Deborah Douglas, Foot Soldiers: Stories from the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk

Throughout this project you were steady and professional and, most of all, highly skilled. Thank you for turning a sow’s ear into what I believe is a beautiful silk purse.

Meline at GreatSchools Inc., The GreatSchools Guide to Phoenix Area Public Schools  

We’re really happy with how the finished product turned out. We’ve gotten really great feedback so far—it’s all over Phoenix at this very moment! Thanks again for all your help.

Mary Frances Connors, Sweet Blood & Fury

Oh, my! What can I say? For all the wonderful things you have done for me and for sharing your beautiful spirit. I thank you truly.

Azim Khamisa, From Murder to Forgiveness: A Father’s Journey and Azim’s Bardo: A Father’s Journey from Murder to Forgiveness 

With special best wishes for love, happiness and world peace. Thanks for your help on the book.

Carl A. Goldman, Soul and Silicon: Spirits in a High-Tech World

We did it! What a team! Peace and happiness be with you.

Mark Stephen Johnson, 700 Miles of Curves: the Songs of Mark Stephen Johnson

Long time comin’—worthwhile gettin’ here. Thanks for making this book!

Gene Bunnell, Making Places Special: Stories of Real Places Made Better by Planning

A thousand thanks!

Hemalata C. Dandekar, The Planner’s Use of Information, Second Edition

Many thanks for your hard work and commitment to making this book “right.” Was a pleasure working with you.

Larz T. Anderson, Planning the Built Environment

Thanks very much for your excellent editing work. While our extensive exchange of e-mail messages concerning details in the text may have been a bit vexatious to you, your patience and editing skills have paid off handsomely.

Janet Caliri, Life Coach and Author, Me with Me

Joanne’s spirit, individualism, creativity, patience, and organization are the perfect ingredients for my book! As a first-time author with no experience, Joanne Shwed guided me every step of the way. I felt supported and safe with her professional objectivity, which left the space for my creativity to flourish. I highly recommend Joanne to any author at any stage in the game. Thank you, Joanne!

Dinah Sanders, Discardia: More Life, Less Stuff

Joanne exceeded my high expectations in the service she provided and her flexibility in using a new workflow to accommodate my maintaining a master copy of my manuscript in Scrivener. This was my first experience working with an editor on a work of over 50 pages and I was very pleased with the outcome. My book was significantly the better for her deft touch and I believe this is leading directly to better reviews and more sales. The icing on the cake is how pleasant to work with she is.

Kenetia Lee, Fearless Beauty: A Woman’s Guide to Living Bold, Beautiful and Free

Joanne is absolutely amazing. I have never spent better money. She gave me great feedback every step of the way and made my words sing on paper. I am forever grateful for her skill of editing, which truly helped me feel confident in my own writing. It was through her that I could actually hear my own voice. She is a resource that I will continuously use.

Ron Williams, Beneath the Ripples of a Pond (an www.AuthorOneStop.com project)

I thought I had a good book until it fell into the hands of Joanne. She took what I thought was good and made it worth reading and even I could not wait to turn the pages of my own book. In my opinion Joanne is an expert at seeing the little things that if corrected can improve the flow of the entire manuscript. While working with her I learned much and I pray our work is not complete. I fell in love with her.

Al Zelinka, SafeScape: Creating Safer, More Livable Communities Through Planning and Design

After enduring more than one year of missed deadlines and innumerable project managers with a national book production company, our publisher turned to Backspace Ink. Within a very short time, Joanne Shwed revived the book production effort and, in a very timely manner, had a proof copy of the document in our hands. Not only did she exceed expectations with layout, she also made numerous helpful suggestions for improving the readability of the document. Needless to say, we are very pleased with Joanne’s work and would recommend Backspace Ink without question.

V. Gail Easley, FAICP, The Board of Adjustment

Working with Joanne Shwed was a joy. Proofs were timely, comments were right on target to improve the product, and the final result was excellent. I recommend Backspace Ink to anyone who needs prepress book production services.

James R. Adams, President, The Center for Progressive Christianity, From Literal to Literary: The Essential Reference Book for Biblical Metaphors

Joanne Shwed’s insistence on endnotes and on an exhaustive index has made my book a much more valuable reference work than it would have been without her guidance. She also managed to pick up several errors and inconsistencies in the text that I had completely overlooked. Although we argued over some points of English grammar, I found her to be understanding and cooperative at all times.

Charles E. Daye, Brandis Professor of Law, School of Law, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Planning Reform in the New Century

Joanne Shwed’s work on my chapter was exceptional. She gave my draft a thorough, detailed, insightful reading. She caught instances of lack of clarity that I did not catch and frankly never would have seen—at least not until too late after publication! She was prompt and well informed about the publisher’s substantive and technical requirements, right down to footnote style. Overall Joanne’s work was both impressive to me and invaluable in making my chapter better.

William H. Lucy and David L. Phillips, Tomorrow’s Cities, Tomorrow’s Suburbs

What a pleasure it was to work with Joanne Shwed on our book! We were impressed with the thoroughness she demonstrated in understanding our “story” as well as attention to editorial detail. Thanks for her grammatical expertise and visual acumen in identifying issues and framing them promptly for easy resolution. Her comments, notes, and suggestions were consistent, timely, and helpful. In several instances her observations allowed us to reexamine the way we told our story. Our interactions, whether electronic or by phone, were concise but also personable—a humane experience in the midst of our information technology-driven culture. We look forward to possible future collaborations.

Jack Good, The Dishonest Church

When I first saw the text of my work as Joanne Shwed had designed it on the page, I remarked that she had performed the miracle of making me appear to be a person with an orderly mind. Not only was the text laid out in a way that was pleasing to the eye, but she had, with the design, emphasized my outline and thus strengthened the arguments. I consider her work to be excellent. I also found her to be a pleasant person with whom to work. After my positive experience with Joanne and The Dishonest Church, I determined to ask her assistance with a manuscript I am preparing for submission. Again, she found ways to improve the outline. In addition, her sharp eye caught a number of grammatical and stylistic errors. I now have a much stronger manuscript.

Dennison DeGregor, The Customer-Transparent Enterprise

Joanne’s attention to detail is beyond that of mere mortals. Joanne took a very complex manuscript, which I butchered during my first draft, and ironed out the wrinkles like a freshly starched and ironed shirt. My book introduced a new business paradigm to industry and the amount of standardization required to get the terminology consistent was monumental. I’m framing my second book now, so I moved Joanne up to Number One on my speed dial.

Don Saunders, The Power of Knowing How Life Works (an www.AuthorOneStop.com project)

I have been provided with The Power of Knowing How Life Works, a nonreligious true story experienced by just an ordinary guy—me. I have been tasked with the incredible responsibility to distribute that knowledge to all of you. You might think that, with knowledge this powerful, the path would be simple. I was stumbling because of the large quantity of content. I manifested Joanne Shwed from the universe to help me organize and prepare for the next step of the distribution process. She is a remarkable editor, and her professionalism and personal touch, which she provides to each project, establishes a sense of comfort, which makes me feel that everything is going to be okay. Joanne’s sensitivity to the importance of my project brought a smile to my face. She will continue on my journey alongside me as we complete a series of books providing all of you with The Power of Knowing How Life Works. I recommend Joanne to everyone.

Randy Peyser, Author One Stop

When it comes to editing, Joanne is a heavyweight. She is a superb editor. I trust Joanne with my clients’ manuscripts, knowing that when she works on a project for me, it is going to be done right and come in on time. She has high integrity and consummate skills. I trust her also with my clients who wish to self-publish. She is honest and does great work. Joanne receives my highest recommendation.

Howard Straus, President, Totality Books, and Publisher, Dr. Max Gerson: Healing the Hopeless; Healing the Gerson Way: Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases; Defeating Obesity, Diabetes and High Blood Pressure; and Defeating Arthritis, Bone and Joint Diseases

Working with Joanne Shwed has been pure pleasure, kind of like driving a Rolls Royce. I cannot think of a single aspect of the book production that she could have done better. This, please remember, is coming from a demanding and exacting publisher who demanded top quality and accuracy. Joanne was more meticulous in every instance than we were ourselves, to our immense satisfaction. We would recommend her to our best friends (and in fact have already) to help them in their projects. I have used Joanne as a book designer and editor on three separate projects, and clearly was happy enough with her to keep using her services. Two books, plus an update on one of them, has left me with material that I am proud to present to the world as representing my best work. I would, and will use her services again!

Terry A. Clark, Project Management for Planners

It was a true pleasure to work with Joanne Shwed in editing my book. Joanne was the perfect professional in her role in working with me—a writer going through the editing and publishing experience for the first time. She was responsive, personable and extremely helpful in making my manuscript worthy of publishing. I attribute the successful sales of my book to her input and guidance. Joanne Shwed provided professional, timely and very helpful editing of my book published by the American Planning Association. It was a pleasure working with her and I recommend her without reservation.

Michelle Waters, Dancing with the Diagnosis—Steps for Taking the Lead When Facing Cancer

I was so fortunate to be paired with Joanne Shwed! Her command of the English language, attention to detail and commitment to perfection were just what my book needed before it went to print. I also appreciated her patience and kindness—the two things that every writer’s ego desires when plowing through the editing phase.

Kimberly A. Steward, The Doghouse Angel

My experience with Backspace Ink was very positive. I found Joanne Shwed to be reasonable, yet someone who provided a sound sense of direction, without altering content in a way that diminished authorship. Conversations and recommendations were light, and dialog always weighed with a sense of reason. I was delighted that, when all was said and done, The Doghouse Angel was very much what I had written, but grammatically superior and flowed concisely.

William Smith, Easy Home Basics

It’s amazing! Backspace Ink transformed my rough manuscript into a professional document ready for print in record time. I especially loved the personalized service and the attention to detail throughout the entire process. Joanne Shwed turned my lifetime dream into reality and I will always be forever grateful.

Kevin Boyle, Braving the Waves: Rockaway Rises ... and Rises Again

Initially, I had real worries that an editor—any editor—would be intrusive and worse, not “get me” or my style. Joanne Shwed allayed my fears and was just plain terrific. I’d rely on her talents again in a second.

Thaïs Mazur, Warrior Mothers: Stories to Awaken the Flames of the Heart

Joanne Shwed is a thorough and competent editor. She not only knows the basics but also supports the emotional message behind the words. I was very pleased with her treatment of my manuscript and herald her as an editor for anyone who wants the job done right.

Anthony Downs, Planning Reform in the New Century

Joanne Shwed is one of the most thorough proofreaders and editors I have encountered in my long career as an author. She went through my article at least three times, always finding something additional to change, no matter how completely I took her advice about her previous screenings. If you want to have your work very completely analyzed, at least for errors as well as inconsistencies, I recommend her highly.

Robert H. Freilich, AICP, National Editor, The Urban Lawyer, American Bar, Planning Reform in the New Century

Joanne Shwed is one of the best proofreaders of articles that I have come across in my 35 years of scholarship. She reads for substance and detail at the same time and has many helpful suggestions. I would recommend her to anyone who needs intelligent proofreading.

Edward J. Sullivan, Planning Reform in the New Century

Joanne Shwed took the time to review my manuscript closely and give me both the technical comments needed to put my work in good order, but also suggestions for clarity and effective presentation that make a good work better. I very much appreciated her time and effort in working with individual authors.

Dwight H. Merriam, FAICP, Planning Reform in the New Century

Joanne, the wordsmith’s gemologist, knows best how to polish the rough cut to bring out its innate brilliance ... something she seems to do so gently that we as writers barely sense the rubbing that makes our work better ... Really good copyeditors respect the writer and the writer’s work; they add value by helping the author see better ways to express themselves. Joanne is great to work with (oops, sorry Joanne, can’t figure out how to do this without a preposition at the end ...).

Gerrit-Jan Knaap, Planning Reform in the New Century

Without a doubt, Joanne Shwed is the best editor of the many with whom I’ve worked.

John J. Delaney, AICP, Planning Reform in the New Century

Joanne’s work in reviewing my chapter was outstanding in every respect. Not only did she turn around the drafts and revisions in almost “speed of light” time, but the quality and thoroughness of her work was consistently of the very highest standard. It would be a privilege to work with her again some day.

John R. Nolon, Planning Reform in the New Century

Backspace Ink did an extremely good job of production on my chapter. The instructions I got were clear, time tables were issued in advance and adhered to, and the work product was extremely presentable. It was a pleasure to work with them.

Michael M. Berger, Planning Reform in the New Century

Joanne Shwed was a delight to work with. I have been writing for long enough to be wary of new editors. When the American Planning Association informed me that she would be in charge of the chapter I had written for a book, I was not sure what to expect. Happily, Joanne turned out to be the kind of editor who only makes the product better. She obviously doesn’t let her own ego get in the way of allowing the author his own voice. Instead, she gently prods to make sure that what is said is what was intended and that it is soundly supported. I’d be pleased to work with her anytime. Thanks again, Joanne.

Rachelle Alterman, Planning Reform in the New Century

Joanne Shwed’s editorial work for my paper was extremely thorough and precise. My paper dealt with land-use law in various countries outside the USA. It therefore required knowledge and precision beyond the usual. Ms. Shwed has proven that her editorial skills span the continents.

Rolf J. Pendall, AICP, Planning Reform in the New Century

Working with Ms. Shwed was straightforward and quick. She provided helpful feedback and made it easy for me to respond so that my chapter could get in print without trouble.

Stuart Meck, FAICP, Planning Reform in the New Century

While I know my writing is brilliant, with Joanne’s help it is now perfect.

Arthur C. Nelson, Planner’s Estimating Guide: Projecting Land-Use and Facility Needs

My book was 10 years in the making and included an electronic workbook. Over the years of its development the content expanded, becoming increasingly complex, and hundreds of formulas were developed with most being revised. By the time Joanne Shwed received it, the internal consistency of the book and its formulas had been comprised. Joanne went through everything with a fine-toothed comb several times. She and I worked through every formula, finding ways in which to improve many and clarify their meaning in the text. An important innovation was linking the text to the electronic workbook using CD symbols. Thanks to her, the book is now internally consistent, the formulas work efficiently, and the material flows seamlessly from beginning to end. I have worked with many editors over the years but Joanne was by far the most diligent, thoughtful, and constructive. Thanks in large part to her, the book is gaining acceptance as an important contribution to the land-use planning literature.

Daniel R. Mandelker, FAICP, Editor, Planning Reform in the New Century

Recently I had the opportunity to edit a book for the American Planning Association based on a conference we held here at Washington University School of Law. APA selected Joanne Shwed as our editor. They could not have made a better choice. Joanne showed an immediate grasp of what the book was about, how it should be presented, and how it should be organized. She made suggestions for format and presentation that so markedly improved the book that it would not have become the book that it is without her graceful assistance. Her edits of my Preface were respectful and helpful. Joanne has the ability to understand someone else's writing and assist them in making it better. Hats off!

Todd Litman, Parking Management Best Practices

Joanne Shwed is a thorough and efficient editor who helped solve a variety of complex problems when preparing my manuscript. She is patient and responsive to my needs as an author, and made major contributions to the quality of the book.

Thomas L. Daniels, The Environmental Planning Handbook for Sustainable Communities and Regions and The Small Town Planning Handbook, 3rd Edition

Joanne Shwed did an excellent job of copyediting and designing the interior of two of my books. These are popular textbooks that cover a wide range of land use planning and environmental issues. Joanne was fun to work with and greatly improved the overall presentation of the books. She did such a good job on the first book that I asked her to copyedit the second one! She did another thorough copyedit and helped reconstruct a number of important tables and graphics. I’m delighted with the results. Joanne is always a pleasure to work with!

Paris Elizabeth Tompkins, By Hope Alone: The Making of a Parent and The First Trip

I really appreciate working with Joanne Shwed. Her sense of humor and her great laugh helped me to relax and feel confident about my decision to release the book. I was dealing with some very personal and painful events, and she helped me to see that I should not relive the past, but release the fear of someone reading it and go on. I hope it helps to empower and free others who read it. Joanne’s help made it possible. Without Joanne’s expert overseeing of the editing of my two books, I would have not been able to turn out the high quality products for which I must give her credit. Along with her delightful personality, working with Joanne made difficult tasks easy. Thank you!

Randy Zimmer, onlineteendriving.com

It was a very satisfying experience working with Joanne at Backspace Ink. She took what I thought was a good manuscript and course and made it something professional and easy to read. I can’t thank her enough.

Donna Jacobsen, Editor, Rising Star Press

Having my books pass through Joanne’s hands is essential. She has performed near miracles on several of the manuscripts sent her way and only extraordinary work on the rest. Rising Star Press uses Joanne’s editing and layout skills regularly and will continue to do so.

Thomas A. Ekkens, Collected Poetry of Thomas A. Ekkens—Early Works

Joanne has been putting the polishing touches on my writing for over 20 years. She will probably glisten up this testimonial to perfection, because that is her way. Working with Joanne has only made me a better writer, giving me a pause before phrase. I now write with a certain comfort knowing that Joanne would never let me publish without editing, and challenging, every nuance of each thought and phrase. Writing is not a solitary vocation with Joanne on your team.

Diane Lee Moomey, Place ...: the Heart of the Dragon

I first met Joanne Shwed shortly after I decided I want to make books. I had already set up my publishing company, and knew I needed guidance to make it real. A friend who knew of my passion, suggested I go hear the featured speaker at the next meeting of her local writers’ group. That speaker was Joanne; she talked about creating books, we spoke after the meeting, and she agreed to teach me the whole process. She has been wonderful: personable, professional, knowledgeable, and a good teacher. Not only did she edit, format, convert files magically into the proper PDF format and reveal the mysterious workings of all these things; she also introduced me to her favorite print-on-demand company and walked me through the set-up process, up to the actual placing of the orders. Her rates are reasonable, and she completes work in a timely manner. She taught me so well that I feel confident in producing the next book all by myself. I will return to her for editing, though—every book needs an extra pair of eyes for this, and hers are just the best.

Sylvia Lewis, Director of Publications, American Planning Association

Joanne Shwed has edited more than a dozen books for us. She does a great job—promptly, accurately—and she’s fun to work with. All of our authors have enjoyed working with Joanne and not one has found any mistakes in the finished product. Joanne is also a one-stop shop. We send her a raw manuscript; she delivers finished pages ready for the printer. She does all the editing and page layouts, all the while serving as the main contact person for our authors. We get an excellent product that’s delivered on time. Joanne sweats the details. What more could a publisher want?

Dave Holt, Voyages to Ancestral Islands

You might be a business professional putting together a text in a convincing form for the purpose of selling and promoting your ideas; or you might be a creative artist struggling with the anxiety, fear or embarrassment of putting original work out on a “world stage.” Either way you look at it, Joanne Shwed of Backspace Ink is a versatile and efficient book professional. She can support the poet emotionally as he or she contemplates the perils of their publishing debut. She just as easily takes command of the organization and speed needed to meet the cost and marketing demands of a business project. Joanne offers the best of both left brain and right brain worlds to the creation and publication of your book. She helped me create a great product I can be proud of.

Max Dunn, Silicon Publishing

Joanne is an expert typesetter with a strong design sense and great technical skill. She is also the best copy editor in the world. So we’ve hired her for both types of work over the years, setting up books/documents and copy editing texts, and she has always been efficient and fast, coming back with great results.

Eric Shapira, DDS, MA, MHA Clinical Gerontologist, Aging Mentor Services, A New Wrinkle: What I Learned from Older People Who Never Acted Their Age

I hired Joanne to meet with me for copy editing my new book. I was on a deadline to proof over 35 pages of corrections for the publisher in two days. Joanne came on time, stayed beyond what I expected to help me edit and proof the proofreader’s mistakes even. She is knowledgeable, exacting, fastidious, sure of herself, fair and reasonable. I found Joanne easy to work with and very interested in my project, which I felt good about. I know that she has worked with many other authors and is an author herself, so I felt comfortable working with her and had a great deal of faith and trust that she would help me ... which she did. I highly recommend her to anyone embarking on writing a book or other literary project. Joanne will definitely be part of my next book project. If anyone needs to contact me about my review for verification please do so at ezs1dds@aol.com.

Constance Dunn, Practical Glamour

Having been raised in and around publishing, I consider myself very fortunate to have received the immense benefit of Joanne Shwed’s expertise while preparing my book. Her rock-solid editing, design, indexing and production skills, along with her complete professionalism and responsiveness to this project, were far beyond what I had hoped to find in a book/literary professional. Bonus: she’s nice, too!

Sylvia Nathan, Our Everlasting Love: Memoirs of Sylvia Nathan

I just received the books. Of course, I haven’t stopped crying from joy. Everything looks beautiful. Thank you so much. I can’t tell you enough how happy I am with them. I’m so pleased!

Mike Brown, Spiritual Life Coach and Author, You Are a Gift to the World: Blessings from My Mom

I got the book and it looks awesome, just amazing. It was surreal holding it in my hand for the first time—almost unbelievable. A real book that I wrote. Thank you for the good work you have done. You’ve taken a piece of coal and turned it into a diamond. You really are a master craftsperson and I look forward to continuing to produce masterpieces with you in the future as well. I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am for you and what you’ve done for me. Thank you so very much.

Audrone Wippich and Phil Brattain, Awaken Perfection: The Journey of Conscious Revelation (an www.AuthorOneStop.com project)

Thank you for your talented oversight as editor in bringing out the best in our manuscript to transform it into a real book. If we go global with it, and hit the best-seller lists, it will be because you cared. You will note your name in the Acknowledgements section.

Janice Wallace, The Eldercare Coach

Joanne has edited e-books and e-courses for me. Her suggestions always add a layer of clarity that I eagerly bring into my work. I share my work with confidence because of Joanne's insightful and experienced edits. She makes sure that you and your thoughts shine through.