Hilari Cohen

Hilari Cohen – Editor

I am a sharp-eyed, award winning editor with over thirty years in the romance industry. I'll help you tell your story and find your readers!

Overview

I love a good HEA, don't you? If you have a love story to tell, let me help you make it shine!

I am an experienced and enthusiastic editor with an eye for detail and easy solutions for your storytelling snags. Tell me your trope and together we can craft it into a book that has your readers begging for more. I know how hard it is to get from that first blank page to "the end" -- I've successfully edited countless novels. It can be a hard fought battle at times, one that I fully understand. It takes a great team to make this kind of magic happen and I'm here for you from your initial pages until you're ready to publish.

Romance novels are my specialty. They are not about just the steamy require two interesting protagonists and a great conflict. You need to make the audience connect with your characters emotionally and I have a heathy respect for the genre as a reader, a writer and as an editor. I take this very subject very seriously! Together, we can see your next novel all the way to the finish line. By the way -- I love working with first time authors. I have lots of valuable information to share and make myself available for all of your burning questions. Believe me, I've heard them all and I'm there for you!

I've taken unknown authors from unsolicited submission to the NYTimes bestseller list and have won multiple editing awards. I'd love to guide you on your publishing journey and help you celebrate your success!

Services
Fiction
Coming of Age Contemporary Fiction Contemporary Romance Historical Fiction Historical Romance Romantic Comedy Romantic Suspense Time Travel Romance
Languages
English (AUS) English (CAN) English (UK) English (US)
Awards
  • RWA Golden Heart Award for Editing

Work experience

Self-employed

Jul, 2022 — Present
I'm currently having a blast working with authors from all over the world on the Reedsy platform. I love to collaborate with these enthusiastic writers and help them make their stories come to life!

Zebra Books

Feb, 1985 — Mar, 1987 (about 2 years)
At Zebra, it was all about historical romance. I worked with Janelle Taylor and Johanna Hailey along with a long list of other talented writers to tell stories that transported readers out of their present day to the past. Pirates, Scottish princes, the American revolution... all backdrops for stories about two people and the obstacles that stood in their way to finding one another. What do I love about a good historical? The chance to learn something about a time before mine!

Harlequin

Oct, 1982 — Feb, 1985 (over 2 years)
I had the unique privilege of working with Vivian Stephens, the co-founder of the RWA in the early 1980's when we successfully launched two lines of contemporary romance novels. Under her tutelage I learned how to put the necessary components together to make a good story work. It takes more than a few steamy paragraphs to hook a reader -- at the end of the day it's all about the protagonists, who they are and what attracts them to one another. What makes your book stand out from all the other manuscripts on an editor's desk? At Harlequin, I learned how to pick the winners...

Portfolio

Made with Reedsy
No Plans to Fall

Patterson, Kiri

Kiri Patterson

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Montana's Heart

Cole, Rebecca J.

OK sisters

Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
Out of Seconds

Bassett, Shannah

Developmental Editing
Made with Reedsy
A Nightingale Without Wings

Greer, Kayleigh

Developmental Editing
Perfectly Polite

Cohen, Hilari T

The Lyric of Memory

Cohen, Hilari T

The Wick and The Flame

Cohen, Hilari T

The Rogue in Her Bed

Marsh, Ellen Tanner

Hilari has 40 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Candy V.

Candy V.

Apr, 2024

Pinned
Hilari was easy to work with and completed her editing in a very timely manner. I appreciated her feedback. I think it made the story and the characters stronger. I look forward to working with her in the future.
Hilari C.
Candy is a pro and I look forward to collaborating on more projects together in the future!
Danielle B.

Danielle B.

Nov, 2023

Pinned
Hilari is so thorough, so helpful, and so supportive. When Hilari worked on both of my books during our collaboration, she approached each flaw with sensitivity, and offered helpful solutions that fit with the story. She gave me ongoing valuable advice, and helped me polish each book until they w...
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Anja H.

Anja H.

Jun, 2023

Pinned
Hilari edited my debut novel, so I didn’t entirely know what to expect from a collaboration with an editor. But from Hilari I got so, so much more than I expected! She is absolutely reliable, honest, quick, and her encouragement gave me a huge boost. I have very much enjoyed our partnership and c...
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Kiley H.

Kiley H.

Oct, 2025

Hilari was impeccable to work with! From the get-go I knew we were going to be a good match on this project, and as a new author that is new to the publishing world, she helped me place my best foot forward. The process was explained to me in detail and she always left her door open for any quest...
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Melissa B.

Melissa B.

Oct, 2025

Very prompt to reply. Very efficient and easy to work with. Great advice.

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Most recent contributions

What strategies do you use to clearly explain your editing services to indie authors new to publishing?

I am the queen of transparency! Not only do I outline exactly how I work in my offer letter, I also Zoom with my clients to have a chance for a face to face meeting because I find that the chance to chat creates an open dialogue between us. I also make myself available for questions throughout ...
Read more

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