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Julie Fergusson - Editor
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
I am a professional and experienced fiction and non-fiction editor accustomed to working with publishers and authors.
Overview
I am a freelance editor skilled at editing, copy-editing and proofreading, with experience across a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and academic titles.
I am accustomed to working both with publishers and directly for authors. My publisher clients include Arena Sport, Birlinn, Bookouture, Canongate, Freight, McNidder & Grace, Polygon and the Society of Antiquaries.
In addition to editing, copy-editing and proofreading, I offer a manuscript critique service, which has proven very popular. This is an in-depth examination of your novel and highly recommended for authors who have finished a first draft and want to address any issues before redrafting. Whether you plan on submitting to agents and publishers or want to self-publish, a manuscript critique provides a professional opinion on the strengths and weaknesses of your project. I offer constructive feedback in a written report, covering topics such as plot, structure, character development, use of language and dialogue.
Services
Languages
Fiction
Work experience
Sales, Publicity and Events Assistant
Birlinn Ltd
Editor
Freelance
I have been doing editorial work – editing, copy-editing, proofreading and manuscript critiques – since April 2013 for both publishers and authors. I enjoy working with authors to bring out the best in their work and to find solutions that both they and their publisher are satisfied with.
Digital Assistant
Birlinn Ltd
Portfolio (28 selected works)
The Brilliant & Forever
Kevin MacNeil
On an island like no other, populated by writers, the annual Brilliant & Forever Festival is a much anticipated event; its participants a story away from either glory or infamy. This year, three best friends - two human, one alpaca - are chosen to compete, so victory is not only about reward. This is a novel like no other; a wonderful, provocative tussle, a whip-cracking, energetic, laugh-out-... read more
On an island like no other, populated by writers, the annual Brilliant & Forever Festival is a much anticipated event; its participants a story away from either glory or infamy. This year, three best friends - two human, one alpaca - are chosen to compete, so victory is not only about reward. This is a novel like no other; a wonderful, provocative tussle, a whip-cracking, energetic, laugh-out-... read more
The Rat Stone Serenade: A D.C.I. Daley Thriller (The D.C.I. Daley Series Book 4)
Denzil Meyrick
It's December, and the Shannon family are returning home to their clifftop mansion near Kinloch for their annual AGM. Shannon International is one of the world's biggest private companies, with tendrils reaching around the globe in computing, banking and mineral resourcing, and it has brought untold wealth and privilege to the family. However, a century ago Archibald Shannon stole the land upo... read more
It's December, and the Shannon family are returning home to their clifftop mansion near Kinloch for their annual AGM. Shannon International is one of the world's biggest private companies, with tendrils reaching around the globe in computing, banking and mineral resourcing, and it has brought untold wealth and privilege to the family. However, a century ago Archibald Shannon stole the land upo... read more
The Night He Left
Sue Lawrence
At 7pm on 28th December 1879 a violent storm batters the newly-built iron rail bridge across the River Tay, close to the city of Dundee. Ann Craig, a wealthy woman, is waiting for her husband, a mill owner, to return home. From her window she sees the bridge collapse, the train he is travelling on ploughing into the sea, killing all those on board. As Ann investigates the events leading up to ... read more
At 7pm on 28th December 1879 a violent storm batters the newly-built iron rail bridge across the River Tay, close to the city of Dundee. Ann Craig, a wealthy woman, is waiting for her husband, a mill owner, to return home. From her window she sees the bridge collapse, the train he is travelling on ploughing into the sea, killing all those on board. As Ann investigates the events leading up to ... read more
Cold City
Cathy McSporran
A stunning debut novel uses speculative fiction to explore mental illness and our darkest feeling....
A stunning debut novel uses speculative fiction to explore mental illness and our darkest feeling....
The Last Witness: A D.C.I. Daley Thriller (The D.C.I. Daley Series Book 2)
Denzil Meyrick
James Machie was a man with a genius for violence, his criminal empire spreading beyond Glasgow into the UK and mainland Europe. Fortunately, James Machie is dead, assassinated in the back of a prison ambulance following his trial and conviction. But now, five years later, he is apparently back from the grave, set on avenging himself on those who brought him down. Top of his list is his previo... read more
James Machie was a man with a genius for violence, his criminal empire spreading beyond Glasgow into the UK and mainland Europe. Fortunately, James Machie is dead, assassinated in the back of a prison ambulance following his trial and conviction. But now, five years later, he is apparently back from the grave, set on avenging himself on those who brought him down. Top of his list is his previo... read more
Dark Suits and Sad Songs: A D.C.I. Daley Thriller (The D.C.I Daley Series Book 3)
Denzil Meyrick
When a senior Edinburgh civil servant spectacularly takes his own life in Kinloch harbour, DCI Jim Daley comes face to face with the murky world of politics. To add to his woes, two local drug dealers lie dead, ritually assassinated. It's clear that dark forces are at work in the town. With his boss under investigation, his marriage hanging on by a thread, and his sidekick DS Scott wrestling w... read more
When a senior Edinburgh civil servant spectacularly takes his own life in Kinloch harbour, DCI Jim Daley comes face to face with the murky world of politics. To add to his woes, two local drug dealers lie dead, ritually assassinated. It's clear that dark forces are at work in the town. With his boss under investigation, his marriage hanging on by a thread, and his sidekick DS Scott wrestling w... read more
Fields of Blue Flax
Sue Lawrence
Set in Edinburgh and Dundee, Fields of Blue Flax is the parallel story of, in the past, dark Victorian secrets uncovered and, in the present, how an innocent interest in genealogy brings a family to the brink of destruction. This is a remarkable and compelling debut novel by Sue Lawrence, renowned food writer, journalist and broadcaster, and first ever winner of BBC TV's Masterchef. Cousins Ma... read more
Set in Edinburgh and Dundee, Fields of Blue Flax is the parallel story of, in the past, dark Victorian secrets uncovered and, in the present, how an innocent interest in genealogy brings a family to the brink of destruction. This is a remarkable and compelling debut novel by Sue Lawrence, renowned food writer, journalist and broadcaster, and first ever winner of BBC TV's Masterchef. Cousins Ma... read more
The Little Village Bakery: A feel good romantic comedy with plenty of cake (Honeybourne Book 1)
Tilly Tennant
Help yourself to a generous slice of Victoria sponge, a perfect cup of tea and a big dollop of romance. Welcome to the Little Village Bakery. Meet Millie. Heartbreak has forced her to make a new start and when she arrives at the old bakery in the little village of Honeybourne she is determined that this will be her home sweet home. Her imagination has been captured by the tumbledown bakery but... read more
Help yourself to a generous slice of Victoria sponge, a perfect cup of tea and a big dollop of romance. Welcome to the Little Village Bakery. Meet Millie. Heartbreak has forced her to make a new start and when she arrives at the old bakery in the little village of Honeybourne she is determined that this will be her home sweet home. Her imagination has been captured by the tumbledown bakery but... read more
Lovers and Liars: An addictive sexy beach read
Nigel May
Welcome to the Velvet Hotel Barbados where money and sex go hand in hand with murder .... When Millionaire playboy Sheridan Rivers is found dead at his luxurious hotel on the paradise island of Barbados, there are several suspects in the frame… Sutton: Sheridan’s long-suffering wife was permanently pushed aside for his younger lovers. Was it time for her to make a stand? Kassidy: Sheridan’s as... read more
Welcome to the Velvet Hotel Barbados where money and sex go hand in hand with murder .... When Millionaire playboy Sheridan Rivers is found dead at his luxurious hotel on the paradise island of Barbados, there are several suspects in the frame… Sutton: Sheridan’s long-suffering wife was permanently pushed aside for his younger lovers. Was it time for her to make a stand? Kassidy: Sheridan’s as... read more
A Wild Adventure
Tom Pow
Tom Pow's beautiful, powerful poems examine the remarkable life of Thomas Watling. Watling was born....
Tom Pow's beautiful, powerful poems examine the remarkable life of Thomas Watling. Watling was born....
Neymar: My Story - Conversations with my Father
Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, Neymar da Silva Santos Senior, Ivan Moré
Neymar: My Story
Neymar: My Story
Rowing After the White Whale: A Crossing of the Indian Ocean by Hand
James Adair
Rowing After the White Whale
Rowing After the White Whale
Beneath the Skin
Sandra Ireland
Christmas at the Little Village Bakery: A feel good festive romance to curl up by the fire with (Honeybourne Book 2)
Tilly Tennant
It’s time to get toasty by the fire with a glass of mulled wine and a slice of chocolate yule log sprinkled with a little romance. Welcome to Christmas at the Little Village Bakery.Snow is falling in Honeybourne and Spencer is bringing home his American fiancée Tori for a traditional English Christmas with all the trimmings. But when his hippie mum and dad meet her high-maintenance parents, sp... read more
It’s time to get toasty by the fire with a glass of mulled wine and a slice of chocolate yule log sprinkled with a little romance. Welcome to Christmas at the Little Village Bakery.Snow is falling in Honeybourne and Spencer is bringing home his American fiancée Tori for a traditional English Christmas with all the trimmings. But when his hippie mum and dad meet her high-maintenance parents, sp... read more
Sunshine on a Rainy Day: A funny, feel-good romantic comedy
Bryony Fraser
A hilarious and heartbreaking read, for anyone whose life hasn’t quite gone to plan… The only book that fans of BRIDGET JONES and MARIAN KEYES need.‘If you enjoyed One Day, you’ll love this.’ Reader reviewIt’s Zoe and Jack’s first wedding anniversary party. They’ve got an announcement! They’re getting divorced…Marriage isn’t for everyone – something that Zoe and Jack discovered only after they... read more
A hilarious and heartbreaking read, for anyone whose life hasn’t quite gone to plan… The only book that fans of BRIDGET JONES and MARIAN KEYES need.‘If you enjoyed One Day, you’ll love this.’ Reader reviewIt’s Zoe and Jack’s first wedding anniversary party. They’ve got an announcement! They’re getting divorced…Marriage isn’t for everyone – something that Zoe and Jack discovered only after they... read more
Watch Me
Angela Clarke
‘The story races along…Clarke is certainly someone to watch.’ DAILY MAILYOU HAVE SIX SECONDS TO READ THIS MESSAGE…The body of a 15-year-old is found hours after she sends a desperate message to her friends. It looks like suicide, until a second girl disappears.This time, the message is sent directly to the Metropolitan Police – and an officer’s younger sister is missing.DS Nasreen Cudmore and ... read more
‘The story races along…Clarke is certainly someone to watch.’ DAILY MAILYOU HAVE SIX SECONDS TO READ THIS MESSAGE…The body of a 15-year-old is found hours after she sends a desperate message to her friends. It looks like suicide, until a second girl disappears.This time, the message is sent directly to the Metropolitan Police – and an officer’s younger sister is missing.DS Nasreen Cudmore and ... read more
Return to the Little French Guesthouse: A feel good read to make you smile: Volume 2 (La Cour des Roses)
Helen Pollard
Blue skies, new love, and a glass of Bordeaux... what could possibly go wrong?...
Blue skies, new love, and a glass of Bordeaux... what could possibly go wrong?...
All I Want for Christmas: A feel good Christmas romance to warm your heart
Jenny Hale
All I Want for Christmas is a big, cozy Christmas story about the importance of family, the strength of childhood friendships, and learning to trust your heart.Fans of Carole Matthews, Susan Wiggs and Susan Mallery – and anyone who likes the glow of Christmas lights and the rustle of wrapping paper – will fall in love with this feel-good Christmas treat.Christmas comes once a year . . . But tr... read more
All I Want for Christmas is a big, cozy Christmas story about the importance of family, the strength of childhood friendships, and learning to trust your heart.Fans of Carole Matthews, Susan Wiggs and Susan Mallery – and anyone who likes the glow of Christmas lights and the rustle of wrapping paper – will fall in love with this feel-good Christmas treat.Christmas comes once a year . . . But tr... read more
The Night Visitor
Lucy Atkins
Secrets and Fries at the Starlight Diner: A sharply funny read featuring suspicion, seduction and shockwaves (The Starlight Diner Series, Book 2)
Helen Cox
The smart second novel in the Starlight Diner series‘Fresh, original and addictive’ PHILLIPA ASHLEYWhat brings Bonnie Brooks to The Starlight Diner? And why is she on the run?As the front-woman in a band, Bonnie is used to being in the spotlight, but now she must hide in the shadows.Bonnie only has one person who she can turn to: her friend Esther Knight, who waitresses at the Fifties-themed d... read more
The smart second novel in the Starlight Diner series‘Fresh, original and addictive’ PHILLIPA ASHLEYWhat brings Bonnie Brooks to The Starlight Diner? And why is she on the run?As the front-woman in a band, Bonnie is used to being in the spotlight, but now she must hide in the shadows.Bonnie only has one person who she can turn to: her friend Esther Knight, who waitresses at the Fifties-themed d... read more
How to Mend a Broken Heart: An emotional, uplifting page turner about love, loss and friendship
Anna Mansell
Three strangers. Three broken hearts. Three shots at happiness. Life is good for nurse Kat. That is until the man she intended to marry legs it, she’s unexpectedly promoted to a position with too much responsibility, and Susan arrives on her ward under strange circumstances.Susan is a mystery. She refuses to speak or interact with anyone, she’s obsessed with a book of fairy tales, and the only... read more
Three strangers. Three broken hearts. Three shots at happiness. Life is good for nurse Kat. That is until the man she intended to marry legs it, she’s unexpectedly promoted to a position with too much responsibility, and Susan arrives on her ward under strange circumstances.Susan is a mystery. She refuses to speak or interact with anyone, she’s obsessed with a book of fairy tales, and the only... read more
Starcrasher (Shades Space Opera Book 1)
Rock Forsberg
What if the stars collided?Tredd Bounty is a navy reject turned bounty hunter, living in the grimy world of Spit City on orbit around gas giant Heeg. When he is given the chance to take on a dangerous yet lucrative mission to find and capture the mysterious Starcrasher device, rumoured to have the power to move the stars themselves, it seems like his luck is about to turn. He gathers a motley ... read more
What if the stars collided?Tredd Bounty is a navy reject turned bounty hunter, living in the grimy world of Spit City on orbit around gas giant Heeg. When he is given the chance to take on a dangerous yet lucrative mission to find and capture the mysterious Starcrasher device, rumoured to have the power to move the stars themselves, it seems like his luck is about to turn. He gathers a motley ... read more
Wicked City: Volume 1
Westin Lee
The Forget-Me-Not Flower Shop: Where romance blossoms
Tracy Corbett
The summer romance novel that everyone is talking about!Evie runs a florist, The Forget-Me-Not Flower Shop. A new man is not what she needs, but can plumber Scott Castillo fix her boiler and thaw her heart too?Scott is trying to balance paying the bills with caring for his sick mother and parenting his nephew, Ben, who at 18 is marrying his girlfriend Amy. Amy’s mum Patricia hides her husband ... read more
The summer romance novel that everyone is talking about!Evie runs a florist, The Forget-Me-Not Flower Shop. A new man is not what she needs, but can plumber Scott Castillo fix her boiler and thaw her heart too?Scott is trying to balance paying the bills with caring for his sick mother and parenting his nephew, Ben, who at 18 is marrying his girlfriend Amy. Amy’s mum Patricia hides her husband ... read more
The Book of Bera
Suzie Wilde
Blink: A psychological thriller with a killer twist you'll never forget
K.L. Slater
What if the person you love most in the world was in terrible danger … because of you?Three years ago, Toni’s five-year-old daughter Evie disappeared after leaving school. The police have never been able to find her. There were no witnesses, no CCTV, no trace. But Toni believes her daughter is alive. And as she begins to silently piece together her memories, the full story of the past begins t... read more
What if the person you love most in the world was in terrible danger … because of you?Three years ago, Toni’s five-year-old daughter Evie disappeared after leaving school. The police have never been able to find her. There were no witnesses, no CCTV, no trace. But Toni believes her daughter is alive. And as she begins to silently piece together her memories, the full story of the past begins t... read more
Julie has 11 reviews
Professionalism
Quality
Value
Communication
Julie's critique was thorough, and really took into account all elements you could ask for. Excellent.
Nathaniel Elliott, July 2017
Julie's edit was fantastic. She has an incredible eye for detail and is wonderfully thorough in all she does. I would definitely use her again.
Caimh McDonnell, July 2017
Julie’s editorial assessment was excellent in every way. She got to grips with the book very quickly, and, with forensic clarity, immediately spotted the key issues on which I needed to work. Julie is also very sensitive, positive and encouraging in the way she goes about the assessment, which has made me feel a lot more confident about what I am trying to achieve. It’s also worth saying that s...
Rob Stewart, May 2017
Julie has been great at helping me see what needed changing to make my story better.
Marie Blanchet, May 2017
Smooth experience and polished result. Looking forward to working with Julie again.
Rock Forsberg, May 2017
Explore the Reedsy Community
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Amy Durant
I am an experienced editor who worked for five years in digital publishing. Love all genres, but particularly historical fiction.
London, United Kingdom
Jim Thomas
Crafting a work of fiction is a gloriously arduous process. With over twenty years of experience at one of the big NYC houses, I can help.
Perry Hall, MD, United States