Thank you again. I've had such a great experience. I don't know if it's a universal approach, but your after-edit check-ins, to find out how things are progressing is a welcome touch. 😀 

(Editing, Formatting/Typesetting)

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Nah! Don't be fooled. Julie doesn't 'just' edit. She goes the extra mile: copy, line, proof ... she even chucked in developmental gems for good measure! Professional, accommodating, she genuinely seems to care about and take pride in what she does. I'll be using her in the future.

K.T.P.

(Editing, Formatting/Typesetting, CoverArt)

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I was REALLY nervous about giving (book title withheld) to a stranger. I spent nearly a year writing and already gotten a mix of comments from BETA readers and volunteers whose range of feedback varied so widely that my confidence was left bruised.

Julie was recommended by another writer, but the thought of my story being placed under another microscope did not comfortably with me. I'm not gonna lie. This process was no walk in the park. I pushed back against Julie's suggestions and advice about how to improve the flow and clarity and getting to grips with "information dumping" on my character backstory (a term I'd not heard of before).

Julie's approach and explanations were always clear, sometimes firm, but always kind. The "firm" bit was really hard, but I 110% needed to hear it. Julie was also willing to "give and take" with the process (within reason 😉), which I appreciate.

I struggled with accepting some parts of mywriting were just a bunch of too many words. Sure, I loved stringing them together but could not always see how my choices prevented the flow and clarity. Letting go of sections that I'd spent hours pouring my blood, sweat, and tears over was freakin' hard! 🫣 I doggedly hung on by my fingernails to some descriptions that I had painstakingly created, so HOW DARE Julie sift out my adverbs, and explain why they weakened my prose?! 🤣

And if Julie starts talking about creating "layers of onion skins," or needing to filter for "nuance" and "subtlety," take heed! And if she asks, "Is this part really necessary?" take it out like a toothache!

Her knowledge and expertise were spot on. I see now that I needed help with when and how to trim down and refine back to the bones. But ya know what? Once I'd nursed my bruised ego and started to strip things back, I saw a really smart transformation happening.

I've eaten a big slice of humble pie, and I'm so glad I did. My book has just been accepted by a publisher!🙏🏼

MSalinger

(Editing)

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Julie's editing was a word of mouth recommendation. A great experience. Julie is helpful, friendly, and I felt totally supported. This experience has helped me to learn and develop as a writer.

Katie Hart

(Editing, Formatting/Typesetting, CoverArt)

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A positive and productive experience from start to finish. Julie is professional, skillful and thorough. I highly recommend her and will certainly look forward to using Julie again.

Julia Harris

(Editing, Formatting, Typesetting)

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Always get a sample edit done first. Julie is transparent in her editing approach. My previous editor would suggest ideas, yet I sometimes struggled to grasp their meaning or intent. Julie's editing comes with modelled examples (and explanations) to illustrate the possibilities for improving.

Making a suggestion is one thing, but showing by example through the tracking changes was great. Of course, it was always my call to keep, adapt or ditch Julie's edits, but in truth, she suggested ideas and showed how it might 'look' in ways I wouldn't have considered. This level of input might not suit all writers, but for me, this was helpful.

B.Jenkins

(Editing)

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This simplified explanation doesn't really do my learning curve justice. I learnt tons, but I wanted to share one aspect as part of my review. (THE single most significant lesson I have taken away).

After multiple tussles with getting my speech to flow and stay on point, Julie gave me some stellar advice. I might be teaching to suck eggs, but being told to cut the blah blah in character speech was a real growth moment for me.

Julie wrote:

'DECLUTTER THE DIALOGUE'. As soon as a.character says something, ask yourself: What does this character want?'

I've realised every single word in speech has to count. No one wants to read through rambling, 'real life' mundane, coffee-break, bus-top chit-chat.

Julie asked 4 questions:

1. Is what they say relevant to the story?

2. Is there a purpose (drive) to what the character is saying?

3. Can this be removed without compromising the meaning and flow?

4. Can it be replaced with speech that actually enriches and deepens the character? (Expressing their 'voice,' 'mood, 'intention'?)"

This may sound mundane to the seasoned writer, but it was transformative for me.

TheWestCoastWriter

(Editing, CoverArt )

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Dear Julie,

The cover looks amazing! I've set up my ebook and paperback for their debut launch. You have done an amazing job with the whole production. Having the artistic talent, as well as the skillset to produce the final print and ebook is the unique cherry on the top of the cake that most editors don't have the ability to offer. Bravo!

(Editing, Formatting/Typesetting, CoverArt)

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I completed my book with Julie, and am very happy. Julie gets an unreserved recommendation from me. She was willing to accommodate my hectic timeframe over.a number of weeks to edit my book chapter by chapter. She also factored in a flexible payment schedule to suit my monthly budget. She has incredible patience and seems to enjoy building genuine rapport

She still checks in on my progress with publication sales.

J.Kirby

(Editing, Formatting/Typesetting)

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Discovering that Julie had a waiting list was a drag, but it was worth the wait. She was professional and thorough. I wanted my story to be print-ready for uploading to Amazon, so receiving my finished paperback book from Julie was beyond exciting.

Other testimonials talk of how much they learned. I can add my agreement to this. This experience taught me so much. I would recommend Julie.

DeIphinium Blue

(Editing, Formatting/Typesetting, CoverArt)

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I was disappointed that Julie turned down my story when I first submitted it. Reading through the testimonials, I'm not the only one this has happened to, which helped me feel a bit less of a failure. Julie's rejection came with a detailed sample edit, as well as advice as to what my story needed to make it ready for editing.

In the weeks following, Julie kept in touch to find out how things were shaping up and to follow my progress with sorting out my developmental issues. I really appreciated it. She was always open to queries and questions, too. She's busy. She didn't need to do this!!!

It would be easy for her to take my cash and skip/ignore the issues (which I now know my story clearly had!!) In my book, this shows Julie's old school integrity and honesty - worth its weight in gold.

Juliet

(Editing, Formatting/Typesetting)

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Julie was recommended by another writer. She created the covers for my first two books but until now, I haven't used a professional editor. Her expertise and skill at pulling apart and pulling together my story was a revelation. Having a different fresh perspective was exactly the shake-up I didn't know I needed! (Not for the faint-hearted) I have been picked up by an agent with my third book. I don't think this would have happened without Julie's guidance.

I. Thomas

(Editing, Formatting/Typesetting/CoverArt)

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You were (highly) recommended to me by one of your "serial clients" (her words, not mine!). The last few weeks have been an absolute wow for me. I'm not telling you anything I haven't already said to you via our correspondence, but I wanted to add my recommendation for other potential clients visiting your website.

I was brought up with the mantra, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

You are the exception to this:

• Meticulous

• Generous

• Kind and encouraging

• Delivers the "hard-to-hear" stuff in a way that is easy to understand (and pushed me to work smarter.

I'm aspiring to join the 'serial client' club. :)

Tamsin Sheen

(Editing)

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When I was first put on to J.F Books through a writing forum, I was struck by the words "kind" and "generous" that popped up several times on Julie's testimonials. (An unusual thing to see written, I thought)

However, having recently had my manuscript edited with her, it makes sense. (This is my 3rd publication).

Julie is lovely to work with! And I will put this out there - she doesn't charge enough.

A very happy (returning) customer.

G. Lattimer.

(Editing, Back Cover Blurb)

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