carmen asked Werner A. Lind:

I notice you said you had a professional to edit your work did you hire a professional company to promote your work. I have had several calls about my book, how do you know who is real or fake? I am retired with a limited income.

Werner A. Lind Well, my experience was limited; I hired the professional editor who was recommended by two small presses I'd submitted the book to --but it turned out later, in a big scandal, that he'd paid them and others kickbacks to recommend him, and he's no longer in business. The ironic thing is that he did a decent job of editing, and IMO improved the book; if he'd been honest, he could probably have attracted business just on his merits, without the bogus "recommendations."

This was in the days before Goodreads. Now that we have the Internet, my advice would be to check out online sites for writers that have info about editors and editing firms (and often warnings about specific scam operators!), and ask other Goodreads writers you trust about their experience with editors. Also, getting knowledgeable writer friends (or other friends who will be honest) to beta read your work can be as good as having it edited (and cheaper, since friends usually do this for free!).

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