When I say I couldn’t have completed my latest book without Nirmala’s coaching and book doctoring, I mean that and more. To be more accurate, I wouldn’t have completed it without her! When I found Nirmala, I had written over 200,000 words in my manuscript and was completely overwhelmed as to how to cut that in half and still have it make sense. In addition to her substantial expertise, Nirmala convincingly conveyed her belief in me and the message of my memoir. I don’t know what was more valuable—her steady guidance, heartfelt depth, or ability to hold the big picture when offering editorial suggestions and insights. Nirmala is a gifted book midwife, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to work with her.
—Lisa Whelchel
Actress, Author, Life Coach
contigolifecoach.com
I have been a professional writer for over 30 years, and Nirmala is, quite simply, the best editor I have ever worked with. Wow. What she has given me with her reading of my work is a skilled, perceptive, and truly helpful treasure of an edit. I know exactly how to get these chapters tip top-now. I knew there were a few issues, and Nirmala has zeroed in on exactly what they were. She is extraordinary.
—Perdita Finn
Author and Teacher
takebackthemagic.com
If I had to describe Nirmala to someone considering working with her, I would tell them to plan on having a very successful book, even if they lack the executive skills they believe they need to make it real. Methodical and caring, Nirmala’s organizational skills blended with heartfelt connection to my work, which helped fill in my many gaps as a neurodivergent writer.
I felt like I got a healing working with Nirmala, because stitching The Wound Makes the Medicine with her helped me piece myself together in a way I was needing. The purpose of the book was to help others, but writing it with Nirmala’s guidance helped me immensely. When we completed it, I felt like I could gently close the chapter of my life that led to the writing of the book.
I felt immensely supported, and as a six-time self-published writer who had not received such rigorous and caring support, this made a big difference in my work, but also in my life. My confidence as a writer was strengthened, and I needed that! The book also was slated for second printing on the day sales were launched, and this tells me that we did fantastic work together.
—Pixie Lighthorse
Author of The Wound Makes the Medicine, Boundaries and Protection, and Goldmining the Shadows (all from Row House Publishing)
pixielighthorse.com
From the outset, Nirmala demonstrated remarkable patience and an understanding that went beyond the ordinary. Juggling the demands of being a therapist, along with the unpredictable schedule that comes with having two small children, can be a daunting task. However, Nirmala proved to be not only accommodating but also genuinely supportive during those moments when life's challenges altered our timelines.
One of Nirmala's standout qualities (there are many) is her ability to maintain a delicate balance between guiding the creative process and preserving the authenticity of one’s voice. Her approach can be described as collaborative and respectful, and it allowed me to feel a true sense of ownership over my work while benefiting from her expert guidance. Tangibly, my book has evolved into a more cohesive and compelling narrative, thanks to her keen editorial eye. Intangibly, the confidence and clarity I gained from our collaboration extend beyond the pages of my manuscript.
Through our collaboration, I gained valuable insights into myself as a writer and therapist. Her thoughtful feedback and suggestions prompted me to reflect not only on the content of my book but also on the deeper layers of my own creative process and life's work. This introspection, facilitated by her astute observations, has undeniably enriched both my professional and personal journey. I look forward to working with Nirmala again.
—Emely Rumble, LCSW
Author of Bibliotherapy in the Bronx (Row House Publishing, 2024)
literapynyc.com
If you are thinking of writing a book on how spirituality, meditation, and trauma healing interface with climate crisis, social justice, or anything else in the tangled web of issues facing our world today, please contact Nirmala! My book proposal included all of these topics, and I couldn't have asked for a better person to collaborate with. She is warm and empathetic, as well as strategic. She is a deep listener who asks brilliant questions which are necessary to create a book that will be valued by literary agents or publishing houses. She has the intuitive ability to grasp complicated issues, as well as our multi-layered emotional responses to these issues. I am blessed that she was a part of my book writing journey.
—Dr. Kritee (Kanko)
Zen Buddhist Priest, Climate Scientist, Meditation and Ecodharma Teacher, Author
kriteekanko.com
How often do you find a gifted and experienced editor who talks about "collective liberation" in the first paragraph of her website? I reached out to Nirmala for a developmental edit of my nonfiction book manuscript, but what I received was so much more. Her structural recommendations brought welcome clarity to the narrative arc of the work, but I had expected that. What I didn't expect was her astute attention to the nuances of the content itself—things that most editors would simply have no frame of reference for. Nirmala picked up on subtleties that only someone with a deep spiritual practice who is steeped in a progressive anti-oppression justice discourse could have. She is compassionate, insightful, generous, and thorough. An absolute pleasure to work with!
—Dr. Liza J. Rankow
Writer, Healer, Activist, Educator
lizarankow.org
Working with Nirmala was a really good experience! The communication was easy, and I love how she was able to shape everything I had to say in such a beautiful, powerful, and heartfelt way. Even when your stories are already deep and meaningful, it is important to write them the right way for them to have the impact they should—for them to touch people. At each stage of the process, we were working and talking very closely, in a mood full of respect and kindness. I definitely believe my book would never have been this amazing had I worked with someone else.
—Laetitia Ky
Artist, Model, and Author of Love and Justice: A Journey of Empowerment, Activism, and Embracing Black Beauty (Princeton Architectural Press, 2022)
Nirmala’s greatest gift is her ability to listen and meet the writing with an open heart, allowing it to go where it is meant to go, needs to go. I feel so honored to have crossed paths with Nirmala and to be able to be inspired, influenced, and guided by her brilliance. Both I and my writing are better because of it.
—Christopher Rivas
Actor, Artist, and Author of Brown Enough (Row House Publishing, 2022)
Working with Nirmala was a dream come true. She has an uncanny ability to mind-meld, which makes the writing and editing process exciting and enjoyable. Whatever my next book project will be, I plan to have Nirmala by my side.
—Nancy Levin
Author of several bestselling books, including the forthcoming The Art of Change, and the founder of Levin Life Coach Academy
Working with Nirmala was the perfect mix of critical eye and tender care. She was a cheerleader and a guide to me in my process, both encouraging me in just the right moments when I needed a boost to keep going and helping me create a very clear framework that created flow and freedom. With her support, I wrote 170 pages from nothing, which was mind-blowing for me.I have a solid foundation from which to jump! Forever grateful.
—Erika Rose Santoro
Artist, Warrior, and Teacher of Transformation and Healing
Nirmala has the grace and skill to navigate just about any book project and bring it to a beautiful fruition. She is an uncommon combination of personable, caring, and incredibly smart. I would not hesitate to hire her for ghostwriting, editing, or book coaching—in fact, my company frequently hires her for all of the above! You and your book will be in good hands with this extraordinary woman.
—Kelly Notaras
Founder & CEO, kn literary arts
Nirmala is not only an editor and writer, but also a teacher. Working with our team of content creators, she provides constructive commentary on issues of equity, inclusion, and sensitivity of language. Nirmala’s notes are entry points for deeper dives and inquiry. Her process is helping us build foundational skills and essential tools for exploring language and decentering our default choices. Nirmala engages in dialogue with her writers, which teaches us to be in dialogue with our readers and audiences—the most valuable lesson, as language is fluid and therefore requires us to approach bringing context and history. Working with Nirmala is a mellifluous experience. She prompts me to frame my work with a set of questions and reveal underlying assumptions. She provides insight and consideration that illuminates the spaces, voices, and issues that we haven’t seen before. This is the work of a true editor and teacher of the highest order.
—Pamela Horn
Director of Cross-Platform Publishing and Strategic Partnerships, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Nirmala is the most authentic, present, compassionate human being I know. Our creative partnership is kismet. Nirmala’s neutrality, attentiveness to detail, presence for her clients’ work, and commitment/passion to co-create is unsurpassable. Nirmala is committed to supporting any writer’s journey and dedicated to supporting them to discover their own truth and unique way of expressing it. Her genius revolves around how she takes each client through a process that gets to the end goal of truth, authenticity, and clarity.
—Kelly McNelis
Founder of Women For One and Author of Your Messy Brilliance: 7 Tools for the Perfectly Imperfect Woman
I worked with Nirmala on crafting a book proposal with the purpose of landing a literary agent. As a seasoned writer and editor, my needs were specific and unique. Together, we created the perfect plan on how to collaborate and position me to meet my goals. Not only did I land a top literary agent, but they secured a publishing deal with a Big 5 publisher for my debut book. All along the way, every agent and editor I met with praised the quality of my proposal. Nirmala is a unicorn. She is both whip smart and intuitive, curious and experienced, discerning and encouraging. I look forward to the next opportunity to get her eyes (and heart) on my writing.
—Zoë Kors
Sex and Intimacy Coach and Author of Radical Intimacy
Nirmala brought an essential editing voice to my book, Grounded Spirituality, and to another book that I published through Enrealment Press. She is methodical, reliable, creatively engaged, and highly intelligent. I recommend her as an editor at any stage of the process.
—Jeff Brown
Author of Grounded Spirituality and Soulshaping
I felt (know!) that Nirmala was the perfect editor for me, having an unusual combination of deep intellectualism and mysticism, which my book tries to embody. She was super detailed and provocative in the manuscript edits, and boiled everything down concisely for the cover letter. This made my editing both comprehensive and also big picture enough for me to clearly see the major points. It was a fantastic experience, and I hope to work with Nirmala many more times in the future!
—Diana Rowan
Author of The Bright Way: Five Steps to Freeing the Creative Within
Nirmala is a first-rate editor. When conducting a developmental edit of my book, she could see both the parts and the whole with exceptional clarity. She quickly grasped an overview of the project and helped me to see where the true flow of the story lay. Her eagle eye identified where the chronology was inconsistent ,and she pushed me to create a more cohesive whole. The greatest gift of working with Nirmala was her incisive questioning of things that I had not properly described or explained to the reader, or where I had made assumptions regarding their life experience. In addressing these issues, my book became an altogether richer experience for the reader. I am deeply grateful to Nirmala for her professional help, and I recommend her without hesitation to anyone seeking editorial assistance with their book.
—Aedamar Kirrane
Author of Light on Fire: Waking Up to Divine Love
Nirmala's book coaching is truly transformational. Through her guidance, I have found myself immersed in magic, mystery, creativity, and radical self-love. I initially reached out to get help for my doctoral work, and what I have received in return are tools to transform my way of being. With each session, I am able to remove obstacles that were blocking my creativity. I am learning how to better understand myself, my patterns, my pitfalls, and my strengths. I am able to tap into a greater field of consciousness that allows me to be a vehicle for what wants to be expressed. Nirmala has a beautiful way of being honest while holding a gentle tenderness for my self-development. Breakthrough, after breakthrough, I am discovering my authenticity, inner power, and my voice. I'm now working on my doctoral dissertation and crafting a book on life and leadership. I am in such awe of my work with Nirmala that I have made a one-year commitment to our sessions. She has an amazing way of listening to a jumble of ideas and helping to distill and crystalize the thoughts into something that can be produced into a piece of writing. It's pure magic and I love it!
—Usa Lee Prompongsatorn
Coach & Organizational Development Consultant
usaleeconsulting.com
Nirmala is a life-saver and book whisperer. I know for sure that without Nirmala’s editorial support, intellect, compassion, and creative vision, there would be no way I would have had a completed, professional book proposal. I had a deadline to complete my proposal, but I was lost and my writing was going nowhere. When I began working with Nirmala, she listened deeply. She was dedicated to helping me flesh out my thoughts and develop a cohesive outline, and her creativity and writing expertise were instrumental every step of the way. I have a strong book proposal that received an honorable mention from a publishing company’s writing contest and is being shopped around and poised for future publication. I am so grateful for Nirmala. Aside from being an incredible editor and writer, she a beautiful person with inner wisdom that comes through in the important work she does and the inspiration she offers aspiring writers.
—Hope McGrath
Author, Life Coach, and Creator of the Radiant Mix Podcast
We hired Nirmala to help us write the Listings Project equity and inclusion statement. We had already done some training around equity and inclusion, but we needed someone to help us put our intentions and commitments into words. Nirmala was the perfect person for the job. She asked penetrating questions and led us through a discussion process that helped reveal what it was we wanted to say. She didn’t do the work for us, but provided wise guidance and drew the relevant information out of us. She was a joy to work with. She was accessible, open, and responsive to our needs as a group. Not only that, but she is an exquisite writer. We now have a wonderful equity and inclusion statement that guides our organization daily. A portion of that document is now read and agreed upon by all of our community members.
—Stephanie Diamond
Creator and Founder of the Listings Project
I’ve had the privilege of working with Nirmala twice for copy in the last few years—initially for the entire website design and later for my organization’s accountability statement. The combination of her anti-oppressive analysis and wisdom, alongside her excellent writing acumen, was deeply useful. Working through an emergent, collaborative system, she crafted precise language that presented our work with unprecedented clarity. I'm forever grateful for her talents and highly recommend working with her.
—Ethan Kerr
Founder of Embodied Equity Project
Working with Nirmala was one of those experiences where everything just flows. She knew how to help offset my weaknesses while also honoring my voice and idiosyncratic style choices. She was organized and communicative and, most importantly, an absolute pleasure to work with.
—Emily Hooks
Author of The Power of Forgiveness: A Guide to Healing and Wholeness
Nirmala activated my authentic voice with inquisitive inquiry, genuine curiosity, and respect. I brought my first book to Nirmala to seek editorial support and I received much, much more. Taking time to cultivate my authentic voice with a series of meditation/writing coaching sessions with Nirmala was instrumental in supporting my work to complete the book and get it published! Publishing a book is a vulnerable endeavor. I am profoundly grateful to have Nirmala as a compassionate editor and guide for me to never lose touch with my inner essence and authentic voice.
— Maryam Ovissi
Founder of Beloved Yoga Sanctuary and Author of Care of the Whole Self: Yoga-Inspired Practices for Befriending the Self
