T.S. Ferguson

T.S. Ferguson – Editor

A NYT bestselling and award-winning editor of children's and YA/teen fiction with 16 years of experience at Top 5 publishing imprints.

Overview

With almost 20 years under my belt as an editor of middle grade and young adult fiction for Big 5 publishers, I bring with me a knowledge of children's publishing and an expert sense of what agents and editors are looking for.

My mission is to work with my authors to help bring their story to the next level and achieve their creative vision, collaborating with you to achieve your goals.

I am available for plot and character development and query and synopsis advice and editing only. I'm unable to offer line editing/copyediting/proofreading services at this time.

My experience is highly eclectic, having worked on all genres from contemporary to historical, realistic to fantasy, paranormal, and horror. Over the course of my career, I have worked on bestselling and award-winning books.

A full list of my work is viewable in my profile.


Author Testimonials:

"T.S. is the reason I became a published novelist! He saw promise in my work when I was just getting started and wound up being my editor for five young adult novels. He always asked the right questions, and he knew how much every question mattered. His edit letters were always thorough and thought-provoking, and every book I worked on with him was far better for them." ---NYT bestselling author Robin Talley


"T.S.... is professional, skilled, enthusiastic, communicative, and collaborative in every way. In other words, he's a joy to work with. I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to recommend him." ---Julie Anne Peters, author of Keeping You a Secret and NBA finalist, Luna


"I almost have no words for how much I love T.S! He's smart, funny, supportive!" ---Jennifer Brown, award-winning author of Hate List


"T.S.... [is] enthusiastic, professional, and creative... no writer could ask for more. He can see the real arc of a story from the get-go and he artfully clears away the clutter." ---Cris Beam, Lambda Award winner and author of I Am J


** I am an active literary agent with Azantian Literary Agency. As such, it is important for any prospective clients to know before deciding to work with me that, should they hire me for editorial work, this will disqualify me from representing you. All of my work as a freelancer must remain separate from my work as an agent. **


Services
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction Fantasy Horror LGBTQ Fiction Middle Grade Middle Grade Fantasy Young Adult Fantasy
Languages
English (US)
Certifications
  • Sacred Heart University: Bachelor of Arts, English w/ a concentration in writing
  • Pace University: Master of Science, Publishing

Work experience

Azantian Literary Agency

Jun, 2021 — Present

Jimmy Patterson Books/Little, Brown (Hachette Book Group)

Apr, 2019 — Jun, 2021 (about 2 years)

In my time with Jimmy Patterson books, I managed and edited a list of approximately 10 middle grade and young adult novels per year (and a handful of picture books), consisting of a mix of James Patterson-authored titles and projects I personally acquired or inherited from other authors. I also provided editorial feedback on projects for various editors at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Some authors I worked with at this job include:
¤ Natasha Ngan
¤ Elizabeth Wein
¤ Claire M. Andrews
¤ Nicolas DiDomizio
¤ Preston Norton
¤ Kylie Schachte

Inkyard Press/Harlequin Teen (Harper Collins)

Jan, 2012 — Mar, 2019 (about 7 years)

I managed and edited approximately 10 young adult novels per year, from acquisition to publication, as well as reviewing and approving cover copy for the children's editorial department.

Some authors I worked with at this job include:
¤ Robin Talley
¤ Adi Alsaid
¤ Dana L. Davis
¤ Amy Lukavics
¤ Hillary Monahan (writing as Eva Darrows)
¤ Will Kostakis
¤ Jessica Spotswood
¤ Tess Sharpe
¤ Saundra Mitchell
¤ Anna Jarzab
¤ Kady Cross
¤ Amanda Sun
¤ Morgan Rhodes (writing as Michelle Rowen)

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Hachette Book Group)

May, 2006 — Sep, 2009 (over 3 years)

Managed and edited 10-15 middle grade and young adult novels per year, while also assisting on edits for the Editorial Director.

Some authors I worked with at this job include:
¤Pseudonymous Bosch
¤ Julie Anne Peters
¤ Cressida Cowell
¤ Jennifer Brown
¤ Cris Beam
¤ Suzanne Selfors
¤ Sara Zarr
¤ Denise Vega
¤ Sherri Winston

Portfolio

The Voice in My Head

Davis, Dana L.

Hopepunk

Norton, Preston

Imagine Us Happy

Yu, Jennifer

Breath Like Water

Jarzab, Anna

Red Dirt

Jarzab, Anna

North of Happy

Alsaid, Adi

Vigilante

Cross, Kady

The Sidekicks

Kostakis, Will

Hate List

Brown, Jennifer

I Am J

Beam, Cris

Burn It All Down

DiDomizio, Nicolas

Daughter of Sparta

Andrews, Claire

Scaredy Cat

Patterson, James

Nightingale

Lukavics, Amy

The Ravenous

Lukavics, Amy

Pulp

Talley, Robin

T.S. has 9 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Jaclyn T.

Jaclyn T.

Aug, 2024

I had the pleasure of working with T. S. Ferguson as he helped me with a synopsis and query letter. His professionalism is top-notch. If his timeliness were a watch, he'd be a Rolex. HIs attention to detail and suggestions are what I needed. I would recommend him and Reedsy to anyone in need of a second set of eyes.
T.S. F.
It has been such a pleasure working with you, Jaclyn. Thank you for trusting me with your work!
Jackie B.

Jackie B.

Apr, 2024

The feedback on my query was VERY helpful and thorough, but I think I caught T.S. during a busy time/deadline. I had to reach out a few times to complete our project (which wasn't favorable when I paid for the service at the start of the month). Total time from start to finish was Feb. 25th-April 7th.
Carly H.

Carly H.

Aug, 2023

I really appreciated TS's thorough editorial guidance. It's given me a lot to work with as I move forward in my next round of revisions.
Monica B.

Monica B.

Jul, 2022

T.S. did a good job for me on an editorial overview of a book. He gave me a great deal of feedback that allowed me to sufficiently revise the manuscript.
Emil B.

Emil B.

Jul, 2022

TS is one of the most responsive professionals i ever dealt with. He provided great insight into my work. His questions were most on point and his comments were easy to digest and reflect. Working with TS was a pleasure.

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