A NYT bestselling and award-winning editor of children's and YA/teen fiction with 16 years of experience at Top 5 publishing imprints.
I consider myself an author advocate first and foremost. As an editor, my mission is to work with my authors to help strengthen their craft, bring their story to the next level, and achieve their creative vision. It will never be my goal to insert my own agenda or vision into your work, but rather collaborate with you to achieve your goals.
With 16 years under my belt as an editor of middle grade and young adult fiction for Big Five publishers, I bring with me a knowledge of the children's publishing market and an expert sense of what agents and editors are looking for when considering their next project.
I am available for plot and character development, line-editing, copyediting, proofreading, query and synopsis advice and editing, and anything else you can think of.
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 New York Times bestselling and award-winning books, with highlights including:
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 at HarperCollins. He always asked the right questions, from the big ones ("Is there enough closure on this plot thread?") to the little ones ("Are you sure this 90s rom-com reference is spelled correctly?" (spoiler -- it wasn't)), 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." ---New York Times 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 the National Book Award finalist, Luna
"I almost have no words for how much I love T.S! He's smart, funny, supportive, and no doubt about it... a rising star! Here's the thing about T.S. - he can edit wicked good, and do it without making you want to fling yourself off the nearest highway overpass. His instincts are spot-on, and he has an uncanny ability to look at a story, find the shimmery spots, and tease magic into them. T.S. forced me to get even deeper into my characters' heads, look more closely at subplots that weren't working, and make my characters real. He was always willing to listen to my ideas, to make suggestions, and to answer my billion questions. Almost all of the scenes in Hate List that really work are direct result of T.S.'s editing." ---Jennifer Brown, award-winning author of Hate List and Bitter End
"T.S.... [is] enthusiastic, professional, and creative... no writer could ask for more. My book covers some sensitive and emotional territory, and it's work that more conservative editors wouldn't touch, but T.S. is both courageous and visionary. He believes in the intelligence and good will of his adolescent readers, and his editing is sophisticated and respectful of young minds. He can see the real arc of a story from the get-go and he artfully clears away the clutter." ---Cris Beam, author of I Am J and Lambda Award Winner Transparent
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
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)
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
Talley, Robin
Talley, Robin
Talley, Robin
Lukavics, Amy
Lukavics, Amy
Lukavics, Amy
Lukavics, Amy
Bosch, Pseudonymous
Patterson, James
Patterson, James, Grabenstein, Chris, López, Anuki
Patterson, James, Grabenstein, Chris
Andrews, Claire
DiDomizio, Nicolas
Beam, Cris
Brown, Jennifer
Kostakis, Will
Sun, Amanda
Sun, Amanda
Cross, Kady
Cross, Kady
Bosch, Pseudonymous
Bosch, Pseudonymous
Alsaid, Adi, Bajaj, Varsha, Andreu, Maria E., Morse, Sharon, Sugiura, Misa, Azad, Nafiza, Goo, Maurene, Charaipotra, Sona, Méndez, Yamile Saied, Córdova, Zoraida, Johnson, Alaya Dawn, Farizan, Sara, Quintero, Isabel, Larbalestier, Justine, Rivera, Lilliam
Alsaid, Adi
Alsaid, Adi
Alsaid, Adi
Alsaid, Adi
Mitchell, Saundra, Lo, Malinda, Talley, Robin, Lee, Mackenzi, Keplinger, Kody, Wake, Elliot, McLemore, Anna-Marie, Hutchinson, Shaun David, Adler, Dahlia, Sharpe, Tess, Scelsa, Kate, Parker, Natalie C., Farizan, Sara, Magruder, Nilah, Gratton, Tessa, Mejia, Tehlor Kay, Sanchez, Alex, Tracey, Scott
Sharpe, Tess, Spotswood, Jessica, Colbert, Brandy, Córdova, Zoraida, Cremer, Andrea, Hart, Kate, Lord, Emery, May, Elizabeth, McLemore, Anna-Marie, Mejia, Tehlor Kay, Smith, Lindsay, Suma, Nova Ren, Talley, Robin, Thakrar, Shveta, Yovanoff, Brenna
Kagawa, Julie, Hawkins, Rachel, Hopkins, Ellen, Hocking, Amanda, Gray, Claudia, Johnson, Christine
Jarzab, Anna
Jarzab, Anna
Yu, Jennifer
Yu, Jennifer
Ngan, Natasha
Norton, Preston
Davis, Dana L.
Davis, Dana L.
Patterson, James, Butler, Steven, Watson, Richard
Patterson, James, Watson, Richard
Patterson, James, Watson, Richard
Emil Buchman, July 2022
Christine Schulden, June 2022
Reply from T.S. Ferguson
Emil Buchman, June 2022
Reply from T.S. Ferguson
Dave Walters, March 2022
Reply from T.S. Ferguson
Dave Walters, February 2022
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Nearly a decade of experience in copy editing, and proofreading (Wiley and Open Court). I edit your work, keeping your style fully intact.
New York, NY, USA
I'm an author of books published by Penguin Random House, S&S, and more and an experienced editor of novels and query letters.
New York, NY, USA