Julia Duncan – Editor

I’m a certified publication specialist with extensive experience in nonfiction copy editing. Trained at Time-Life Books, I’ve completed book projects for Discovery Channel Books, Rebus Inc., and EdiGraphics, L.C., among others. These projects’ subjects have ranged from astrophysics to the history of NASA, mountain climbing to working dogs, cooking to the occult.As a copy editor, I specialize in the accuracy, consistency, style, and grace of English prose. My interest lies in polishing your writing so that your ideas reach your readers without the distractions of misplaced modifiers, inconsistent style, run-on sentences, and the like. Whereas a developmental editor manages the forest of your work, a good copy editor examines every leaf on every tree, making sure that each is exactly where and how it should be, without damaging or changing your voice or style.My technique is to fix what I know needs fixing—for instance, grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation, according to whichever style manual and dictionary you specify—and to query awkward or confusing phrasing, apparent inaccuracies, assertions that seem absurd or actionable, and so on. I can work on paper, using track changes in Word, or using comments in Adobe Acrobat. You will always see exactly what I’ve done and why, and the final decisions are always yours. I also provide a detailed style sheet identifying any choices made.