Julia Dahl – Editor

After a long career in journalism, I published my first novel in 2014 and am now working on my sixth. I am also an adjunct professor of journalism at NYU and I teach private creative writing classes.

As a developmental editor, I bring my love of literature, my exacting journalistic eye, and my novelist's understanding of structure, creating tension, compelling characters, and the importance of keeping the reader curious.

I see it as my job to help you achieve your vision for your novel - in your voice and in your way. I also bring insight from the publishing industry : editors and agents want nearly perfect manuscripts – but getting to nearly perfect by yourself can be tough! I read your work with an open mind, ready to find what’s working and what isn’t. Are there holes in your story? Pacing or structural problems? Do characters need to be fleshed out? Does the book lack tension? Do you rely too much on narration and not enough on active scenes?

Whatever is holding your manuscript back from being its best self, I’ll find it – and give you actionable ideas for how to fix it.

TESTIMONIALS

“Julia is a phenomenal editor. She has a great eye for tension and creating suspense. Her editorial comments were spot on and helped me take my book to the next level. I highly recommend her!” - Wanda M. Morris, author of All Her Little Lies

"Julia Dahl’s superpower is her ability to see an early draft and somehow connect that with the book you’ve been trying to write all along. Her notes are full of practical tips and deeper wisdom about storytelling. Truly, I can’t imagine trying to write another book without her as my first reader.” - Zac Bissonnette, author of "The Great Beanie Baby Bubble" and "A Killing in Costumes"