The best developmental editors for hire in Australia

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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

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

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

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

Ed 5 star rating

Newcastle NSW, Australia

Astute, experienced and empathetic, I'm a narrative problem solver and sentence sharpener who works well with big presses and solo authors.

Genres: History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Sports & Outdoors, True Crime, Biographies & Memoirs, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Puncher and Wattmann
  • Murdoch Books

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

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

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sherryl 5 star rating

Melbourne VIC, Australia

Writer, teacher, editor- my job is to help writers create terrific, publishable stories.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Young Adult, Poetry, Short Story, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Victoria University

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

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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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Then, browse professional profiles to find out more about their personalities and past projects.

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.