More to Crow About

Frederick G. Yeager, Author

I would not have been able to self-publish my book without the support and assistance of Hen House Publishing. The owner, Karen, was very knowledgeable and expertly assisted me in moving through the process for Kindle Direct Publishing. Karen was very professional and responded quickly to my questions and issues. Without hesitation, I recommend Hen House Publishing if you are considering self-publishing.

Tom Hock, Artist & Author

When I started writing my stories, I didn’t have a lot of confidence. People enjoyed my stories, but my English skills are not the best. A lot of people gave me encouragement and I self-published my first book. While starting my second novel, Iron Embrace, I met Karen who owns Hen House Publishing and learned she had helped edit, ghostwrite, and publish several books. l was comfortable working with her from the beginning. Karen immediately picked up on my writing style and showed genuine interest in the novel. Her ability to share comments in a clear and meaningful way helped me transition the thoughts in my mind onto the pages. She suggested elements to think about like character thoughts and feelings, time and travel distance, and story lines. Iron Embrace is based on a real story and her attention to authenticity and details was crucial in bringing history to life. There was never any pressure to hurry through her edits—I took my time to think on her suggestions. When I was done with a set of revisions, I would send the new draft book back to her. The pace of drafts and revisions was excellent. I highly recommend Karen M. Smith at Hen House Publishing. This process has given me confidence to keep on writing and sharing my stories and I will not hesitate to use Hen House Publishing again.

Kimberly Gilson, Author

As a first-time author, I cannot recommend Karen’s services highly enough. She is professional, dependable, and committed to making your project the best it can be. She did a critique of my work, the editing, and the formatting. Karen was the thought partner I needed. She did more than just correct spelling and grammar. She provided invaluable insight to my Christian non-fiction book that greatly improved the clarity of the ideas I was presenting. I look forward to working with her on my future projects!

Michael Lopez Rios, 0-0-8 Studios

It was an absolute pleasure working with Karen. 10/10, 5/5, 8/8, highly recommended for collaboration. 🙂

I got to see and discuss Karen’s “method-to-madness”‘ firsthand. I enjoyed every word, moment, and lesson to be had. Karen’s writing is quick, efficient, and keeps you locked in, ensuring purpose to every word. She is patient (w/ great communication), detail-oriented, shares opinions and research when needed, and isn’t afraid of questions—helping drive projects in the best direction possible.

Very rarely do we run into individuals who share in mission with us, but Karen was it. Her efforts helped bring a story to life, one word at a time. And we loved it.

0-0-8 Studios looks forward to the next collab.

Dawn Sutherland, Sutherland & Associates, Inc.

We recently hired Karen Smith to write a series of short articles following an online event. She quickly suggested topics and immediately drafted the first article.

Karen is an excellent writer. She effectively captured the tone and style of our organization. We particularly appreciated her subject-matter research which provided an additional depth and breadth to the articles. Karen made appropriate and very savvy strategic decisions regarding the content. We didn’t have to hold her hand and tell her what to write.

Karen works quickly and efficiently. Most articles did not require any revisions. She’s that good!

I would highly recommend Karen. It was a pleasure working with her. We will definitely use her ghostwriting services again.

Arvey Krise, Author

This is my first book to self-publish. It has been a tedious learning process, a template for future publications, so when my editor suggested I hire a professional formatter, I was at a loss. But then she recommended Karen Smith from Henhouse Publishing. I am so happy she did. Karen picked up her phone herself, the first time I called, and patiently answered all of my questions. She is amazing. A seasoned professional who immediately made me feel at ease. If you’ve slaved over writing a book, you understand that it is your baby, a product of the proverbial blood, sweat, and tears, and you are the protective mama. Karen treated my book with respect. When she recommended that I get a professional proofreader, I questioned it. But based on her many impressive years of experience I took her advice. A brilliant suggestion … but one that required Karen to reformat the manuscript to include the corrections. Corrections of errors that would have gone to press without Karen.  She did a wonderful job and is my go-to for future books. Thank you Karen!

Donna Johnson

“I highly recommend Karen. She did a remarkable job editing my first book manuscript. I look forward to working with her in the future.“

Ashley MarChelle

“Karen did an amazing job! She’s professional, thorough and offered constructive criticism. What more can I ask for?“

Mike DiGilio, President, Wallcovering Installers Association

“I just finished the latest Installer and I wanted to compliment you all.  What a great issue. The idea of bringing Karen in to do the writing is brilliant. It looks great and reads great. It makes us look so good.  Keep up the good work. Great job everyone. I can’t wait to read the next one.“

​Perry Freeman, Author

“I just want to say that I used Karen Smith, Hen House Publishing as a ghost writer for a very long, 500-plus page novel.”Karen was very easy to work with and had no problem making changes as we went through the process. There were a lot of twists and turns in my story, and she made additions and added color where it was needed. She was prompt and very-open minded to any suggestion or concerns that I had.”The fact that this was my first novel, I needed all the help that I could get.I would recommend Karen to anyone needing help with organizing and getting a finished draft completed.”

Craig Evans, Licensed Realtor at Silvercreek Realty Group

After writing a memoir/self-help manuscript with 46,000 words, I felt there were a few loose ends, but couldn’t seem to convey those thoughts to paper—I felt stuck in the story. After receiving Karen’s first edit, I knew I’d found the right editor. Somehow she managed to keep my voice while making edits and suggestions. Her developmental edits and feedback gave me just the inspiration I needed to put on paper what I wanted the book to convey to help the reader. I don’t know how she does it. Karen is serving humanity one book at a time. Thank you so much, Karen.

Shay Kelley, Author

Karen’s expertise and positive feedback and suggestions have made me a more conscious writer as I process and evaluate my work. I analyze and evaluate my work to be sure I am aware that I am saying what I intend to say. It has been a long process back, following a stroke, to be confident again on my writing. Thanks for all your help, Karen; you have helped me overcome barriers.

Aaron Hunnel, Author

“Karen helped bring my story to life by editing my manuscript and giving me thoughtful recommendations to enhance my stories. Her attention to detail, creativity and professionalism make Karen a top notch partner for any business endeavor you seek. I highly recommend her services.”

Shonda Brown White, Author

“​I recently worked with Karen on my book and she was my editor. She was wonderful and taught me so much even within this single project. I’m looking forward to using her again in the future.”

Athanasios Rozou, Attorney at Law

“​Working with Karen is always a pleasure. She is not only a professional and conscientious editor, but also a perfectionist. She won’t stop editing your manuscript until it really shines. I am very satisfied.”

Jayne Heggen, CEO​Heggen Group

“When it comes to business writing… give me a Powerpoint doc, Visio workflow or a tweet and I’m golden. When it comes to writing my own storyline, I’m all thumbs. That’s where Karen came in and saved me! She looked at all my factual stuff and then began to weave a story that people could really read and understand! I am in awe of her talent and skills, a true professional. Importantly, I am honored she could take the time to help me while authoring her own books and maintaining her publishing business. Final note, she’s a great teacher, listener and supporter. I highly recommend Karen to anyone with a writing need and intend to engage her in several more projects going forward.”

Johnny B. Dunn, Playwright

“Words with depth, structure smooth and poetic, and a level of professionalism unmatched by other writers I have worked with, best describes my experience working with Karen. She holds such command of the English language that it has been a pleasure and relief to find someone so capable of leading me through the journey of crafting and polishing my thoughts to the page.”When I began my search for a writer, I had hoped to find someone capable of anticipating my needs and expectations. Karen works very quickly and accurately. Her work ethic has helped me stay on task to diligently complete my work. I would highly recommend Karen to anyone who seeks creative and professional hand holding through the development process. She easily adapts her voice to ensure consistency. She manages her time to achieve and in most cases, exceed timelines. She ensures there is alignment before moving forward minimizing the need for rework due to lack of clarity.”I encourage anyone in need of a quality product to engage Karen to help mold and polish their fact or fiction. From blogs to novels, I have extreme confidence in Karen’s capabilities and drive to get me where I need to go with the level of sophistication I know my audience expects of me.”

By Leonard Bernard, Jr., PMP, CSM

“​Karen is an exceptional fantasy writer. I am working with her in a few projects and I could not be more happy with her attention to details, delivery times, and professionalism.”

Kyle Galindez, Author

“I hired Karen Smith to review my unpublished, high fantasy manuscript. I asked Karen to provide a general critique and answer some specific questions I had. Karen was extremely helpful, identifying several problems that needed to be corrected. These included problems related to character development, world-building, and the quality of writing. I appreciated Karen’s attention to detail and her breadth of knowledge, especially regarding topics I knew little about.”It was gratifying to know Karen enjoyed my story, but I was more thankful for her honest and thoughtful criticisms. I am also grateful for Karen’s advice in improving my story and for answering follow-up questions I had upon receiving the critique. I highly recommend writers of any genre to consider enlisting Karen Smith as a critic or editor, especially new or inexperienced writers.”