The best developmental editors for hire in Australia

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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

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

Rachel 5 star rating

Lithgow NSW, Australia

Award winning publisher, author and educator with 20 years experience in ghost writing, resource writing and curriculum development.

Genres: Children's, Fiction, Education & Reference, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Elsevier
  • Cengage
  • Sydney Symphony Orchestra
  • Word Travels
  • Currency Press

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

Christina 5 star rating

Murwillumbah NSW, Australia

I edit memoir, history, philosophy, arts, literature, self-help and personal development, trauma recovery. Memoir is my specialty.

Genres: Architecture, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Humanities & Social Sciences, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Design.

Work experience:

  • 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

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

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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, Business & Management, and Parenting & Families.

Work experience:

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

Gary 5 star rating

Brisbane QLD, Australia

Developmental Editor with 15+ Years Publishing Experience, specialising in Literary Fiction, Weird Fiction and Horror.

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

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

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

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

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

Michele 5 star rating

Brisbane QLD, Australia

An editor of all genres, having worked for indie and trade publishing clients for 20 years, my expertise is developmental and copyediting!

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Coming of Age, Fantasy, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Children’s Non-Fiction, Business & Management, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • University of Queensland Press
  • Macmillan Education Publishers
  • New Holland Publishers
  • Steve Parish Publishing

Jess 5 star rating

Melbourne VIC, Australia

Editor and former Associate Publisher specialising in non fiction books including health, business and management, and personal development.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Health & Wellbeing, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Women's Fiction, Fiction, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Wilkinson Publishing
  • Self-employed

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

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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

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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.

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