The best developmental editors for hire in Australia

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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

Alex 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

I am a publisher, editor, ghostwriter and content curator with 25 years' experience in almost every genre.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Social & Family Issues, Young Adult, Holiday, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Health & Wellbeing, Contemporary Romance, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Sam 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

Expert manuscript developer and editor. I specialise in literary fiction and nonfiction, and general / popular fiction and nonfiction.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Story, Thriller & Suspense, Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, History, and True Crime.

Work experience:

  • Brow Books
  • Self-employed
  • The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australia, The Saturday Paper
  • University of Melbourne, Deakin University, RMIT University, Victoria University

Stu 5 star rating

Castlemaine VIC, Australia

I’m a freelance editor with over 15 years’ experience. I work primarily with academics, poets, and neurodivergent writers.

Genres: Education & Reference, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Fiction, Philosophy, Humanities & Social Sciences, Writing & Publishing, Buddhism, and Religion & Spirituality.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Vignette Press
  • La Trobe University
  • Deakin University

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

John 5 star rating

Brisbane QLD, Australia

Editor with over twenty years of experience working for major commercial publishers (Wiley, McGraw-Hill and Cambridge University Press).

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Economics, Humanities & Social Sciences, Education & Reference, Psychology, Sports & Outdoors, Health & Wellbeing, Parenting & Families, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Wiley
  • Cambridge University Press
  • Self-employed

Karin 5 star rating

Brisbane QLD, Australia

A passionate 'generalist' who lives to learn, I've edited fiction and non-fiction for both indie and trade publisher clients for decades.

Genres: Nature, Non-Fiction, Life Sciences, Math & Science, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Picture Books, Children's, Science Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Teach Starter Publishing
  • Wildlife Australia Magazine
  • Steve Parish Publishing
  • LexisNexis/Elsevier Reed
  • Bookmark Publishing
  • Australian Geographic

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Callum 5 star rating

Melbourne VIC, Australia

Developmental and line editor of multiple #1 Sunday Times bestsellers, with a decade's experience at the world's biggest publishing house.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Entertainment, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Sports & Outdoors, and Health & Wellbeing.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House UK

Gary 5 star rating

Brisbane QLD, Australia

Experienced fiction editor, available for developmental editing, book coaching, and copyediting. Founder of the award-winning Influx Press.

Genres: Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story, Literary Fiction, Travel, Non-Fiction, Fantasy, Biographies & Memoirs, History, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Titan Books
  • Influx Press
  • Unsung Stories
  • Ambit 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

Brendan 5 star rating

Bulli NSW, Australia

Former journalist turned editor/publisher with two decades of experience across all levels of non-fiction book production.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Nature, Travel, and Business & Management.

Work experience:

  • Self Employed
  • Time To Roam
  • National Roads & Motorists Association
  • Driving Around Australia
  • Express Media Group

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

Erin 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

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

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

Work experience:

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

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

Michelle 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

Experienced publishing professional to polish your words till they glow. Memoirs, dissertations, monographs, textbooks - all welcome

Genres: Education & Reference, Non-Fiction, Humanities & Social Sciences, Biographies & Memoirs, Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry, Math & Science, Contemporary Fiction, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Cengage Australia
  • Pearson Australia
  • Longman Botswana

Pete 5 star rating

Perth WA, Australia

I'm a professional writer and editor who specialises in speculative fiction (horror, fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal romance) and thrillers.

Genres: Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime, Comics & Graphic Novels, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Science Fiction, Travel, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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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 2

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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

Collaborate

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