Scott Mann, Author of New York Bestseller Operation Pineapple Express and Game Changers
To Retired SGM Randy Surles, whose work on this project cannot be overstated. You were at my shoulder every step of the way: writing, editing, troubleshooting. The Story Grid ought to be damn proud of what you brought to the party. Any warrior contemplating writing a book should make their first call to Randy Surles.
From the acknowledgements in Operation Pineapple Express by New York Bestselling Author Scott Mann
“Randy is a quiet professional. His imagination is limitless, but he constrains it with a rigorous writing and editing process that is a proven model for success. I set out to write a story that was layered and complex, but still with room for the reader to set off on their own journey. Without Randy guiding me each step of the way, it would have gone off the rails. Every single recommendation he gave was spot on and I couldn’t be more grateful for his honesty, integrity, and creativity.”
Jeff Tiegs, author of Where Have All the Heroes Gone?
“I had an idea for an inspiring story — basically a parable — that could really make a difference in people’s lives. A good friend told me about Randy Surles because he had worked with him as a certified Story Grid editor. I didn’t want to write a good story. I wanted to write a great story. I’m happy to say that working with Randy has been a Godsend. He is highly skilled in story structure and knows how to build characters and a create a story flow that is inspiring and educational all wrapped up into a captivating story that you don’t want to end. But when it does end you walk away with greater insights and inspiration to bring into your own life. I’m happy to recommend Randy for anyone looking to tell a powerful story that is both fun to read and makes a difference with how you think.”
From the inside cover of my signed copy of The Wise Investor: Randy, Thank you for all your help in creating a beautiful and compelling story. Rich.
From the Acknowledgement Page of The Wise Investor: Massive thanks to you, Randy Surles, for helping me create a captivating, inspiring, and powerful story. And thank you for bringing the talented Laura Graves into the process. The two of you were a joy to work with.
Randy and Laura were fun to work with. As an author who had primarily written technical material before this project, I struggled to write clearly to people outside my field. Randy and Laura helped me improve my ability to communicate with a broader audience. I definitely recommend their services to other transitioning military personnel looking to write to a civilian audience.
Working with Randy and Laura has been a humbling experience in the most positive way. I cannot recommend them enough. If you struggle with the outline like I do, they are a great resource to bounce ideas off of. Five/five.
“Randy Surles was fast, efficient, and gave me useful feedback. He was friendly, easy to work with, and when he showed me what didn’t work in the story, I didn’t feel like I was being berated for being a bad writer, nor did I feel like he was trying to show off that he knew more than I did about story writing – a problem I’ve consistently found with unprofessional’s giving me feedback on my writing. I left our last session excited to work on my story, not burdened with having so much to fix. The clear goal I have for my story is thanks to Randy’s help and I don’t know if I would have found it without his help. I’m seriously thinking of using his developmental editing services to develop my writing even more.”
“My book would not have been possible without the help of Randy Surles. My book probably wouldn’t have seen the light of day without his help, guidance, and formidable background in developmental editing. Randy helped me learn to write the right way, and turn what was a mess of a story into something to be proud of. I would gladly put my faith in his editing skills for all my future books.”
K. Pimpinella, Author of Nexus Point and Burning Man from the Time Ranger Series.
“Working with Randy has been awesome. He’s willing to roll around in the muck to find the important threads, and holds the light to keep you on the path.”
Owen Garratt, Author of The Pulse
Request a free discovery call about work in progress.
I worked with Randy and Laura over the last 2+ years writing my memoir. The experience from start to finish was absolutely incredible. I don’t really know where to start because over that time Randy has become so much more than just the guy helping me write my memoir. He has become a friend. His talent and expertise in how to craft a compelling story is mind blowing to me and his dedication to understanding the essence of my story was a key ingredient in the final product.
Many of the topics we wrote about weren’t experiences that he had had personally, so he took the time to capture every detail and wrote about it in a way that is gripping, emotionally charged and perfectly portrayed not only the facts of my life but also the feelings and experiences as well. I’m beyond pleased with the final result and couldn’t possibly give a higher recommendation.
Austin Rampt – Author of One Last Hit
“Randy and Laura were phenomenal in their handling of my story. I gave them a pile of words that weren’t working and they steered it in the right direction to be a story I am now immensely proud of. They didn’t only fix the book, but they fixed me. I am now a much better author for using them on this first book in my series, and armed with their insights, I now feel confident in applying those skills to all future books in the series. Thank you guys!”
Cam Walker – Author of Contrail Conspiracy
Are Randy and Laura good value for money? Let me share my experience.I am a first time author with no prior experience. I sent my first draft in to them. They looked at it. Did their work and sent it back. I finished a two-hour zoom call to go through their report and discuss what to do now. I was devastated (I think this is normal for first time writers) but in a good way.Finding a good editor seems more akin to finding a good doctor when you have a problem than anything else. I need to trust the doctor enough to follow his or her advice, otherwise, if nothing changes after the consultation, I might as well not have gone. The paramount quality here is competence. The doctor must be good at his or her job, able to nail the diagnosis and tell me what’s wrong and know what to do about it to make it better. If this technical proficiency is absent, there is no point.Randy and Laura have this in spades.To paraphrase a good friend, “Praise from an enemy and criticism from a friend is to be valued above all else.”Competence and quality. Not just to identify problems but how to fix them. Like how a doctor should fix medical issues. Clinically, systematically, directly. No molly-coddling or sugar-coating. Getting to the point quickly, efficiently, professionally. No waffling on about irrelevent stuff. Thankfully their bedside manner is wonderful too – that’s a bonus, but I would be more than happy with the competence alone.If you want real help in writing your book, contact Randy and Laura.”
I learnt so much from working with Randall – his editorial insight transformed my rewrite.
Writing my second non-fiction book I was looking for editorial support at both the structural level and for individual stories. Randall’s insight guided the rewrite, showing me and my co-author what areas needed work and offering support and guidance on how to approach it. He was a joy to work with, robust feedback shared with humour and expertise. I recommend him highly.
“My physicist friend calculated that my head hit the floor at about 100 mph. New York Yankee Aaron Judge swings the bat at around 90 mph. So my injury was equivalent to getting hit in the head with a wooden bat by a major league baseball player. Sweeeet!
And so began a journey of injury, pain, recovery, grieving, loss, cruel humor, metamorphosis, rebirth, and bloom.
All of this has pushed me to write a book that I wish someone had handed me right after I slammed my face on my kitchen floor that July 4th back in 2017.”Stefan Yurica – Author of Becoming an SCI Superhero
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