What my clients say
A FEW COMMENTS REGARDING MY EDITING SERVICES
Mike Sager, Esquire contributing editor and publisher of The Sager Group
I’ve worked with Chris Mele on both sides of the page, as both editor and edited. He is a consummate professional, accurate and precise — an old school newspaperperson who understands writing and editing on a granular level and doesn’t mind going the extra distance in the name of accuracy. If it’s any indication, I’ve engaged his services for the more important book projects we’ve published and for my own latest collection. An unapologetic ink-stained wretch who can be counted on, Chris Mele is the gold standard of editors.
Jo Napolitano, book author
Chris was a Godsend for me. Not only was he wonderful to work with — he was smart, fast, thorough, friendly, encouraging and very reasonably priced — but he did a terrific job with my narrative non-fiction book, The School I Deserve, Beacon Press, Spring 2021. Book writers know even the best publishers do not fact-check authors' work. A writer and her book stand alone. I didn’t want to be in that position. My book had more than 250 footnotes with ample opportunity for at least one to be misplaced or misattributed during the editing process. Chris found errors that would have gone to print without his intervention. I am incredibly grateful for his contribution. I am thrilled to recommend him and look forward to calling on him for future projects.
Richard Villasana, author of "Do No Harm: The U.S. Border Child Tragedy Continues"
Chris Mele is an amazing editor who came through for me and kept my book moving forward. I was more than 25 percent into writing my manuscript when I damaged my left hand, leaving me unable to type. Even though I was able to dictate many of my thoughts, I was struggling to put in the structure for my book along with needed edits. Fortunately, one of my colleagues recommended Chris. He was able to step in and structure the information so that it flowed. I was then able to complete the manuscript and pass it to Chris for a final edit. The publication of my book might have either never happened or would have been delayed by at least a year without Chris’ excellent services. I highly recommend Chris to anyone who needs an editor to take their manuscript from the ordinary to the extraordinary.
David Pierce, journalist and author
I’ve worked closely with Chris Mele as one of his reporters at the Pocono Record and, more recently, as author of my forthcoming book, "Tocks Island: Dammed If You Do." Chris has deep knowledge of multiple writing disciplines. He knows the intricacies of multiple style books. More importantly, Chris is a quick study, adept at identifying what is important to telling the story and what is a hindrance to moving that story along. He asks the right questions. His gentle prodding helped me to better focus on identifying the core audience for my book.
Lizzie Stark, author of "Egg: A Dozen Ovatures"
It was tremendously reassuring to work with Chris, who provided accurate, deep, and fast checking. I'd never worked with a checker before, and this was a fabulous experience. If you're on the fence, go for it -- you won't regret it.
Rob McKenzie, communications professor at
East Stroudsburg University
Mele is an editor's editor. He leaves no fingerprints. In the meantime, he sharpens and strengthens your work and tempers its pace beyond what you ever thought you could do.
Howard Frank, former reporter, The Pocono Record
Chris is a gifted wordsmith and idea generator. His optimism and encouragement brought out the best in my writing. His insights helped me uncover unexplored areas of my stories and tame sections that were overblown. He’s by far and away the best editor I’ve ever worked with.