Hi, all!

I’m Niels C. Kwakernaak. As a lifelong writing and language aficionado, I’m fluent in English and Dutch, and to a lesser extent, in German and Hebrew. I’m fast learning, goal oriented, and reliable. In my spare time, I’m a singer-songwriter, a classical (counter) tenor, and an amateur theologian. I have always been writing, painting, and composing music. And in so doing, I’m ever striving for perfection. With my inborn tendency to dive into projects with my heart and soul, I can bring all this creativity and perfectionism to the table of those who hire me.

Check the drop-down menu above to get to know all about me!

I’m looking forward to working with you!

Who is that bewhiskered fellow who can’t shut up about tightening prose and the beauty of language?

That would be me, Niels Kwakernaak, a writer and editor from Israel.

Where I came from

I was born and raised a Christian in the Netherlands, where I’ve spent most of my life—until I met my lovely wife on the walls of Jerusalem. After we got married, in 2015, I moved to Israel to start a new life in the Aravah desert. By now, three kids have joined our little fold.

That green thingy is not our third kid—the latter wasn’t there yet.

Since boyhood, I’ve had a passion for music and arts—I loved painting and playing drums, guitars, and piano; later, I started singing (classical, gospel, metal, and everything in between).

Books, however, were a mystery to me. I loved leafing through them, sniffing them, posing for pictures with them—but reading them was an idea that didn’t cross my mind. But when Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings hit the theaters, I realized couldn’t run from books anymore. And ever since, I have been a book junkie.

I had been writing stories and essays all my life—not knowing that real writers are readers—but now I began taking things seriously. I took writing classes and read every book I could find on writing and editing techniques. When I moved to Israel, I started a job as a copyeditor for a multinational editing company, where I later got promoted to senior editor.

In 2020, I felt it was time to start on my own as a freelancer—I started Your Best Story.

Editor for fiction

I love stories, and I love storytelling. I’ve always been writing, and for the past twenty years, I’ve been studying the art and craft of writing fiction. What makes a book suspenseful? How do you write dialogue that’s technically correct and has this tension that keeps you up at night? I had to understand these things.

I read every single book I could find on the subject, and for the past eight years, I’ve been studying at the Institute for Writers to deepen my knowledge and experience.

And I’d love to use all I’ve learned to help you create Your Best Story.

If you’d like me to work with you on your fiction, check out my page on copyediting and developmental editing.

Editor for nonfiction

Of course, I’m interested in all kinds of nonfiction as well.

Things I love to edit:

theology
music
history
philosophy
psychology
linguistics
science
writing technique
everything that’s interesting and inspiring.

If you’d like me to work with you on your nonfiction, check out my page on copyediting and developmental editing.

As a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and certified music producer, one of my main interests in nonfiction editing is—you guessed it—music. I love classical music and metal and (nearly) all that’s in between. I sing classical, gospel, and rock music (from a soft falsetto to belting my face off). I’m a passionate songwriter and composer (see the section Songwriting and compositions).

If you’re a writer in the field of music (music theory, vocal technique, music history—you name it) and in need of a professional (copy) editor, I might be your man. Check out my page on copyediting and developmental editing.

My inspiration for Your Best Story

I love quality.

I’ve always desired to see things come to their full potential, and I’m happy when I can do something to make that happen. For a long time, I’ve been working as a copyeditor in a large company, where I felt I was limited in what I was allowed to do to improve the text—time and money were the enemies.

Slowly, the dream began to emerge to start on my own. To start a company in which I could take the time to help authors make the very best of their manuscripts. I dream of working with authors who value quality above their wallet, and who are willing to invest time and money into their work. I don’t aspire to be cheap, but to be the best.

Because it’s Your Best Story.

My mission statement for Your Best Story

To make your story stand out among your competition.
If your story is a diamond, we’ll cut it to perfection.

My vision for Your Best Story

My mission with Your Best Story is to help writers and companies tell their stories in clear language.

My core values

Being honest
Working hard to achieve the best
Daring to be who I am
Providing the highest quality
Not being cheap, but being good
Getting the details right

Everybody deserves a chance to success
Dare to dream big
Let your imagination drive you
Love each word of your story
There’s a (rough) jewel in every person
Always keep on learning

Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.
King Solomon, 990-931 BCE

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
St. Paul, 62 CE