Heather Osborn

Heather Osborn – Editor

I am an editor specializing in romance of all subgenres, including Contemporary, Fantasy, and Urban Fantasy. Worked at Tor/Forge, Macmillan.

Overview

I have been editing for 20 years, primarily specializing in the romance genre, and have worked for publishers like Tor/Forge, Samhain, Ellora's Cave as well as freelancing for well known publishers like Harlequin and Sourcebooks.

In the course of my career, I have worked with a long list of authors, including Sylvia Day (writing as S.J. Day), Thea Harrison, Nicole Peeler, Lee Tobin McClain, Cheyenne McCray, Jenna Black, Claire Delacroix, Lacey Alexander, Cathryn Fox, Gail Dayton, Doranna Durgin, Liliana Hart, and many more.

An expert in all things romance novels, I also have ample experience editing genres like fantasy, urban fantasy, and cozy mystery. My services include comprehensive content edits complete with editorial notes and/or letters, line edits, proofreading, and copy editing..

Services
Fiction
Contemporary Romance Cozy Mysteries Dark Romance Paranormal Romance Romantic Comedy Romantic Fantasy Romantic Suspense Urban Fantasy
Languages
English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Jun, 2014 — Present
Editing fiction novels, novellas, and short stories for self-published authors, as well as small publishing presses and larger publishing companies (Avon/Harlequin, Sourcebooks, etc.) on a freelance basis. Provide cover consultation, book copy, and marketing consultations for authors on a per project basis.

Samhain Publishing

Nov, 2010 — Jun, 2014 (over 3 years)
Oversaw a team of over a dozen contract editors, conducted hiring and employee reviews for said editors, approved all romance cover art for publisher, oversaw publication of reprint line including writing cover copy for all titles, and overseeing OCR scanning of said titles, helped plan publisher parties at romance conventions, contributed marketing and merchandising ideas, as well as editing romance novels and novellas for publication.

Tor Books

Apr, 2007 — Oct, 2010 (over 3 years)
Oversaw the romance line for Tor (a subsidiary of Macmillan Publishing). Acquired romance novels and novellas, negotiated contracts with agents and authors, wrote cover copy, edited, and worked with art and marketing to publicize the line and novels. Planned parties and panels for various book conferences, developed promotional items for use at conventions and conferences.

Ellora's Cave Publishing

Jul, 2003 — Mar, 2007 (over 3 years)
Acquired romance novels, novellas, and short stories for publication. Oversaw the editing, copyediting, cover development, and cover copy for each title. Represented the company at various romance conferences and conventions, performing workshops and sitting on editorial panels.

Portfolio

Girls with Bad Reputations (The Lillys Book 2)

Axelrod, Xio

Developmental Editing
Their All-Star Summer (Sisters of Christmas Bay Book 2)

Newell, Kaylie

Developmental Editing
Vampires Never Say Die (Slaying It)

Duke, Gloria

Developmental Editing
Dark Restraint (Dark Olympus, 7)

Robert, Katee

Developmental Editing
Nearlywed

DiDomizio, Nicolas

Developmental Editing
Eve of Darkness: A Marked Novel (Marked City Book 1)

Day, S. J.

Developmental Editing Editorial Assessment
Whiskey On The Rocks (Novella): An Addison Holmes Mystery (Addison Holmes Mysteries Book 5)

Hart, Liliana

Copy Editing
Gone With The Ghost (Murder By Design Book 1)

McCarthy, Erin

Developmental Editing
Their Christmas Resolution (Sisters of Christmas Bay Book 3)

Newell, Kaylie

Developmental Editing
A Deal with Mr. Wrong (Sisterhood of Chocolate & Wine Book 2)

James, Anna

Developmental Editing
Starting Over at Trevino Ranch (Peach Leaf, Texas Book 5)

Woods, Amy

Developmental Editing
New Blood (Blood Magic Book 1)

Dayton, Gail

Developmental Editing Editorial Assessment
True Colors: A Novella of the Elder Races

Harrison, Thea

Developmental Editing Editorial Assessment

Heather has 15 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Lauren W.

Lauren W.

Feb, 2026

Although Heather did complete the edits and deliver an edit letter, it was 12 days late. A lot of her suggestions go against what advice I've been given from traditionally published authors. Additionally, my book is a Dark Romantasy and some suggestions felt like she was trying to make the book i...
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Alexander D.

Alexander D.

Dec, 2025

Heather is fantastic to work with. Her editor letter was informative and actionable. Her suggestions on the manuscript improved the impact of the novel. She will definitely get the sequel.
Victoria A.

Victoria A.

Oct, 2025

I loved working with Heather! I felt like she understood what I was going for and provided me with excellent feedback and resources to help me grow as writer. I highly recommend her for developmental and copy editing!! Toward the end of the project, she asked for an extra day or two. I was fine w...
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Anahit H.

Anahit H.

Oct, 2025

Heather not only did the overall editorial assessment, she gave me some more in depth feedback. She was wonderfully responsive to my questions afterward, and I found the process of working with her very smooth and rewarding.
Astra R.

Astra R.

Sep, 2025

I've worked with Heather on a couple of projects now, and I couldn't be happier with the results. She is professional, thoughtful, and thorough in her work. Her feedback is clear, constructive, and easy to implement, and she helped me spot issues in my plot as well as polish the writing. She's re...
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