Testimonials
What writers who’ve worked with Black Cardigan Edit on their books say…
“Carrie Frye recently took me all the way from book contract to manuscript completion, and in doing so, turned a doubt-heavy, tricky situation—producing a book’s worth of new essays in less than a year and a half, without dropping the ball on a writing job—into one of the most rewarding and deeply pleasurable stretches of my life. Anyone who’s ever worked with Carrie knows that her abilities as an editor (her startling grace, the generosity of her attention, the depth of her insight) are basically supernatural: it wasn’t so much that I needed the regular, meticulous guidance of a magazine-style editor who I’d rather die than let down (though obviously I did need that!) as much as I felt that it was a miracle that the legendary Carrie Frye runs a book editing service, and that if it was possible to hire her, I absolutely should. I owe Black Cardigan Edit my hitch-free (and honestly thrilling) experience with getting this thing finished, and I couldn’t have written the book I did without her.”
Jia Tolentino, author of Trick Mirror
“CAAF is an enormously talented, insightful editor, and her work is exactly what my book manuscript needed. She completely understood what I wanted to do with the book and knew what changes needed to happen to make it so.
She shaped the overall structure of the book and individual lines that needed attention. I knew that I needed more details in some places, but I wasn’t sure which places. And I knew that some things needed to be cut, but I didn’t know which things. But she knew. She knew all of those things. She knew which parts of the story needed shoring up and which parts slowed things down. She also recommended I write a few new sections that added important dimension and texture to the book and supported my original ideas beautifully.
She’s equal parts encouraging and instructive, and I knew my manuscript was in good hands every step of the way. I feel so lucky that I got to work with her, and I can’t possibly say enough good things about her and her work.”
Susan Blue, author of the memoir The Soul Bone
“By the time I wrote to Carrie, I felt totally sapped of energy for my novel, and I just wanted to be done. In talking through its particular knots with her, I found new energy to rethink and rewrite—from trouble sections that had plagued me for years to unexamined bits that needed and deserved a shining up. Carrie helped me wrangle my sprawling mess into a navigable landscape, and the novel on the page finally matched the novel in my mind.”
Rebecca Scherm, author of Unbecoming and Beta
“I’m so glad I approached Carrie for help with book proofing. Late in the process, when I couldn’t see the pages fresh anymore, she scoured the book with great patience and a discerning eye. I’d work with her again in a second.”
Jason Fagone, author of The Woman Who Smashed Codes
“I’ve made a living as a writer for many years and, prior to working with Carrie, had never before hired a professional editor to augment the editorial relationships built into my contracted work. But, having finished drafting a manuscript with a high-stakes timeline, I wanted it to be as clean as possible before handing it to my publisher. I was creatively exhausted, in need of a deeply intuitive reader to look for big-picture issues and a master of details, rolled into one. Carrie was impeccable on both counts, and her comments were both spot-on and delightful. There is no one else I would have commissioned to help me over the finish line with a project so dear to me.”
an author who was delivering a book to a major New York publishing house
“There is nothing quite as nerve-wracking as submitting a first draft of a manuscript for feedback, but Carrie instilled a sense of trust from our very first conversation. So what started out for me as faintly terrifying soon became delightful and beyond edifying. There is so much warmth and empathy in her editing style, especially in how she identifies what needs work and provides guidance for improvement. As I revise (and revise and revise), her insightful feedback has been a constant touchstone, and I learn something new each time I return to her notes. I have learned so much from her—not just to be a better writer, but also to be a better editor of my own work. I wish every aspiring author had the experience of working with Carrie.”
a writer currently in revision of her novel-in-progress
“Having my book copyedited by Carrie was as pleasant an experience as I could ever ask for in a collaborator. Her edits, timely and crystal clear, were extremely valuable to a project that was close to my heart.”
Matt Lubchansky, author of the comics collection Please Listen To Me, Volume I
“Throughout the editing process Carrie’s gentle, encouraging, but firm hand guided me to finishing an unpolished novel. Her additions and edits were so seamless that I didn’t always notice the specific edits, but the book was richer for them. Carrie’s ability to fully understand both the characters and the plot meant that she could inform me of missing story lines that were needed. If you have a novel that you are unable to edit anymore, I couldn’t recommend Black Cardigan enough—she gave me the confidence to start a second novel and begin the process to try to sell the first one.”
Christina Foster, author of the novel Six Impossible Things
More praise from writers…
“… a veritable Galadriel among editors…”
Maria Bustillos, from her essay “In Praise Of Editors, Or In This Case, Editor”
“Used to be you couldn’t buy editing as good as CAAF’s. Now you can.”
“Finding an editor is easy. Finding a thoughtful and patient editor who is eager to help you produce your best work in your own voice is hard. Carrie is that second kind of editor. Everything I’ve sent her to edit was better for her having seen it.”
“Carrie has an editorial demeanor that, so far as I know, is singular. We invariably produced our best work under her direction. But it was, to this day, somewhat inexplicable. Her nudges were always correct, but always so gentle, that you could be fooled into thinking you’d done all the work yourself.”
“Have you missed Carrie Frye’s gentle, inspired, transformative editing? We’re in luck! She’s available.”
“Carrie is a deep and careful editor, patient with her writers and willing to help them learn about structure. That’s increasingly rare anywhere else, even at the fanciest magazines and publishing houses out there. You will be a better writer for having met her.”
“Hands down the best editor on the internet. And I say that as an academic. Carrie taught me that writing is rewriting. Carrie’s careful guidance also pays dividends; you’ll carry what you learn from an experience editing with her forever. If you are a writer who wants to find your best you, start (and end!) with CAAF.”