What Clients Say
Diane Helentjaris
I have nothing but good things to say about John DeDakis as an editor.
The first work he did for me was to edit my historical novel The Indenture of Ivy O’Neill which recently was named the winner of the 2024 Maryland Writers’ Association’s Novel Competition in the Romance and Historical category. John’s editing was pivotal in helping me polish the book’s pacing, keep the story organized, and fix those pesky misspells and grammatical errors we all experience.
John’s work is notable for his timeliness and the humor which he includes in his comments.
This year I returned to John for help my biography I Ain’t Afraid — The World of Lulu Bell Parr, Wild West Cowgirl. Again, his comments and suggestions elevated the story at the same time as he was catching the oopsies of grammar, lack of clarity, and punctuation. He is an engaged reader who pays attention to the storyline while picking up the details — a great skill combination.
John DeDakis offers solid, positive editing that brings a writer’s work to a higher level.
Diane Helentjaris, M.D.
DianeHelentjaris.com
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Ron Turker, M.D.
John DeDakis saves puppies. Simple fact. In 2021, Ripley, my pandemic pup, and I were at wit’s end. I was struggling with my debut novel’s problematic pacing and disjointed plot. Ripley, poor thing, was grappling with a best friend who couldn’t pry himself away from the screen long enough for a halfway decent walk.
In stepped John DeDakis. With clear-eyed vision, he opened my eyes to the story I’d been trying to tell. His motivational edits engendered warmth and the gentlest nudge to move forward: “I love this, and here’s where you can reach deeper.” “This is fascinating, tell me more.” “So beautifully told in these three paragraphs, what more needs to be said?” John offers no “compliment sandwiches,” just a buffet of savory suggestions.
My debut novel, The Wandering Jew of St. Salacious, launched in April 2023. With John’s masterful edits, the writing logjam finally broke, and my debut novel has been a beyond-my-dreams success. John liberated the story trapped within my words, giving both Ripley and me the time for those much-needed walks.
A heartfelt thanks from both of us, John. What an excellent partnership this has been. Looking forward to working with you on the next book.
-Ron Turker, M.D.
My debut novel, The Wandering Jew of St. Salacious, launched in April 2023. With John’s masterful edits, the writing logjam finally broke, and my debut novel has been a beyond-my-dreams success. John liberated the story trapped within my words, giving both Ripley and me the time for those much-needed walks.
A heartfelt thanks from both of us, John. What an excellent partnership this has been. Looking forward to working with you on the next book.
-Ron Turker, M.D.
Lew McCreary
“After wrestling with how best to edit my latest novel, The 13th Step, I hired John DeDakis to execute my vision for this book. His keen sense of storytelling, narrative-pacing, and tension-building gave the story the propulsive and edgy energy I was gunning for. I highly recommend John for any editorial project!" ~Lew McCreary, author of the critically-acclaimed The Minus Man and Mount’s Mistake
Bradley Harper, M.D.
I encountered John DeDakis at a seminar he held in Nashville in 2015. I'd rewritten my novel eighteen times by the time we met and been turned down by about forty agents. John took me under his wing and after extensive revisions over nine months I was able to acquire a west coast agent. Five publishers bid on my book and we finally settled on a two-book contract with Seventh Street Books. My debut novel, A Knife in the Fog, was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel (one of five finalists out of fifty-five nominations), and the audiobook won Audiofile Magazine's 2019 Earphone Award in the category of Mystery and Suspense.
Queen's Gambit won Killer Nashville's 2020 Silver Falchion Award both as Best Suspense and as Book of the Year.
I credit John with getting me to this level of success at least two years quicker than I'd have done on my own, if at all. He let me write my book, pointing out what worked and what didn't, and why. I think the most important thing he did for me was to help me find my voice, and to trust it. I have directed friends of mine who aspire to become successful writers to seek him out. His advice is practical and clear; the results speak for themselves.
~Bradley Harper, Author
F.M. Deemyad
It was October of 2018 that the title of a class offered by Politics and Prose book store in Washington, D.C. caught my attention: “How to write a novel (and get it published).” I had written a large portion of my novel titled “The Sky Worshipers” but the process had left me exhausted with little incentive to finish and tackle the world of publishing that I found quite confusing. Mr. DeDakis’s one day class changed my lethargic indifference to motivation and enthusiasm, enabling me to get my first novel traditionally published.
~F.M. Deemyad - Author, The Sky Worshipers
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Steven Rogers
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I'm certain I would not be a published author without John's guidance and advice. As I developed my novel's manuscript, he provided invaluable input related to my main character and the related storyline. His advice ranged from high level input - "you need a sub plot" - to pragmatically useful - "find some things about each character you can repeat. That way the reader can more easily identify them as they reappear." More importantly, John respected who I wanted to be as a writer. He didn't try to make me into something I wasn't. Instead, he helped me develop my own style and tell the story I wanted to tell. I recommend John to anyone, no matter where they are on their writing journey.
- Steven Rogers -- Author, Into the Room
From the Acknowledgments page: "John DeDakis, writing coach extraordinaire, has an amazing ability to identify strengths and weaknesses. In addition, his input is always provided with tact and grace."
Kim Tronic
As a first-time author, my knowledge of writing and editing consisted of “drink fourteen cups of coffee and spill stream of consciousness onto paper.” In 2017, I battled Stage Three ovarian cancer and endured eighteen chemo sessions, a hysterectomy, and a splenectomy. Once the nausea (and resentment) subsided, I decided to publish a memoir, hoping my experience would help other people facing the same adversity. I condensed twelve months of diary entries into a couple hundred pages and titled the saga Dear Diary, Does This Cancer Make My Ass Look Fat?
I documented my struggles, fears, and vulnerabilities in a raw, unfiltered tone, but something felt off about the manuscript and I couldn’t pinpoint the source. I clumsily attempted to edit the memoir (twice), but after pulling out the few hairs I had left (thanks, chemo!), I realized I needed a professional. Luckily, John DeDakis came onboard after an introduction from a mutual friend.
I thought I only needed simple grammatical corrections, but John quickly identified conceptual issues that made my story drag. He also presented several poignant questions that reshaped the final half of my memoir and prompted me to develop the concluding post-cancer key takeaways (which are now my favorite part of the book). When the cancer returned one year later, I continued documenting my struggles and crafted a sequel titled, Dear Diary, Cancer’s Back, Gimme Snacks. John provided such valuable insight from the first memoir that my second manuscript needed significantly less polishing, though it did require a moderate amount of fine-tuning.
I’ve received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from cancer survivors, caregivers, colleagues, PR contacts, media, and other authors - much of which I credit to John. His brilliant insights and editing prowess transformed my frenzied inner monologue into polished, flowing memoirs that I’m truly proud of. ~Kimberly Tronic - Memoirist
I documented my struggles, fears, and vulnerabilities in a raw, unfiltered tone, but something felt off about the manuscript and I couldn’t pinpoint the source. I clumsily attempted to edit the memoir (twice), but after pulling out the few hairs I had left (thanks, chemo!), I realized I needed a professional. Luckily, John DeDakis came onboard after an introduction from a mutual friend.
I thought I only needed simple grammatical corrections, but John quickly identified conceptual issues that made my story drag. He also presented several poignant questions that reshaped the final half of my memoir and prompted me to develop the concluding post-cancer key takeaways (which are now my favorite part of the book). When the cancer returned one year later, I continued documenting my struggles and crafted a sequel titled, Dear Diary, Cancer’s Back, Gimme Snacks. John provided such valuable insight from the first memoir that my second manuscript needed significantly less polishing, though it did require a moderate amount of fine-tuning.
I’ve received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from cancer survivors, caregivers, colleagues, PR contacts, media, and other authors - much of which I credit to John. His brilliant insights and editing prowess transformed my frenzied inner monologue into polished, flowing memoirs that I’m truly proud of. ~Kimberly Tronic - Memoirist
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Not only a talented novelist, John DeDakis is a gifted teacher. He’s inclusive and open-minded, fostering a supportive and judgment-free zone. John connects with his students on a personal level, establishing his virtual classroom as a safe space for everyone who wants to share their stories. "From Novice to Novelist" gave me the inspiration I needed to make time for my novel writing, the confidence that I can do it and a plan to make it happen. ~ Karen Denovich