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

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

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

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

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

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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

Georgia 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

Children's fiction editor with 8+ years publishing experience. Passionate editor and proofreader with a love of stories!

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

Work experience:

  • Scholastic Australia
  • CoreData
  • Hunter and Bligh

Emily 5 star rating

Coffs Harbour NSW, Australia

I help indie authors publish with confidence. Open to fantasy, romance, and YA fiction. Looking forward to meeting you and your book!

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, New Adult, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, and Contemporary Romance.

Work experience:

  • Indesign Publishing
  • SydneyLearning
  • Sunday Magazine
  • Self-employed

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 & 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

Darren 5 star rating

Geelong VIC, Australia

I’m a specialist SF & Fantasy editor with more than 25 years of publishing experience including Gollancz, Orbit and Earthlight.

Genres: Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Post-Apocalyptic, and Steampunk.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Victor Gollancz
  • Orbit

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

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

Zena 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

20yrs+ coaxing brilliant ideas into publishable SFF, thrillers, YA, women's, memoir, and inspirational books. I'm an author who *knows*.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Inspirational, and New Age.

Work experience:

  • CCH Australia
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Rockpool Publishing
  • Big Sky Publishing
  • Northern Beaches Council
  • MidnightSun Publishing, Encircle Publications, Major Street Publishing, Mosman Council
  • Self-employed

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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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

Collaborate

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