Realise the full potential of your story

Your manuscript deserves the support, guidance and careful attention to detail only a professional can provide.

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Explore Our Services

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Manuscript Assessments

Looking at the big picture

Our manuscript assessments provide the lens that will help guide you through the next stages of development, whether you have a full draft, or a partial manuscript.

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Editing

Shaping your work

We offer all levels of editing: structural editing (deep analysis of the big picture), copyediting (finessing at the line level) and proofreading (the final tidy up).

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Mentoring and Consultations

Reaching your destination

Working with an industry professional allows you the opportunity to discuss your ideas, explore options, consider potential issues and pose questions.

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Workshops and Courses

Growing as a writer

Invigorate your writing practice and learn new tips, tools and strategies, as well as gain inspiration and support. Laurel Cohn presents workshops and courses in person and online.

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About Us

Laurel Cohn and her team of experienced editors are passionate about communication and the power of words to engage, inspire and challenge.

We help aspiring and published authors from all over the world realise their writing goals. We work with fiction and non-fiction manuscripts, including works for children, and short-form writing (essays, short stories, novellas).

What our authors say

‘Laurel’s assessment of the first 12,000 or so words of my manuscript was extremely helpful. She has an impressive knack of asking the right questions to help zero in on the heart of a story. This illuminated the path for me in my next draft, as I undertook the difficult task of carving away unnecessary detail or distractions in what was, at that time, an unwieldy 200,000 words. Our early collaboration helped me to submit a polished 50-page excerpt to my publisher of choice, resulting in a contract more quickly than I might have dared to hope.’

Kyra Geddes
The Story Thief
(Affirm Press)
Manuscript assessment and mentoring

‘I took Laurel’s The Next Draft course through Byron Writers Festival. She is a thorough and thoughtful teacher and helped me to look at my story structure from big picture to chapter structure, down to the minutia of sentence structure. I left her course with a sense of how to bring the disparate pieces of my story together so that it was cohesive and drove my story forward. It was a real turning point for me in understanding how to bring my manuscript alive. Thank you Laurel!’

Maggie Walters
Split
(Blue Gum Publishing)
Course
Ten Thousand Aftershocks by Michelle Tom

‘Thank you so much for your help with the early part of my manuscript. I didn’t know quite what I expected of a manuscript assessment but you have given me a solid plan of attack, a great deal to think about and enough positivity to keep my spirits up. I carried your report with me through the development process, and it was important to me not only for what was contained within it, but as evidence that someone other than me really understood what I was trying to achieve.’

Michelle Tom
Ten Thousand Aftershocks
(HarperCollins)
Manuscript assessment
Brave but Sheila Vijeyarasara

‘The process with Laurel was truly exceptional. She took me from a writer who had training wheels on, to a writer who had confidence in her voice and her story. I could not have secured a publishing deal without Laurel. She helped me to write a tight, well narrated and strong manuscript. She held my hand closely through the whole editing process. I am indebted to her forever!’

Sheila Vijeyarasa
Brave: Courageously Live Your Truth
(Rockpool Publishing)
Mentoring and manuscript assessment
Craig Semple, one of Laurel Cohn's clients

‘I wanted to say a big thank you for your help and guidance in helping me get my work to a point where it got the attention of a publisher. I signed a two book contract and my first book has now been released. Madeline taught me so much with her objective, critical advice and also her encouragement in helping me believe my work had merit.’

Craig Semple
The Cop Who Fell to Earth
(Echo Publishing)
Manuscript assessment
Therese-Spruhan-The-Memory-Pool

‘I wanted to say thank you for your input to eventually getting a publisher and the crucial part your course on Nailing Your Pitch was to that. It was in that course that I realised I needed to hone my theme and the focus of the book to childhood memories of a pool and was when I came up with the title The Memory Pool. So thank you very much, Laurel!’

Therese Spruhan
The Memory Pool
(New South Publishing)
Workshop
Salt Rain by Sarah Armstrong

‘Laurel’s assessment of my manuscript was detailed and insightful. She not only addressed technical matters such as structure and plot, but was able to provide an overview of themes and character development in a way that was very helpful, even in the later edits for publication. I was so close to my manuscript that I had lost perspective and Laurel’s report offered me a clear idea of what I needed to do before submitting it to an agent, while also confirming what was working in the manuscript.’

Sarah Armstrong
Salt Rain
(Allen & Unwin) Shortlisted Dobbie and Miles Franklin Awards
Manuscript assessment
She Down There by Lynton Francois Burger

‘Laurel, your initial assessment of my manuscript was thorough, insightful and structured in such a way that I could immediately get to work with taking it to the next level. You are a passionate and engaging teacher, a consummate professional with a depth of experience across genres. I am indebted to you for your significant contribution, seminal really, to my growth as a writer! You will forever be my first master.’

Lynton Burger
She Down There
(Penguin Random House South Africa)
Manuscript assessment
My Year without Matches by Claire Dunn

‘After struggling to complete my first draft I was lucky enough to be recommended to Laurel. Her astute editorial assistance helped build strong structural bones and a clear narrative arc. Laurel clearly understood the challenges and opportunities of memoir and helped me to see where I lost and found my voice. Her support and encouragement extended far beyond the job description and was chicken soup for this writer’s soul.’

Claire Dunn 
My Year Without Matches
(Black Inc)
Manuscript assessment
Dead Money by Srinath Adiga

‘I’ve found a publisher for my book! It’s been a bit of a journey and I’d like to thank you for being with me on it. Publishing as you know is a very subjective business. Your feedback made me believe in the concept and take it to the next level. I couldn’t have got here without your help. So big thank you!’

Srinath Adiga
Dead Money
(Central Avenue Publishing)
Manuscript assessment
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Our authors have been published by...

4th Estate
Allen & Unwin
Australian Scholarly Publishing
Bantam

Black Inc
Brolga Publishing
Central Avenue Publishing (Canada)
Cilento Publishing

HarperCollins
New World Library (US)
NewSouth Publishing
Penguin Random House

Penguin (South Africa)
Rockpool Publishing
Scribe
Transit Lounge Publishing

Coming up

Proud to work with...

Queensland Writers Centre logo
The Art of Writing logo
Writers Victoria logo
Byron Writers Festival Logo
Writing NSW logo

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