Endorsements

"Bethany is a gifted editor. I have been consistently impressed with her clarity of vision in the editing process and her ability to communicate. When she speaks to what I've written, and when I ask questions, I get answers I can actually process and implement in revisions. It has made my work better and has made me a better writer. On top of that, Bethany is a conscious actor who can provide relevant advice to authors attempting to write with a social justice, feminist, and human rights lens. I'm grateful for her truthful, kind strengthening of my work."

- Andrea Gunraj, author of The Lost Sister [Vagrant Press] and The Sudden Disappearance of Seetha [Knopf]

“The editorial collaboration with Bethany on my first novel had a huge impact on the final manuscript. She has a knack for understanding where a writer is trying to go, and hears the voice trying to break through the flaws that I didn't always see in my own drafts. Bethany was able to identify the strengths of the narrative overall and the ways in which those voices could be amplified and made more genuine. I enjoyed our work together and will hire her again as an editor.”

- Michael Kaan, author of The Water Beetles ​[Goose Lane Editions]

"Bethany Gibson was an early reader of Reading by Lightning on a freelance basis, and I was thrilled to have the chance to work with her again when Goose Lane Editions acquired the book. To the extent that I had conjured up an ideal reader in my mind in writing the novel, that reader came to life for me in Bethany. She saw so clearly both what my novel was and what it could be." 

- Joan Thomas, author of Five Wives ​[HarperCollins], The Opening Sky, Curiosity [McClelland & Stewart], and Reading by Lightning [Goose Lane Editions]   

“Bethany's editorial precision taught me a great deal not just about narrative but about the particular narrative I wanted to publish. She has an eye for the refined smaller details as well as the global issues of novel writing. And she can convey these hard truths to the writer with finesse and elegant diplomacy. And perhaps more importantly in these times of fast turnaround, Bethany is an intelligent perfectionist who won’t undersell your project. She’ll be there for the long haul.”

- Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, author of All the Broken Things [Random House], Perfecting, The Nettle Spinner, and Way Up [Goose Lane Editions]

"Bethany coaxes great work into being through her probing questions and brilliant insights. In editing my debut fiction collection, her superb literary instincts and refined aesthetics made me feel a sense of trust and mastery in her hands. She is as deeply attentive at the level of the sentence as she is in stepping back and seeing how a book, or story arc, is finding its theme and shape. Her critical and emboldening feedback was often so incisive and startling, I became excited to re-enter the work to bring greater clarity, depth, and intention to my manuscript. As we worked through multiple drafts, I enjoyed a supportive, respectful, and often hilarious collaboration in a relentless pursuit of excellence.
 
I feel privileged to have worked with Bethany on my book, and would be honoured to work with her again. I cannot recommend her talent, skills, and energy more highly for writers at any stage of their professional development."

- Lori McNulty, author of Life on Mars ​[Goose Lane Editions]

"Bethany Gibson has the best eye for dramatic structure, the sharpest ear for tonal discrepancies, the greatest wit, the canniest, most comprehensive understanding of story, character, language, and the greatest sensitivity toward that unknown reader’s response to the work. 

Novels need an organic unity, structural and tonal integrity. It’s impossible to see the faults in our own work, hard as we try. And our friends just can’t take the time necessary for a full edit; there are very few people on the planet with the professional training to edit substantively. Bethany Gibson is the best professional editor I’ve ever known.”

- Margaret Sweatman, author of The Gunsmith's Daughter, Mr. Jones, The Players [Goose Lane Editions], When Alice Lay Down with Peter [Knopf], Sam & Angie, and Fox [Turnstone Press] 

"Bethany Gibson’s editorial work has been absolutely essential to my development and success as a fiction writer. Her close readings and intelligent questions have helped me enormously at each stage of writing, from partial first drafts to penultimate proofs. She is always honest and astute in her criticism. I would work with Bethany again — joyfully — on any novel or story collection."

- Anton Piatigorsky, author of Al-Tounsi [Ankerwycke Books] and The Iron Bridge ​[Goose Lane Editions]

“I have known Bethany for several years now, initially at The McDermid Agency, then as the director of The Literary Consultancy Canada, and as an independent. Bethany has an extraordinarily acute editorial eye. Her readings are, in my experience, unique in their simultaneous grasp of the overall arc and structure and the fine mechanics of a piece of writing. A great editor combines a gift for reading with supreme attention to detail and a profound knowledge of and love for exceptional writing of all kinds. Bethany Gibson, I believe, is exactly this kind of editor.”

-Struan Sinclair, author of Automatic World [Doubleday Canada], Everything Breathed [Granta], and Strange Comforts [Gutter Press]

"Bethany has been a champion of my first novel, and of me as a writer from the beginning. She is supportive and encouraging. Her skill at helping me improve the story and polish the prose made my novel much better than it would have been. I often think it's odd that only my name is on the cover of the book as finishing it was a joint effort and a co-writing endeavour. Bethany is a joy to work with and makes the editing process fun and productive."

- Scott Fotheringham, author of The Rest Is Silence [Goose Lane Editions]

"Bethany is a tough but fair editor any writer would be lucky to work with. Even on a ridiculously short deadline, she made me feel like we had room to make my book the best it could be. She thinks deeply, guides wisely, and communicates clearly. She helped me cut away the words I didn't need, allowing my story to shine through. I would trust a novel of mine with her again in a heartbeat. She's the kind of editor who leaves writers better than she found them."

- Stephanie Domet, author of Fallsy Downsies [Invisible Publishing]