Julian Beecroft - Editor
Editor/writer with 20+ years' experience editing art, history, memoir and fiction, including Why Running Matters and The Bad Dream Notebook.
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Overview
I'm a freelance UK-based editor, writer and proofreader with almost two decades' experience working for some of the biggest publishers in the industry such as A&C Black/Bloomsbury and imprints in the Quarto group. As an editor I have worked across the arts and humanities on some fiction but hundreds of non-fiction books, including a number of US titles. I have developed particular specialisms in art, art history, history and memoir, though I'm comfortable working across a much wider spread of genres in the arts and humanities. In the past year or so, for example, projects I have worked on include an ambitious illustrated guide to world literature, theoretical papers on Anglo-Saxon architecture for a specialist academic journal, and a memoir of contemporary American Jewish life.
After a short editors' correspondence course, my real editorial training was the two years I spent studying at the turn of the century for postgraduate diplomas in translation from the Institute of Linguists in London, first from French into English and then from Spanish into English; there is nothing like trying to render the idioms of another language in those of your own to sharpen your awareness of what clear, idiomatic English prose should look like. But editing is a two-way process, and one that I see from both sides. As a writer and as a cultural storyteller, over the past decade I have produced blog series and other materials for museums and galleries in the UK and Europe, and arts or travel journalism (features and reviews) for legacy media brands including the Economist and the Guardian. One highlight: a seven-week journey across Canada in 2011, blogging about Canadian art for Dulwich Picture Gallery in London and the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands, as well as writing travel and culture features on the same subject for the Guardian and the London Magazine, both of whom I have written for since.
Over the past five years, I have also written 10 narrative non-fiction titles of my own, mostly on art, and I was recently awarded by the University of Sussex in the UK a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing whose areas of research included the contemporary English novel and the politics of the nation state in a globalised world. All of which means I bring a wealth of experience, subject knowledge, editorial sensitivity, intellectual rigour and instinctual storytelling flair to any text I work on, either as an editor in serving the writer or as a writer in serving the idea. At its best, the editorial process is a conversation between writer and editor, with the editor's role to help the writer articulate that idea in the best way possible; to say exactly what they mean. Any client will find me diligent, punctual and responsive in pursuit of that goal.
After a short editors' correspondence course, my real editorial training was the two years I spent studying at the turn of the century for postgraduate diplomas in translation from the Institute of Linguists in London, first from French into English and then from Spanish into English; there is nothing like trying to render the idioms of another language in those of your own to sharpen your awareness of what clear, idiomatic English prose should look like. But editing is a two-way process, and one that I see from both sides. As a writer and as a cultural storyteller, over the past decade I have produced blog series and other materials for museums and galleries in the UK and Europe, and arts or travel journalism (features and reviews) for legacy media brands including the Economist and the Guardian. One highlight: a seven-week journey across Canada in 2011, blogging about Canadian art for Dulwich Picture Gallery in London and the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands, as well as writing travel and culture features on the same subject for the Guardian and the London Magazine, both of whom I have written for since.
Over the past five years, I have also written 10 narrative non-fiction titles of my own, mostly on art, and I was recently awarded by the University of Sussex in the UK a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing whose areas of research included the contemporary English novel and the politics of the nation state in a globalised world. All of which means I bring a wealth of experience, subject knowledge, editorial sensitivity, intellectual rigour and instinctual storytelling flair to any text I work on, either as an editor in serving the writer or as a writer in serving the idea. At its best, the editorial process is a conversation between writer and editor, with the editor's role to help the writer articulate that idea in the best way possible; to say exactly what they mean. Any client will find me diligent, punctual and responsive in pursuit of that goal.
Languages
English (UK)
English (US)
Non-Fiction
Art
Biographies & Memoirs
History
Music
Political Science & Current Affairs
Travel
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction
Historical Fiction
Certifications
- July 1992: Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London, UK) Graduate (degree-equivalent) Diploma in Music: Starred first.
- December 2000: Institute of Linguists (London, UK) Postgraduate Diploma in Translation from French into English: Letter of Credit for technical translation.
- December 2001: Institute of Linguists (London, UK) Postgraduate Diploma in Translation from Spanish into English: Letter of Credit for technical translation.
- December 2019: University of Sussex PhD in Creative and Critical Writing.
Work experience
Editor/writer
Self-employed
September, 2002
–
Present
(over 19 years)
I have been a full-time editor and writer since 2002. For a decade from 2004, my main client was A&C Black (latterly Bloomsbury) Visual Arts, for whom I copy-edited hundreds of titles on the widest possible range of mediums within the visual arts. During the same period and since, I have edited books in various genres including popular history, memoir and fiction, for numeorus other clients including Sutton Publishing (now The History Press), Ivy Press (and other Quarto imprints), She Writes Press and Summersdale Publishers. I have also written 10 non-fiction titles for Flame Tree Publishing and for Summersdale Publishers, mostly on art and culture.
Portfolio (14 selected works)
You might run for fitness. You might run for speed. But ultimately, running is about much more than the physical act itself. It is about the challenges we face in life, and how we measure up to them. It is about companionship, endurance, ambition, hope, conviction, determination, self-respect and inspiration. It is about how we choose to live our lives, and what it means to share our values wi... read more
The Second World War played havoc with millions of lives, and all over the world lovers were pulled apart, often just as their stories together were beginning. World War II Love Stories tells the tales of 14 very different couples.- Moving, real-life love stories from the greatest conflict in recent history, with atmospheric photographs and ephemera for every couple.- Includes the tales of cou... read more
As Judy Gruen walked down the aisle and into her Orthodox Jewish future, her bouquet quivered in her shaky hand. Having grown up in the zeitgeist that proclaimed, “If it feels good, do it,” was she really ready to live the life of “rituals, rules, and restraints” that the Torah prescribed? The Skeptic and the Rabbi is a rare memoir with historical depth, spirituality, and intelligent humor. Gr... read more
Great White Hopes: The Quest to Defeat Jack Johnson
Graeme Kent, Harry Carpenter
In Sydney, Australia, in 1908 the brash and talented black fighter Jack Johnson won the heavyweight championship of the world from the Canadian Tommy Burns. There was an immediate storm of protest. Writers, including Jack London, and politicians feared the accession of the fearless and outspoken Johnson would threaten white supremacy. It was predicted - accurately - that his reign would lead t... read more
Stanley Jones and the Curwen Studio
Stanley Jones
Lavishly illustrated with works by acclaimed artists as diverse as Henry Moore, Paula Rego, David Hockney, Ken Kiff, Elisabeth Frink, Barbara Hepworth, Ceri Richards and Man Ray, this book tells the story of the establishment of the Curwen Studio and the development of Stanley Jones' career as an artist printmaker. The Curwen Studio is a unique organization within the Fine Art printmaking worl... read more
The Bad Dream Notebook: A Novel
Linda Dahl
John and Erica Mason-Grey are hard-working artists and loving parents―but when John dies, their teenage daughter Mona’s casual drug use spirals into heroin addiction. She and her mother soon begin an anguished game of hide-and-seek leading to countless arguments, arrests, thefts, rehabs, and relapse, a recurring nightmare that seems to have no end. Ultimately, it’s only when each of them finds... read more
Printmaking at the Edge explores the innovative techniques printmakers are using today. The topics covered range from the challenges of new technology and materials (for example, the latest high-tech plates and speciality papers and inks) to the persistence of traditional techniques and the new directions they are taking (for example, digital techniques being used with silkscreen and wood engr... read more
The music world has seen some of the most iconic partnerships of all time: Sonny and Cher, Mick and Marianne, Elvis and Priscilla, Ike and Tina.... Rock 'n' Roll Love Stories looks at 14 of the best, taking us from the 1950s all the way up to the early 2000s. Along the way we see behind the public face of a whole range of relationships, from the straightforwardly romantic to the messily divide... read more
A contemporary look at both traditional clothing and street styles from 38countries around the world and the influence these two very different kinds of dress are having on fashionand designers today. Traditional dress from around the globe inspiredthe early designs of people like Coco Chanel and Christian Dior. Culture to Catwalklooks back at the roots of the industry, the backlash against br... read more
Seeds: A Natural History
Carolyn Fry
From the magnificence of a towering redwood to the simple elegance of a tiny dandelion, seed-bearing plants abound on planet Earth. The sheer diversity of plants thriving today is largely thanks to the evolution of the seed, as this made plants resilient to environmental changes by enabling them to await optimum conditions for growth before springing to life. In a time of declining biodiversit... read more
Art has been used in the service of social and political movements, for good and evil, from ancient times to the present day, and this unique book explores the history, cultural diversity, and artistic legacy of art works that have had far greater impact than political and social rhetoric and have served as key catalysts for change.Colin Moore presents the art in themes such as political state... read more
Frida Kahlo Masterpieces of Art
Julian Beecroft
The painful, exquisite art of Mexico’s favourite artist was a product of immense physical pain, and an emotional tumultuous life. The new book features the range and power of her heavily autobiographical work, from the early, disturbing explorations of personal suffering to the more dulled, painkiller-drenched paintings of her later life.
A gorgeous new edition with the cover printed on silver. Towards the end of his life and much inspired by Japanese water gardens, Monet spent a great deal of time in his beloved Giverny. Adorned with poppies, blue sage, dahlias and irises, the waters were disturbed only by bamboos and water lilies. His water garden was originally created to satisfy a need to be near water, and to provide a vis... read more
Lost Cities: Beauty in Desolation (Abandoned Places)
Julian Beecroft
Ancient civilisations in Vietnam, the lost cities of the Amazon, the cities and towns of humankind have fought for space against the overwhelming power of nature. We think we’ve mastered it, but discoveries across the world show abandoned cities, their proud buildings now flooded, overtaken by the forests, nature taking back what once was its own, with the slow, relentlessness of time. But the... read more
Julian has 14 reviews
Professionalism
Professionalism
Quality
Quality
Value
Value
Communication & Punctuality
Communication & Punctuality
Julian was instrumental in helping me re-imagine and restructure my project. His feedback--delivered punctually--was honest, sensitive, and of superior quality. One idea--seemingly small, and having to do with the general theme of my chapters--was momentous for me, and changed my approach in an impactful way. I rewrote much of the first draft in response to Julian's excellent feedback. And I f...
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Heidi Boghosian, January 2022
Reply from Julian Beecroft
Julian has just helped bring my first book from a rough transcript to a reality.
Every step of the way he has helped push the book and my writing to something beyond what I thought was possible. His attention to detail is simply brilliant, his insight invaluable, and even helped me formulate a book blurb and other pieces I needed to complete the book.
The second part of work he has carried o...
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ryan murphy, November 2021
Reply from Julian Beecroft
Julian got into the details, as a line editor and development editor, and offered some really thoughtful insights on my book project. Most usefully, he took the time to offer well thought out responses to all of my emails, both while he was working on my manuscirpt and afterwards. As a writer in the US, having a highly educated, experienced editor who is a native English speaker but Not and Am...
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Bill Sasser, November 2021
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Reply from Julian Beecroft
Thoroughly impressed with the edit made by Julian to my very rough transcripts to my first attempt at writing a book. brilliant detail to remove added content but also leave some sections in, to make me question whether what I had wrote made sense in the wider context of the book. asked many questions as to what I was trying to say and how I could better tell the story. Very honest and brillian...
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ryan murphy, July 2021
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Reply from Julian Beecroft
Julian has done an excellent job of editing and proving valuable feedback. He did a fine job of improving the readability of my sentences, but still letting my voice come through.
My story is a nautical historical adventure and it became clear early on that Julian was unfamiliar with ships and their equipment, but he was able to pick up on the nautical language fairly quickly after a little co...
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Ryan Plut, July 2021
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Reply from Julian Beecroft
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