The best fiction book editing services

Sign up for free to meet top book editors on Reedsy

Holly 5 star rating

Springfield, United States

Experienced fiction editor, formerly with Samhain Publishing. I specialize in romance and other genre fiction.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, LGBTQ Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Psychological Thriller, New Adult, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Samhain Publishing, Ltd
  • Self-employed
  • Mundania Press
  • Lyrical Press

Adam 5 star rating

Asheville, United States

Nonfiction book editor with 17+ years of experience in digital and print publishing. Reader advocate and prose polisher.

Genres: Humor & Comedy, Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Political Science & Current Affairs, Sports & Outdoors, Biographies & Memoirs, Business & Management, Entertainment, and Writing & Publishing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Soomo Learning
  • Oxford University Press
  • HarperCollins Publishers

Carly 5 star rating

Boston, MA, United States

Editor with 15+ years experience (specialties: romance, fantasy, & sci-fi). Contact me to build your team and bring your book to light!

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Sterling Lord Literistic
  • Self-employed
  • Boroughs Publishing Group

Joanna 5 star rating

Oak Park, IL, United States

Seasoned publishing industry professional with agency experience and a keen eye for detail who embraces all aspects of the editorial process

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Young Adult, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Thriller & Suspense, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Browne & Miller Literary Associates
  • The Parlor
  • Literary Agency

Erica 5 star rating

Parrish, United States

Freelance editor offering friendly but thorough editing to independent authors.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, and Health & Wellbeing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Julia 5 star rating

Charleston, SC, United States

Line and copy editor, with content capabilities. I have the most experience in nonfiction, but my favorite edits are middle grade and YA.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • The History Press
  • Newgen KnowledgeWorks
  • Amnet

Sean 5 star rating

Denton, TX, United States

Editor of bestselling, award-winning middle grade, YA, and adult books, specializing in fantasy and sci-fi. Let's make your book stand out!

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade Fantasy, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Romantic Fantasy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Andrea Hurst and Associates, LLC
  • Andrea Hurst and Associates
  • Self-employed
  • Relay Publishing, LLC
  • The Editorial Department

📞 Chat with our team

Need a hand finding the perfect professional? Our team is here to help. Get in touch for recommendations.

Karli 5 star rating

Clarksville, TN, United States

Editor who specializes in developing manuscripts and is passionate about helping authors craft their best stories!

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Christian Publishing

Kathryn 5 star rating

Chicago, United States

Experienced developmental book editor specializing in parenting books as well as children's PB, MG and YA fiction.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Parenting & Families, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Sourcebooks, Inc.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics
  • The Purcell Literary Agency
  • Entangled Publishing
  • Author Claudia Gray

Sally 5 star rating

Austin, TX, United States

Editor of Christian fiction and nonfiction. Charisma House and Founders Ministries editor. Edited 300+ authors, some of them best sellers.

Genres: Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Biographies & Memoirs, Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, and Christian Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Andrew 5 star rating

San Diego, CA, United States

Former New York trade editor of thrillers, mysteries, science fiction and fantasy, horror, and narrative and military nonfiction/history.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Entertainment.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Company Name Redacted. Please contact through Reedsy for editorial service.
  • Berkley Publishing Group, Donald I Fine, Inc, Dell, Avon and Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
  • Scovil Chichak Galen Literary Agency, Inc.
  • The Berkley Publishing Group

Lisa 5 star rating

Berkley, MI, United States

Every sentence matters! My passion is helping your words shine, whether you're at the beginning of your project or you need a final polish.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Travel, Home & Garden, Career Guides, Fantasy, Fiction, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Maria 5 star rating

Kansas City, MO, United States

Insightful, inspiring Developmental Editor of 25+ years specializing in Historical fiction, Self-Help, Spec fiction. Tailored-to-you edits.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Post-Apocalyptic, Philosophy, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Psychology.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Melissa 5 star rating

New York, United States

Editor of award-winning, bestselling YA, romance, and genre fiction, with 13+ years experience at Macmillan

Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Comedy, Fantasy, New Adult, Young Adult, and Young Adult Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Tor Books (Macmillan)
  • Self-employed
  • Samhain Publishing

Kelly 5 star rating

Stamford, CT, United States

I am a detail-oriented lover of books and grammar always looking to eradicate all the typos.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Time Travel, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Bantam Doubleday Dell
  • Self-employed
  • Private Practice/Center for Medical Weight Loss

Laura 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

Expert developmental and line editor, ghostwriter, and consultant collaborates on all aspects of nonfiction and fiction for adults and kids.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Poetry, Inspirational, Women's Fiction, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Jill Grinberg Literary Management
  • Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
  • Pocket Books
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Penguin USA
  • Theater Communications Group

Paul 5 star rating

New York, United States

Contemporary fiction, romance, YA, plays, memoirs & cookbooks are my specialties. Clients: Amazon, Simon & Schuster, Kensington.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Young Adult, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Contemporary Fiction, and LGBTQ Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Editing Company
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Diner Journal
  • Kensington Publishing

Browse 2,000+ additional profiles

Create your free Reedsy account and begin requesting free quotes.

Hire the best fiction editors

You know the saying — behind every great work of fiction is a great editor. Ask any author, and they’ll confirm exactly how important their editor was to the success — and existence — of their book. After all, there’s a reason why one of the first people that authors thank in their acknowledgements chapter is usually their editor.

“Fiction editing” is quite a broad term that encompasses multiple types of editing across several genres. One of these is developmental editing, where the editor helps the author improve the overall structure and plot of their story by offering feedback on character development, pacing, and other key fiction elements. Another is copy editing, which zeroes in on the individual lines of the story, making sure that each line is clear, concise, and stylistically consistent with the rest of the manuscript. A third type is proofreading, which checks works of fiction for spelling or typographical mistakes.

Fiction editors tend to specialize in a number of genres, like children’s books, romance, or science fiction — specializing means they can stay on top of genre conventions and tropes and keep up with new market trends. On Reedsy’s marketplace, you can search for fiction editors by genre, by selecting the category that best fits your project. Having had years of experience working at Big 5 publishers, our editors know exactly what it takes to spot common issues recurring in each genre and launch a bestseller. They’ve edited New York Times bestselling titles authors like George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, and Margaret Atwood — and now they’re ready to help perfect your masterpiece-in-the-making.

To browse their portfolios and start working with a professional fiction editor today, simply sign up for a free account on Reedsy.

How it works

Browse profiles, request quotes, then collaborate.

Step 1

Apply filters

Reedsy is home to thousands of professionals. Select the specific services you need and narrow your search based on your book’s genre and requirements.

Step 2

Browse

Then, browse professional profiles to find out more about their personalities and past projects.

Step 3

Request quotes

Request quotes from up to five freelancers at any time. They’ll look at your sample pages to give you a tailored quote as well as a sense of how they work.

Step 4

Collaborate

Once you agree on terms and a timeline, you’ll start collaborating using the many communication and editing tools available on Reedsy.

Find your match on Reedsy

Reedsy editors are hand-picked for their experience. Perfect your manuscript with their expert help.