The best developmental editors for hire in Australia

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Garima 5 star rating

Adelaide SA, Australia

An editor with expertise in STEM editing (books, research papers, and theses). Worked for Macmillan, Elsevier, Springer, Cengage, AACR

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Health & Wellbeing, and Math & Science.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • MacMillan Publishing Services Ltd. (MPS Ltd.)
  • Aptara, Inc.
  • Thomson Digital

Jessica 5 star rating

Sydney, Australia

Edited over 100 fiction and non-fiction titles, including Prime Minister's Prize, The Age and various Premiers' literary award winners.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Home & Garden, Mystery & Crime, Education & Reference, Parenting & Families, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Amnesty International
  • Thomson Reuters
  • Arts Hub Magazine
  • News Ltd

Claire 5 star rating

Melbourne VIC, Australia

Meticulous, highly experienced editor, specialising in non-fiction: memoir, biography, business & leadership, self-development, health ...

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Business & Management, Biographies & Memoirs, Historical Fiction, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Global DataPoint
  • Aspire Learning Resources
  • Global Listings
  • Self-employed
  • Satellite TV Europe Magazine (consumer magazine), London, UK
  • Bright Star Publishing / Midsummer Books Ltd, London, UK

Lindsey 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

I'm a skilled developmental and copyeditor specialising in YA and middle grade fiction keen to help you craft a book readers can't put down.

Genres: Middle Grade Fantasy, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade, New Adult, Young Adult, Young Adult Fantasy, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Coming of Age, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House Australia
  • Self-employed

Erin 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

Versatile book editor skilled in academic, memoir and narrative non-fiction. PhD & legally qualified. Passionate writing coach and teacher.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Writing & Publishing, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • University of Sydney
  • Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
  • Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media)
  • Self-employed

Brenda 5 star rating

Melbourne VIC, Australia

I'm a professional children's book editor with 20+ years of experience in working with picture books and junior fiction.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Red Paper Kite Publishing
  • Insider Guides
  • The School Magazine

Nicola 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

A seasoned developmental editor of narrative. I help shape your novel, be it crime, historical, or high-end literary.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Indigenous Literacy Foundation
  • HQ / HarperCollins Australia
  • HarperCollins Australia
  • Walker Books Australia

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Kelly 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

I love working with authors on their manuscripts, helping them tease out their ideas and realise their publishing dreams.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Coming of Age, Contemporary Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Women's Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, and True Crime.

Work experience:

  • Allen & Unwin

Katia 5 star rating

Melbourne VIC, Australia

Manuscript nurturer, sentence polisher, eagle-eyed proofreader, wordsmith, preserver of voice and vision; fiction and memoir specialist.

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Themes & Motifs, and Health & Wellbeing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Lauren 5 star rating

Central Coast NSW, Australia

Commercial fiction editor & coach. Supportive, practical, story-focused. 25 yrs in-house & freelance for publishers & authors in Oz, US, UK.

Genres: Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Romance, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Bookouture
  • Atlantic Books
  • Allen & Unwin
  • London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games
  • Self-employed

Anjanette 5 star rating

Newcastle NSW, Australia

A passionate publishing professional, I love empowering writers by offering manuscript appraisal and mentoring. Upmarket fiction specialist!

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Romance, Biographies & Memoirs, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Rick Raftos Management

Nat 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

Author and professional editor helping memoir, fiction and narrative nonfiction writers develop agent-ready manuscripts.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Kate 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

Children's fiction editor with over ten years industry experience with Scholastic, Disney and Marvel.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Mystery & Crime, Humor & Comedy, Picture Books, Science Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Scholastic Australia
  • Allen and Unwin
  • Lexis Nexis

Jocelyn 5 star rating

Blue Mountains NSW, Australia

Developmental and copy-editor with 25 years' experience at Penguin and indie publishers, specialising in creative non-fiction and memoir.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Literary Fiction, Fiction, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House
  • Self-employed

Jane 5 star rating

Toowoomba QLD, Australia

I'm a freelance editor, author and librarian with an eye for detail. Kids' books, fiction, non-fiction, history books: I love them all!

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Action & Adventure, Contemporary Fiction, and Health & Wellbeing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Concordia Lutheran College

Samantha 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

Manuscript assessements & development edits. I specialise in romance, literary & memoir. Seven years in the Aus publishing industry.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Picture Books, Children's, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Allen & Unwin
  • Indigenous Literacy Foundation

Emma 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

Non-fiction editor with 20+ years’ experience in non-fiction texts – from music biographies to memoirs to how-to guides.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Entertainment, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, History, Music, Political Science & Current Affairs, and Parenting & Families.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • NewSouth Publishing

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Hire the best developmental editors in Australia

After months, or maybe even years, of hard work and determination, you’ve finally completed your manuscript.

But now, in the midst of celebrating this accomplishment, you might be wondering: “What’s next?”

Well, for your best chances of coming to market with a professional and polished book, your answer should be: “Hire a developmental editor.”

A developmental editor works to ensure that your plot, characters, structure, prose, and all other pieces of your story are fine-tuned and cohesive as possible.

So how do you find a developmental editor in Australia you can trust to really make your story shine? Our marketplace is home to hundreds of experienced editors — many who worked for Big 5 publishers or with bestselling authors like Neil Gaiman. Sign up for a free account to start browsing the profiles of developmental editors in Australia today.

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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

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