, all very helpful in making a story readable and enjoyable. Equally helpful is having her overview of the characters and their development in the narrative. A new — and to me very useful — aspect is her use of style sheets that focus attention on the specifics of writing. These are great for identifying issues with timelines, characters and places. The returned manuscript was accompanied by an editorial letter which set out clearly specific areas that needed further development or change. It also addressed issues with points of view between the narrator and the character which I find very useful. From my perspective, Ms. McKerns’ clear style sheets, comments and changes within my manuscript, her suggestions regarding formatting, and the accompanying detailed critiques have been marvellous. I will be making use of her services in future and have no hesitation in commending her services to any author looking for a thoroughly professional editing service.”

Eric N. Lard

Space opera, military sci‑fi, alien invasion, science fantasy “Sue McKerns has either beta read or provided developmental editing on several of my stories (one in print and two in queue for production). Her insight, attention to detail, outstanding communication, and compassionate correction have been invaluable to me, and a big part of my success as an author. I enthusiastically endorse her work and would recommend her to anyone looking to get an honest and fair assessment of their writing with actionable input on how to improve it significantly. Sue’s the best!”

G.L. Cramb

Sci‑Fi / Fantasy Series “Wow! I couldn’t be more delighted I found Sue to beta read my second‑in‑the‑series novel. I handed her a fifty‑pound sack of words (154,000 of them), and she handed me back a wonderfully concise, very diplomatic ‘I’ll tell you what you need to hear’ report in a very timely, ahead‑of‑schedule turnaround. It is clear to me she read every word of it. She picked up on even the more subtle references. Sue is great to work with. She responds quickly and I could tell she took an interest in my novel. Her comments were on‑point and I had to laugh out loud at some of them. Her diplomacy nonetheless drove home the points she wanted to get across. It was clear she wanted to help make my work the best it could be.”

Thomas

Science Fiction “Sue was very pleasant to work with, always kept me up‑to‑date on how things were going and provided me with a detailed report on the promised date. She noticed everything from small details to broader themes and offered helpful suggestions for improvement and fixes. I would be happy to work with Sue again in the future.”

Paranormal Romance & Omegaverse

H.G. Birde

Dark Fantasy / Paranormal Romance “Sue is an absolute pleasure to work with! I used her beta reading services for my upcoming dark fantasy novel, and it was a great experience. She is meticulous, thorough, and highly professional—she’ll highlight what is working as well as what needs more work, and she’s not disparaging with her comments. I never got the sense that she wanted to turn my story into something else but rather help it become the best version of itself. On top of this, from our conversations, I could tell that she is passionate about her work and genuinely enjoys reading critically and working with her clients. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for an experienced beta reader who will give you in‑depth feedback.”

“Sue is everything I look for in an editor. I worked with her on my blurb for an upcoming novel and, though the blurb was short, she put a great deal of thought into her feedback. I can very much tell that Sue cares greatly about her work and desires to make your writing the best it can be for you—rather than turn it into somebody else’s. I would 100% recommend her.”

Katherine St. Vincent

Omegaverse, paranormal romance, erotic fantasy “Susan McKerns is a pleasure to work with. She has been editing and proofreading my Omegaverse Series for a while, and I have learned a lot from her expertise. I’m grateful to have her in my corner and on my team. She is always professional and, most importantly, respectful of my style and voice.”

Nicole Bible

Sci‑Fi / Fantasy Romance “I had the pleasure of working with Susan on my novel. One of the reasons I opted for Susan was because she mentioned that she wasn’t going to tell me what I wanted to hear but what I needed to hear. Although Susan saw some issues in my manuscript that she brought to light, she did it in an appropriate and respectful way. Nothing she said made me feel bad or belittled as a writer. I could tell Susan read everything with a keen eye. She caught a lot, if not all, of the hints I dropped. I appreciated all of her compliments and equally her pointing out my potential plot holes and issues readers may have. Susan was always quick to respond, answered all of my questions, and gave me lots of valuable feedback. I highly recommend using her as a beta reader and exploring the other services she offers.”

“Fun + thorough + will tell you like it is with kindness and respect = the perfect beta.”

Jocelyn Montana

Omegaverse / Paranormal Romance “I was looking for a beta reader to read my manuscript, gauge response to the themes I was exploring, and provide reaction to my characters and my world about halfway through writing my book. As a new writer to omegaverse (a paranormal romance subgenre) there are specific dynamics in this genre and I wanted to make sure my book was going to meet expectations. I received all that and much, much more when I worked with Sue. She provided comments in the margins of my manuscript that provided immediate reader reaction (which as a writer is exactly what I wanted to know), questions, and thoughtful feedback. In addition, Sue provides a report on the manuscript with her overall feelings and impressions and specific responses to questions. Her report was detailed and gave me great direction to get to the next step in my book. She told me when she would be able to work on the manuscript and when she would get it back to me and met all the timelines she outlined. Additionally, I followed up with Sue on some ideas that I had later based on her feedback and she wrote me back promptly and was willing to be a soundboard as I worked through some of the questions she raised. This was invaluable to me as I explored how to develop the book. I highly recommend working with Sue who is professional, expedient, and will be able to help you get your book to the next level!”

Rebecca Twilley

Paranormal Romance / Mate Hunt “Sue was great at pointing out problems both big and small and was excellent at communicating with me. She was especially helpful with description details and her comments about believability issues, logic and plot holes were great. Overall, she was an amazing beta reader and gave me really good feedback to use in my next draft. ~ Rebecca Twilley (my pen name), author of Mate Hunt”

Paranormal Romance “Sue just proofread my novel for me and she did a fantastic job. She’s very professional and is always willing to go the extra mile to make sure she does it right. If you have a question, she’ll answer it right away and makes you feel like your manuscript is important to her. It was great working with her and I would do it again.”

Short Stories & Novellas

Roxanna Cross

“I was looking for a beta reader for a short story on a deadline, and Sue volunteered to read it. I was impressed by her quick turnaround and the completed detailed worksheet of the breakdown of my work. She provided feedback on the hook, plot holes, logic, flow, tension, point of view, continuity and consistency, characters from the main to the secondary, and pinpointed aspects other readers had not picked up on. Sue also provided feedback on believability, info dumps, complex scenes, ending, overused or repeated words, trigger warnings, and of course, she gave her overhaul final thoughts. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better beta reader on such short notice.”

Ruby Pine

“Sue was wonderful to work with. She was very efficient and detailed. I received a thorough report back from her that helped me improve my story greatly. I would enjoy working with her again.”

HJ

“I asked Sue for a review [beta read] of a short story I was looking to submit quickly. She provided my story back with notes in the margins, noting questions and feedback, and a professional report that gave me all the immediate information I needed to polish my work for my submittal. The turnaround was completely way before she said she’d get it back to me. It contained great insight about how she connected to the story and the characters. I highly recommend Sue as a beta reader to get you clear, honest feedback on your work.”

Aveda Vice

“I have not used a beta reader that I didn’t know previously, but Sue made it a very enjoyable experience! They gave me feedback well before the deadline in a short, professional report and answered the questions I had posed in my instructions. Not only were the comments helpful, but Sue also gave plenty of praise in addition to the suggestions. I would definitely work with Sue again if given the opportunity.”

General Praise & Professionalism

Helen G. Huntley

“I have worked with Sue on various numbers of books of different genres and she is always honest, professional and friendly. I would highly recommend her to anyone needing a good beta reader who not only cares but knows what she is doing.” www.authorhelenhuntley.com

Brad Thomas

“Sue provided everything I was looking for out of a beta reader. She wrote me a beta report of all the things that work in the story and could be improved upon, and did something very important, which was separate her own thoughts from what she thought general audiences might enjoy, which gave me great perspective. Additionally, she addressed my specific concerns that I’d asked her to cover, and I could tell she wasn’t just filling in sections—her criticisms and advice were genuine and well thought out. In addition to this report, she also went through my document and added in‑line comments on particular lines, paragraphs, and chapters. This took me from generality to specific, and helped me see exactly where I could improve. I’d highly recommend Sue as a beta reader.”

K. Forsyth

“To whom it may concern, I have nothing but good things to say about Sue. From promptly reading my manuscript, to offering insightful feedback on my synopsis, she is one of the best at what she does. When she first offered her service to me, she mentioned that she was looking for something different. It gave me pause because I was unsure of what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. She read my manuscript within the following days and responded with much more information than I had anticipated. She pointed out the discrepancies between characters, differing points of view, and even offered suggestions on how to change it. She also pointed out that I still needed to have another look at my grammar and spelling, reminding me that no one is perfect at proofreading. That being said, she did so in a very constructive way. A true professional to work with, I would recommend her above many others, and she would remain my go‑to for any help I may need in the future. Anyone looking for criticism, suggestions, or just a quick peruse would be foolish to overlook the professional guidance of Sue. K. Forsyth, Author”

Alex Austin

“I had Susan P. McKerns beta read my new novel. She caught typos, poor word choices and inconsistencies that other readers had missed. She’s fast, enthusiastic and discerning. I highly recommend Susan’s services. —Alex Austin, author of Nakamura Reality, published by The Permanent Press, 2016 (Nakamura Reality received a Publishers Weekly starred review which described it as ‘powerful and moving.’)”

Sarah J. Primrose

“Sue my beta reader was exceptionally professional in her reading, feedback and reports. Her observation and keen eye to detail gave me inspiration and direction towards the changes I wanted to make to improve the story, characters and plot. I would highly recommend her to any and all writers I come across in the future with absolute confidence. She is an asset to any writer who also worked well as part of a team, seamlessly navigating between a UK writer and an American editor. Sue allowed me to view my manuscript from the reader’s perspective which gave me valuable insight into what I wanted to deliver to the eventual mass reader. I can safely say that we will be working together in the near future. Author – Sarah J. Primrose”