Julia Duncan

Julia Duncan – Editor

Detail-oriented copy editor with 20+ years of experience and a deep respect for accurate, consistent, clear, and graceful English prose.

Overview

I’m a certified publication specialist with extensive experience in nonfiction copy editing. Trained at Time-Life Books, I’ve completed book projects for Discovery Channel Books, Rebus Inc., and EdiGraphics, L.C., among others. These projects’ subjects have ranged from astrophysics to the history of NASA, mountain climbing to working dogs, cooking to the occult.
As a copy editor, I specialize in the accuracy, consistency, style, and grace of English prose. My interest lies in polishing your writing so that your ideas reach your readers without the distractions of misplaced modifiers, inconsistent style, run-on sentences, and the like. Whereas a developmental editor manages the forest of your work, a good copy editor examines every leaf on every tree, making sure that each is exactly where and how it should be, without damaging or changing your voice or style.
My technique is to fix what I know needs fixing—for instance, grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation, according to whichever style manual and dictionary you specify—and to query awkward or confusing phrasing, apparent inaccuracies, assertions that seem absurd or actionable, and so on. I can work on paper, using track changes in Word, or using comments in Adobe Acrobat. You will always see exactly what I’ve done and why, and the final decisions are always yours. I also provide a detailed style sheet identifying any choices made.
Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • Publication specialist

Work experience

The Magazine Group

Jun, 2009 — Oct, 2009 (4 months)

Brought five related tech magazines into stylistic consistency; rewrote and reformatted in-house style manual to be clearer and easier to use by staff and writers

Self-employed

Feb, 2009 — Present

Freelance writing and editing for various authors and websites; also 1996-2005

International Medical News Group (Elsevier Global Medical News)

Jan, 2006 — Feb, 2009 (about 3 years)

- Copy edited and fact checked a minimum of six medical news stories a day, including graphs; formatted and “translated” most into European English for international wire service
- Met deadlines as tight as 20 minutes while maintaining highest possible quality
- Constantly improved skills and maintained collegial working relationships

George Mason University Publications Office

Aug, 1999 — May, 2000 (9 months)

Writing and editing for public relations, academic departments, website, and alumni magazine

Time-Life Books

Jun, 1990 — Jun, 1995 (about 5 years)

Copy editing and coordinating for illustrated book series, subjects including astrophysics, the occult, science and nature for children, and mind-body medicine

Portfolio

Serial Killers: Profiles of Today's most Terrifying Criminals(True Crime)

Editors of Time Life

Recounts the cases of Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Dennis Nilsen, and David Berkowitz, and briefly surveys earlier celebrated killers, including Jack the Ripper and the Boston Strangler
Search for Immortality (Mysteries of the Unknown)

Traces the quest for immortality throughout history and examines the many spiritual and scientific pathways that have been explored as methods to prolong life
Frontiers of Time (Voyage Through the Universe)

Discusses when the sun dies, the deaths of galaxies, intimations of eternity and much more,
1001 Things to Love About Military Life

Tara Crooks

A first-of-its-kind celebration of military life, 1001 THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT MILITARY LIFE chronicles some obvious and not-so-obvious traditions, advantages and experiences military members, veterans and their families share.Full of heart-warming vignettes, lau... read more
The Craft We Chose: My Life in the CIA

Richard L. Holm

Many books, fiction and nonfiction alike, purport to probe the inner workings of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Many attempt to create spine-tingling suspense or allege that America's civilian spy operation has run amok and been infested with rogues and... read more
Basic Wiring (Home Repair and Improvement, Updated Series)

Demonstrates each step in expanding and maintaining a home electrical system, and discusses tools, materials, and techniques
The Infinite Journey: Eyewitness Accounts of NASA and the Age of Space

William E. Burrows

Written in cooperation with NASA, an illustrated history of the U.S. space program integrates firsthand accounts by such participants as Buzz Aldrin, Eileen Collins, and Homer Hickam with full-color photographs that capture pivotal moments in human space explo... read more
Ultimate High: My Everest Odyssey

Goran Kropp

A personal account of one man's determination to climb Mount Everest alone describes how the Swedish climber accomplished his goal, within days of the 1995 tragedy that took the lives of a number of fellow climbers

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