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*** Last updated on
Sunday June 20, 2010
Julie H. Ferguson
Julie believes writers need practical
assistance, current information, and support from published authors
throughout their journeys to publication.
So far, she has guided
hundreds of aspiring authors towards publishing success through her
presentations and individual coaching. Publishers like Penguin Canada,
Whitecap, and HarperCollins, to name but three, have published her clients'
books.
A working non-fiction
writer for 40 years, Julie is the author of five
books for writers,
including Book Magic: Turning Writers into Published Authors
and Crafting Irresistible Query Letters that Result in Publication,
and twelve other nonfiction books. Julie's many articles have appeared
in international, national, and regional publications, as well as on the
Web. In 2009, she became a reviewer for the Canadian Book Review Annual.
Julie has experienced it
all—commercial and self-publication, print and electronic publishing, as
well as print-on-demand. Her first non-fiction book, Through a Canadian
Periscope; the Story of the Canadian Submarine Service (Dundurn)
appeared in 1995. Not only was it hailed as “a major contribution to our
naval history,” Canadian booksellers chose it for Books for Everybody,
Christmas 1995. Her second book, Deeply Canadian: New Submarines for a
New Millennium (Beacon Publishing), was released in the fall of
2000 electronically (commercial) and in print (POD). May 2006 saw Sing a
New Song: Portraits of Canada’s Crusading Bishops (Dundurn) hit the
nation’s bookshelves. Her latest book is James Douglas: Father of BC,
a teen biography published by Dundurn in October 2009, which booksellers
also selected for the fall issue 2009 of Books for Everybody. Since
early 2001, Julie has also self-published (DIY) five books for writers,
speakers, and teachers, one travel memoir, three family histories, one for a
health authority, and three photo portfolios.
Not only is Julie a successful
author, for 13 years she was an accomplished professional speaker,in
demand for writers’ and teachers' conferences throughout western Canada. She
also instructed regularly at a community college and a local writers' school
where her presentations focused on the business of getting published.
Although she has retired from speaking, Julie's
honest, one-on-one coaching
practice for aspiring authors continues. She guides writers who seek
either commercial or self-publication for their books (74% success rate) or
articles, as well as assists them with writing promotional material, such as
bios and book blurbs.
Julie is now writing more and
has taken up photography again. Her images accompany many of her articles
and guest blog posts, especially those related to post-retirement travel (www.flickr.com/photos/beaconlit/).
She is also working on a mid-grade novel series set on board one of the last
great sailing ships.