Ursula DeYoung

Ursula DeYoung – Editor

Published author and experienced freelance editor, specializing in historical fiction, biographies, and scholarly books in the humanities.

Overview

I'm an editor and writing consultant with over a decade of experience in editing manuscripts of all kinds—fiction, nonfiction, scholarly, commercial. Some of these manuscripts have been written by tenured professors with contracts already in hand from major publishers; others are first works by aspiring novelists. I work as an instructor and writing consultant at the GrubStreet Writing Center in Boston, one of the biggest nonprofit creative-writing programs in the country. In addition, I serve as the primary editor for an international educational organization called The Center for Asia Leadership Initiatives. For every client, I offer meticulous, thoughtful suggestions that take into account both rigorous writing standards and the client's individual preferences.As a writer myself, I know how important and how delicate the editing process can be for authors. My first novel, SHORECLIFF, a family drama set in Maine in the 1920s, was published by Little, Brown in 2013, and my nonfiction book, A VISION OF MODERN SCIENCE, about the 19th-century physicist John Tyndall, was published by Palgrave MacMillan in 2011. The latter book was originally my dissertation: I received a Ph.D. in History from Oxford in 2009, after earning a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard in 2004.In 2017, I founded EMBARK, an online journal that features the openings of unpublished novels in all genres. Many of our contributors have gone on to see their books published by major presses, and several have connected with literary agents through the journal.
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Humanities & Social Sciences
Fiction
Historical Fiction
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2012 — Present
I have over a decade of experience in freelance editing and have worked with a wide range of clients. Up to now I've specialized in scholarly books in the humanities, biographies, and fiction in many different genres, particularly historical fiction, but I am always open to books in new fields!

Embark: A Literary Journal for Novelists

Apr, 2017 — Present
I founded and run an online literary journal called EMBARK that features the openings of unpublished novels in all genres. Issues of Embark are released twice a year and reach thousands of readers.

GrubStreet Writing Center

Apr, 2014 — Present
I teach seminars and workshops on how to write novels, and I serve as a writing consultant, offering copyediting, structural editing, and stylistic feedback to individual clients.

The Center for Asia Leadership Initiatives

Feb, 2014 — Present
I serve as the Center's primary editor and work on all of its various publications, including essay collections, works on leadership and education, and single-author books by the Center's founder. In each case, I offer both structural feedback and line-editing.

Portfolio

Shorecliff: A Novel

DeYoung, Ursula

Little, Brown and Company

Copy Editing
Child Bride: A Novel

Smith Turner, Jennifer

Developmental Editing Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Copy Editing
The Islamic Secular

Jackson, Sherman A.

Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing Editorial Assessment
Copy Editing
Rethinking Asia

Kim, Hungsoo S

Developmental Editing Copy Editing Editorial Assessment

Ursula has 11 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Robert H.

Robert H.

Nov, 2025

Ursula had obviously carefully read my request for assistance and provided exactly what I asked for. There were constructive and sympathetically worded suggestions for the reordering of scenes in the first part of my novel and I have taken on her suggestions with confidence. Ursula responded quic...
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Priscilla B.

Priscilla B.

Jul, 2025

Through her editing critique, she helped me step back and see the larger picture of how to guide the reader through the entire manuscript. Her ideas and suggestions where thoughtful and thorough. It was a very constructive first edit.
Benita S.

Benita S.

Mar, 2025

There aren’t enough superlatives to describe Ursula’s transformation of my writing. I had been looking at it for so long that I no longer had any perspective. Ursula pointed out all my personal writing foibles, as well as considering the plotting, pacing, and direction of the story. I am very gra...
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Richard M.

Richard M.

Apr, 2024

Ursala was most responsive to my concerns. She made good comments, and I followed most of her suggestions. It was only because I suffered a stroke and have been in rehab for three months that I have not returned to our collaboration. At this point, I am happy to recommend her to others, I felt sh...
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H. K.

H. K.

Feb, 2024

Working with Ursula has been a wonderful experience. Her knowledge of the late 19th century and its nuances is truly impressive; her attention to detail ensured the accuracy of the setting, while her insightful feedback on plot structure and narrative flow greatly contributed to refining the open...
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