The best developmental editors for hire in Australia

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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

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

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

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

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

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Heather 5 star rating

Aldinga Beach, South Australia

Accredited editor specialising in biography, memoir, self-help, psychology, spirituality, general non-fiction. Former editor at Hardie Grant

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Biographies & Memoirs, New Age, Religion & Spirituality, and Inspirational.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Hardie Grant Publishing
  • John Brown Publishing, London

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

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

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

Rebecca 5 star rating

Coffs Harbour NSW, Australia

Using structural expertise and market insight, I work with publishers and indies to communicate ideas and make writing shine.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Literary Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Science Fiction, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • New Holland
  • WHSmith
  • Hachette and Curtis Brown

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

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

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

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

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 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.

Step 4

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