Julia King

Julia King – Editor

Former HarperCollins senior editor passionate about elegant writing, powerful storytelling, and building strong relationships with writers.

Overview

Hello! I'm Julia, a professional book editor with over a decade's experience. I spent seven years as a senior editor at HarperCollins and previously worked as an editor at Harlequin. Now, as a freelancer, I have the pleasure of collaborating with clients like Penguin Random House, Harlequin, Entangled, Hachette, and Pan Macmillan. My passion lies in crafting elegant prose, compelling narratives, and nurturing strong relationships with writers.


I specialise in commercial fiction, focusing on romance, YA, thrillers, fantasy, historical fiction, and more. I offer a range of services, including developmental editing, line editing, copy editing, and proofreading. If you're unsure about what you need, just ask—I’m here to help! My approach is warm and collaborative, ensuring that your vision is always the priority. I want you to feel supported, understood, and empowered to trust your own instincts.


In addition to my professional experience, I hold an MA in publishing, a BA in English literature, and a diploma in book editing, so you can feel confident you'll be in good hands. Let’s collaborate to bring your story to life!



Services
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Historical Fiction LGBTQ Fiction Mystery & Crime Romance Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Young Adult
Languages
English (AUS) English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • MA in publishing
  • Bachelor of Arts in English literature
  • Diploma of book editing and publishing

Work experience

HarperCollins

Jan, 2015 — Dec, 2021 (almost 7 years)

Oversaw the management and coordination of book acquisitions for HarperCollins. Edited and project-managed a range of fiction and non-fiction titles. Guided authors through the publication process, reviewed manuscript submissions and conducted in-house substantive and copy editing. Coordinated and negotiated with freelancers, authors, and clients.

Harlequin

Mar, 2012 — Dec, 2014 (almost 3 years)

Edited a range of fiction titles, especially romance, YA and thrillers; briefed and liaised with freelance editors to ensure quality control; supported and guided authors through the publication process; reviewed submissions; and offered sensitivity feedback to publishers and authors.

Julia has 30 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

MQ W.

MQ W.

Oct, 2024

Pinned
"Highly Professional and Invaluable Editing Expertise" I had the pleasure of working with Julia on my manuscript, and I can’t recommend her highly enough. From the start, her professionalism and attention to detail were evident. She took the time to understand the tone and style I wanted to achieve and provided insightful suggestions to enhance the clarity, flow, and overall structure. Her ke...
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Valerie M.

Valerie M.

Oct, 2023

Pinned
Julia was amazing and what a find. Her editing was exceptional and outstanding in every way. She as friendly and professional and always prompt with her responses. Her edits were extremely helpful and her knowledge and skills are refined. She is a highly talented and very skilled editor. We worked really well together and she helped me to make my work shine bright. I will defiantly use Julia as...
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Julia K.
Thank you, Valerie! It was wonderful to work with you!
Fiona H.

Fiona H.

Sep, 2023

Pinned
I am delighted with Julia’s work. She was a complete professional throughout the whole process and patiently guided me through every step. Her copy edits were thorough and thoughtful and my manuscript is in infinitely better shape thanks to her expertise. She encouraged me and honoured my voice but at the same time told me what I needed to hear to make the story stronger. I so appreciated her i...
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Julia K.
Fiona was a fabulous client. Highly recommend!
Jerome B.

Jerome B.

Sep, 2024

It has been really great working with Julia. She took the time to understand the characters and what I was trying to convey (subtle emotion, trauma, Aussie humour, tormented and disturbed love) with such complex relationships. Set in Australia in the 1970s-80s, Julia was able to suggest tweaks to my work to capture a different period in time (being Aussie herself really helped here), and also s...
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chris M.

chris M.

Sep, 2024

Julia was an absolute pleasure to work with. The knowledge and understanding that she brings are invaluable to anyone, and is someone I would highly recommend to trust with your manuscript. Her attention to detail will only make your work better and she makes sure that any edits still keep your voice and story as you intended. Julia was so pleasant and professional, I cannot wait to work with h...
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