Julia Kellaway

Julia Kellaway – Editor

Experienced and meticulous non-fiction editor with a keen eye. Passionate about great books.

Overview

I have over 20 years’ publishing experience and my specialities include: health, well-being, parenting, diet, lifestyle and personal development.

I am accurate and thorough with a keen eye for detail and will work with you to hone your ideas and create a manuscript that is both unique and inspiring.

Testimonials:
' Working with Julia was, without a doubt, the highlight of publishing my book. She was present, connected and supportive of the needs of the publisher, the reader and me. I appreciated the depth of experience and expertise she brought to the editing process, but also that she approached it as a true collaboration; my voice and opinion counted, despite being a first-time author. Working with Julia gave me huge confidence in my writing and she made me feel creatively safe enough to take her thoughtful feedback and turn it into tangible improvement. I learned a lot from her about how to appraise my work as a reader, not a writer, and this has definitely helped me develop my writing. I can't recommend her highly enough; I can’t thank her enough; and I wish I could write more books just so I could work with her again soon.'

Suzanne Alderson, Founder and Chair of charity Parenting Mental Health and author of Never Let Go


'Julia was my editor when I wrote my first book and I had no idea how it all worked. She was incredibly helpful and was always brilliant at returning my calls and guiding me through the whole process.'

Clare Byam-Cook, breastfeeding expert and bestselling author of What to Expect When You’re Breastfeeding... and What If You Can’t?


'Julia was a huge help to me and really had an incredible perspective. Her ability to step back and help me see the bigger picture in terms of the flow of the book and the reader experience was invaluable! Inevitably when you're in writing mode it's easy to get bogged down and lose sight of the journey you're taking the reader on so Julia was a wonderful partner in this regard. I'd highly recommend her to any author looking for honest and constructive feedback which is sure to take your book to the next level.'

Laura Earnshaw, founder of and author of My Happy Mind


'Julia has been a consistent inspirational support throughout my writing career. Without her I would never have got the job done. Never have I met anyone that can get things done properly in such little time.'

Sammy Margo, chartered physiotherapist and author of The Good Sleep Guide

Services
Non-Fiction
Business & Management Career Guides Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits Health & Wellbeing Parenting & Families Self-Help & Self-Improvement Sex & Relationships
Languages
English (AUS) English (UK)

Work experience

Self-employed

May, 2011 — Present

- Project management, structural editing, copy-editing
- Author coaching, shaping proposals
- Commissioning for major publishing houses and literary agents

Ebury Publishing, Random House UK

Nov, 2001 — May, 2011 (over 9 years)

- Started as an Editorial Assistant, working up to Senior Commissioning Editor
- Responsible not only for commissioning health, parenting, soft business and personal development titles, but also list management and managing projects from contract to print
- Involved copy-editing and proofreading in-house, author liaison and extensive copywriting

Anubis Literary Agency

Nov, 2000 — Aug, 2001 (9 months)

- Responsibilities included proofreading, liaising with authors and making recommendations as appropriate to the agent

Portfolio

Help your baby sleep through the night without any tears.The early months with a new baby are exciting and magical, but can be very emotional and exhausting if sleep is disturbed night after night. Baby sleep guru Charmian Mead's flexible plan, developed from ... read more
Get Fit, Get Happy isn't about just transforming the way you look.It's about transforming the way you feel. Harry Judd is a member of the hugely successful bands McFly and McBusted who have headlined Hyde Park, notched up 19 hit singles - of which 7 went to nu... read more
The Contented Little Baby Book, based on Gina Ford's personal experience of caring for over 300 babies, was first published in 1999. It quickly established Gina as an influential new authority on baby and childcare issues and has remained one of the bestsellin... read more
Charlotte Crosby's healthy lifestyle guide is bursting with all her favourite tips and tricks for what to eat when you're out and about, that can fit into even the busiest of schedules. Charlotte shares 80 simple and delicious recipes, including cocktails and ... read more
Child development expert Dr Rebecca Chicot shares with you the secrets to calm and stress-free toddler parenting. Based on her unique parent-toddler approach, she reveals that by understanding how your toddler thinks and what changes he is going through, you c... read more
Untitled

Bunton, Emma

When a computer goes wrong, we are told to turn it off and on again. In Am I Dreaming?, science journalist James Kingsland reveals how the human brain is remarkably similar. By rebooting our hard-wired patterns of thinking - through so-called 'altered states o... read more
For the first time, a Neuroscientist and Senior Lecturer at MIT reveals the surprising science that supports The Law of Attraction as an effective tool for self-discovery and offers a guide to discovering your authentic self to access your best life now.Self-h... read more
Do you eat too much sugar? What proportion of your country are immigrants? What does it cost to raise a child? How much tax do the rich pay? Are we more ignorant than we used to be?Take a minute to answer these questions. No matter how educated you are, this b... read more
The book you can trust to support you at every stage of your treatment—and beyond Professor Trisha Greenhalgh, an academic GP, and Dr Liz O’Riordan, a Consultant Breast Cancer Surgeon, are not only outstanding doctors, but they have also experienced breast can... read more
From the international phenomenon and bestselling sensation Bosh!—”the vegan Jamie Olivers” (Times, UK)—comes this fully comprehensive guide to vegan living, whether you’re thinking about adopting a plant-based lifestyle or a committed vegan looking for new in... read more
Whether you have a teen who is struggling with exam pressure, a young adult who hasn’t settled into university life or you are curious about what lies ahead for your younger child, How to Grow a Grown Up will help you to build your child's confidence and resil... read more
Organisations that make it big and survive the test of time are shapeshifters. Shapeshifters generate a strategy supple enough to adapt to changing environments and they disrupt themselves and the world around them to bring about positive change. In a volatile... read more
A practical guide to using mindfulness and hypnosis for a better birth--includes extensive audio dow....
Phil Spencer, property expert and co-presenter of hit series Location, Location, Location, provides everything you need to know to help you buy (and sell) your first homeWant to own your own home, but not sure where to start? Need some friendly advice from a p... read more
Baby-led Weaning

Gill Rapley

Contrary to popular belief, there is no research that supports the current mainstream view that babies should be weaned by being spoon-fed purées. Self-feeding allows babies to use their natural abilities to explore taste, texture, colour and smell. It encoura... read more

Julia has 10 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Nick H.

Nick H.

Dec, 2019

Excellent job, Julia clearly knows her stuff, she helped make my book proposal much more editor-friendly and professional. I definitely got my money's worth, and her experience as a former commissioning editor herself is incredibly valuable. Her work was very thorough and her feedback has helped hone my work massively.
Sheryl M.

Sheryl M.

Nov, 2019

I'm so glad I chose Julia to help me with this book. She was prompt, punctual, patient, professional and friendly. And most importantly, I believe she helped me get a much better book in all respects - something that people will actually want to read. She was brutally honest but in a really nice way :) I wouldn't hesitate in working with Julia on my next book.
Neil P.

Neil P.

Jun, 2019

Great editor. Loads of suggestions, brilliant improvements and thoughtful comments. Easy to work with and a great communicator. Will use again.
Attilio D.

Attilio D.

Mar, 2019

I enjoyed working with Julia. She was very professional and answered all my questions promptly. The work she did on my book took it to a new professional level, which I am very happy with. Something I couldn't have done on my own. She restructured the content and made many suggestions on areas within the book as well as improving the actual text. Julia did more than I expected from her and f...
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Nina C.

Nina C.

Oct, 2017

Julia shaped my manuscript into a Book with her thoughtful and professional criticism that guided me on where to improve my arguments and style of writing. I will definitely get Julia to help on my next book!

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