Erica Ferguson

Erica Ferguson – Editor

I'm an experienced copyeditor and proofreader (and former production editor) who has worked on nearly eight hundred original projects.

Overview

I'm a former senior production editor who has worked in-house at two major publishing houses (HarperCollins and Penguin Random House). I started freelancing in 2008 and turned to full-time eight years ago, when I became a mom. I currently copyedit and proofread for eight publishing companies (including the "Big Five"), editing adult, YA, middle school, and children's books, and genres including (but not limited to) romance, mysteries, memoirs, nonfiction, and thrillers.

I will not only edit your manuscript and provide the reasons for my changes/suggestions (adhering to "Chicago Manual of Style" and "Merriam-Webster"—quotation marks used only because italics formatting isn't possible here), I may leave a note or two why something resonates with me. Previous authors I've worked with have said my comments made it feel like a human was editing and taking interest in their hard work, as opposed to a robot just making changes. I also understand the importance of maintaining an author's voice and style and have been honored to be trusted to work on many books by authors of color and in the LGBTQ+ community, despite not identifying with either group.
Services
Non-Fiction
Entertainment
Fiction
Historical Fiction Humor & Comedy Mystery & Crime Romance Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Young Adult
Languages
English (US)
Certifications
  • Fundamentals of Proofreading (NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies)

Work experience

Penguin Random House

Aug, 2011 — Mar, 2014 (over 2 years)

• Worked on original manuscripts in a multitude of genres.
• Supervised the production of books from receipt of manuscript to the final PDF/blues stage.
• Edited and proofread material, including covers, teasers, indexes, flap copy, and catalog copy.
• Managed and checked the work of freelance copyeditors, proofreaders, and indexers.
• Created status reports, attended status meetings, and met deadlines to keep books on schedule.
• Worked directly as a liaison with the editorial, interior design, art, and production departments.
• Oversaw the work and schedules of two production editors.

Hachette, HarperCollins Publishers, Kensington, Macmillan, Pegasus, Penguin Random House, Scholastic, and Simon & Schuster

Dec, 2008 — Present

• Copyedit and fact-check original fiction and nonfiction manuscripts (adult, YA, middle school, and children's) for grammar and spelling errors, plot inconsistencies, anachronisms, etc.
• Create detailed style sheets, listing rules, preferences, and character and timeline details.
• Proofread page proofs against setting copy, checking typos, style inconsistencies, and fact errors or plot problems missed one earlier passes.
• Cold read to double-check for missed errors, occasionally slug second-pass pages.

As of August 2020 I've worked on almost eight hundred original projects, a selection of which can be found in the portfolio.

HarperCollins Publishers

Jul, 2007 — Aug, 2011 (about 4 years)

• Supervised the production of books (original manuscripts, hardcover offsets, and e-books).
• Managed a department member in the creation and approval of bound galleys.
• Edited monthly marketing material.

Portfolio

Adventures on Trains

Leonard, M. G.

Don't Stop Believin'

Newton-John, Olivia

The Love Hypothesis

Hazelwood, Ali

Temptation's Darling

Lindsey, Johanna

Give Them Lala

Kent, Lala

Concrete Rose

Thomas, Angie

Watch Out for Her: A Novel

Bailey, Samantha M.

On the Come Up

Thomas, Angie

Sisters

Telgemeier, Raina

Woman on the Edge

Bailey, Samantha M.

Will

Manson, Mark

Clap When You Land

Acevedo, Elizabeth

Refugee

Gratz, Alan

Born to Run

Bruce Springsteen

Ms. Gloria Steinem: A Life

Conkling, Winifred

We Spread

Reid, Iain

The Swap

Harding, Robyn

Ophie's Ghosts

Ireland, Justina

Lana's War: A Novel

Abriel, Anita

Korner and Werner

Engberg, Katrine

One by One

Ware, Ruth

Spirit Week

Marcks, Ira

The Athena Protocol

Sarif, Shamim

Everless

Holland, Sara

Tuesday Nights in 1980

Prentiss, Molly

The Dirty Book Club

Harrison, Lisi

Just Breathe

McGovern, Cammie

Summer Darlings

Foster, Brooke Lea

Foe: A Novel

Reid, Iain

Devil's Pocket

Dixon, John

Dark Stars

Rollins, Danielle

Marriage Vacation

Brooks, Pauline

Perfect Tunes

Gould, Emily

Be Not Far from Me

McGinnis, Mindy

Standing Strong

Giudice, Teresa

The Arrangement

Harding, Robyn

Dread Nation Series

Ireland, Justina

Courage & Defiance

Hopkinson, Deborah

Rules for Being a Girl

Bushnell, Candace

Unqualified

Faris, Anna

Prisoner B-3087

Gratz, Alan

The Stranger

Coben, Harlan

Erica has 11 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Nicholas M.

Nicholas M.

Jun, 2023

Erica was great! Her notes were outstanding. She really seemed to care about the work! Highly recommend.
Mark N.

Mark N.

Jul, 2021

Erica is prompt, professional, and a delight to work with. She's worked on two projects with me and I would eagerly hire her for a third.
Holli C.

Holli C.

Jun, 2021

Erica's work is top-notch. She communicates well and is easy to work with. She is an excellent editor and I highly recommend her.
Erica F.
Thank you so much, Holli! It's always a pleasure working with you.
Roxanne L.

Roxanne L.

May, 2021

Erica’s professionalism is unquestionable. She communicated clearly throughout the process, did a meticulous job of editing, as well as a considerable amount of research on the historical use of words to help me avoid anachronisms in my novel. Her price was also quite reasonable.
Erica F.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Roxanne! It was a pleasure working with you!
Anne S.

Anne S.

Apr, 2021

Erica did an excellent job copyediting my historical fiction. Her attention to detail was remarkable, and I really appreciated that she verified historical details. She not only polished my grammar and punctuation but caught some significant errors I had missed. I highly recommend Erica!

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