“I’ve been writing for 20 years with myself as my best/worst critic and that’s too small an office pool to expand my writing skills by leaps and bounds. The ideas that have been bumbling through my head needed a shake-up and it was an absolute pleasure to work with Mark. His detailed inline comments and big-picture insights stimulated new pathways in my writer’s mind, and championed the imaginative associations, flights of fancy, and humor that are important to me.”

Rebekah ModrakProfessor, School of Art & Design, University of Michigan

“Engaging Mark Dery was the best decision I ever made. His expertise will take your writing to a level you never imagined it could go.”

Tonya HurleyNew York Times and international bestselling author and screenwriter

“Mark Dery’s incisive and insightful edits were not only helpful to the project at hand but also to my writing in general. I finally got the feedback that I desperately needed to move forward.”

Roy ChristopherAuthor of Dead Precedents: How Hip-Hop Defines the Future, editor of Boogie Down Predictions: Hip-Hop, Time, and Afrofuturism

“If someone tells you to ‘kill your darlings,’ you might be inclined to run. But if it’s Mark Dery, you should grab the ax and cut the drivel from your book. Through Mark’s insightful edits, I developed a sharper focus. A publisher wrote, ‘I am pleased to say that we find [your manuscript] to be of considerable merit and believe it would appeal to the reading public.’ Mark Dery, I couldn’t have done it without you!”

Judith Quinn PalmerAuthor of the memoir, Unsafe at Any Altitude

“Mark Dery went through my film/animation screenplay with a fine-toothed critical comb for details, an aesthetic eye for literary tone and grammar, and on a macro level offered suggestions for streamlining, structural changes, and big picture concept. It was a pleasure and an inspiration working with him.”

Jonathan RosenPainter, illustrator, animator, professor at The School of Visual Arts

“I have been an admirer of Mark Dery’s sharp, witty prose for almost three decades. When I had the chance to work with him, I was astonished by his formidable knowledge of grammar and style. His constructive criticism and editorial suggestions were honest, generous—and brilliant.”

Naief YehyaCultural critic, author of Drone Visions: A Brief Cyberpunk History of Killing Machines

“Mark Dery’s precise edits and keen insights helped me reconceive and revise my book proposal. His suggestions were detailed yet encouraging. I couldn’t have done it without him.”

Gerald McCarthyPoet, author of the forthcoming memoir Vet, Interrupted

“I would recommend Mark Dery’s manuscript critique and writing coaching to anyone, particularly inexperienced writers of nonfiction who may not have worked with an editor before. I really appreciate how much time and energy he put into my memoir-in-progress. He did a masterful job of cutting material that slows down the narrative, and his editorial comments gave me a surge of intellectual and compositional adrenalin.”

Eric NewhallProfessor Emeritus in English, Occidental College, author of the forthcoming memoir, Easy Time

“I am going through your comments and am learning a LOT. Your critique is incredibly helpful!”

Ben NeillComposer, performer, professor of music