A book from HarperCollins is a really great credit, and the workshop is indeed prestigious. The phrase "book doctor" has acquired a negative connotation over the years. I wrote a book about sailing around the world many years ago--hence the screen name--and a propective agent referred me to a book doctor. I learned from P&E that the agent was under constant investigation and was in bed with the book doctor, so to speak, getting a kickback from the book doctor for referrals. Jeff Herman has some very specific cautions about the use of book doctors in his directory, although he doesn't cliam that they're all shams. I think caution is a watchword, therefore. What are the referrals? Have they "doctored" a book into successful publication?