Why Hire Ray?

I’ve worked with many clients over the years. Here’s what some of them said about me.

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“In my opinion, a great editor requires a rare combination of at least three skills: a solid grasp of grammatical rules, an ability to communicate clearly both on and off the page, and a nuanced understanding of how to improve the work while keeping its essence intact. Ray has all of these skills and more. If your project is in need of clarity, correctness, or creativity—or perhaps all three—you can’t go wrong with Ray. He will help your words achieve the greatness that they deserve.”

— Shanna Germain, author of Leather Bound (Harper Collins, 2013), The Lure of Dangerous Women (Wayzgoose Press, 2013), and more

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“Ray and I have worked together on various projects, off and on, since 1994. We were both a part of the development team for the Planescape line for TSR, and I look on that time as one of the best parts of my career. During that time, he edited Dead Gods, which I wrote, and is now considered by many to be one of the best Dungeons & Dragons adventures of all time. Later, when I was running my own company, Malhavoc Press, I returned to Ray again and again when I needed editorial or design assistance. I consider him to be one of the best editors that I have ever worked with. Ray edited my short story collection, Small Matters, and he is currently editing books for my latest game, Numenera. I can’t recommend him highly enough.”

— Monte Cook, author and game designer, of Monte Cook Games and Stone Box Press

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“Ray is a fine editor of fiction and nonfiction. His instincts are sound, his technical skills superior, and his discipline unmatched. All that plus one of the most creative minds I know adds up to a communicator whose talents can enhance any editorial assignment.”

— Sue Weinlein, senior managing editor at Northwestern Mutual

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“I have worked with Ray Vallese professionally over the past twenty years, and I say without hesitation that he is a truly gifted editor. He is extraordinarily detail-oriented and has an excellent command of style and the English language, able to discuss at length specific grammatical constructions and… well, that sounds boring. To non-editors, anyway. To people who would consider hiring Ray, let me say this: he is not an invasive editor. He is respectful of your words and your voice, and through his work he brings out the true expression of what you want to say. For my Oathbreaker series, he caught leaden or awkward constructions and rephrased them. He helped develop the stories’ potential and picked up loose ends I had forgotten so I could wrap them up properly and turn them into a complete plot.”

— Colin McComb, award-winning game designer and author of the Oathbreaker series